γῆ + ῥέω
Word
Validation
Yes
Word-form
γῆρας
Word-lemma
Transliteration (Word)
gēras
English translation (word)
old age
Transliteration (Etymon)
gē + rheō
English translation (etymon)
earth + to flow, run
Century
5/6?
Source
Idem
Ref.
De astrologia dialogus p. 15
Ed.
W. Kroll and P. Viereck, Anonymi christiani Hermippus De astrologia dialogus [Bibliotheca scriptorum Graecorum et Romanorum Teubneriana (BT). Leipzig: Teubner, 1895]: 1-71
Quotation
καὶ γῆρας τοῦτο τοῦ χρόνου καλῶς ὠνόμασται, ῥεῦσις οἷον πρὸς γῆν
Translation (En)
And this period of time has been called rightly gēras "old age", being a flow (rheusis) toward earth (pros gên), so to speak
Parallels
Epimerismi homerici Il. 1,29 (γῆρας: ἀπὸ τοῦ ῥέω, τὸ φθείρω, καὶ ὑπερθέσει τοῦ ε, ἔρω, ἡ μετοχὴ ἔρων καὶ προσθέσει τοῦ γ, γέρων, καὶ ἐξ αὐτοῦ γέρας καὶ Ἰωνικῶς γῆρας. ἢ παρὰ τὸ γῶ, τὸ χωρῶ, πρὸς ὃ πάντες χωροῦμεν. | ἢ παρὰ τὸ γῆ, γῆρας· τοῦτο ἀπὸ τοῦ εἰς γῆν ὁρᾶν); Etym. Gudianum, gamma, p. 310 (Γῆρας· παρὰ τὸ εἰς γῆν ῥεῖν· ἐγγὺς γὰρ θανάτου. ἢ παρὰ τὸ γέρας, ἤγουν τιμή. ἢ <ὅτι εἰς> γῆν ὁρᾷ)
Modern etymology
Γῆρας belongs to the inherited PIE root *g̑erh2- "old", and is connected within Greek with γέρας, γέρων, and γραῦς (Beekes, EDG)
Persistence in Modern Greek
Γήρας in Modern Greek is a learned word, the usual word is the derivative γηρατειά (neuter plural)
Entry By
Le Feuvre
Comment
One of the many etymologies parsing γῆρας as a compound of γῆ. The second element is understood as referring to destruction and to coming death. Ῥέω provides only the [r], as there is no [a] in that root (whereas the competing etymologies by ὁράω and ἐράω account for the [a] of γῆρας). This etymology is attested indirectly in Plutarch's where it is applied to γέρων (see γέρων / γῆ + ῥέω)