γῆ + ὁράω

Validation

Yes

Word-form

γέροντας

Transliteration (Word)

gerōn

English translation (word)

old man

Transliteration (Etymon)

gē + horaō

English translation (etymon)

earth + to see

Author

Stephanus of Athens

Century

6/7 AD

Source

Idem

Ref.

In Hippocratis aphorismos commentaria i-ii, I.22

Ed.

L.G. Westerink, Stephanus of Athens: Commentary on Hippocrates' aphorisms, sections I-II [Corpus medicorum Graecorum XI 1.3.1. Berlin: Akademie Verlag, 1985

Quotation

Ἰστέον δὲ καὶ τοῦτο, ὅτι γέροντας ἐνταῦθα οὐ τοὺς ἐσχατογήρους λέγει, οἵ γε δὴ καὶ κυφογέροντες ἐπιλέγονται, ἢ παρὰ τὸ γῆς ἐρᾶν κυρίως οὕτω λεγόμενοι γέροντες πλησίον ὄντος αὐτοῖς τοῦ θανάτου ἢ παρὰ τὸ τὴν γῆν ὁρᾶν, τῷ κεκυφέναι καὶ πρὸς αὐτὴν νενευκότας περιπατεῖν

Translation (En)

One has to know also that in this passage he calls old men (gerontas) not those who have reached the extreme old age, who are also called kuphogerontes "stooped old men" – old men are thus properly called either from the fact that they desire (erân) earth (gês), because death is near them, or from the fact that they look (horân) on earth (gên), because they are bent and walk inclined toward the ground

Comment

Transfer to γέρων of an etymology originally designed for γῆρας (see γῆρας / γῆ + ὁράω) because of the obvious association between γέρων and γῆρας. The etymology is found in the D scholia to the Iliad, which means that it is probably older and may go back to Hellenistic scholarship

Parallels

D Schol. Il. 9.400 (Γέρων. Εἴρηται ἤτοι παρὰ τὸ περὶ τὸ γῆρας εἶναι, ἵν’ ᾖ παρώνυμον τὸ ὄνομα. Ἢ, παρὰ τὸ ἕτοιμον ἤδη εἰς τιμήν. Ἢ, ὁ εἰς γῆν ὁρῶν, ὁ ἐγγὺς τοῦ θανάτου [NB: this is the text of mss YQX, Z has παρὰ τὸ ἕτοιμον ἤδη εἰς τιμήν ἐρῶν]);  Geneva scholion Il. 9.400 (γέρων] εἴρηται ἢ παρὰ τὸ γέρας εἶναι, ἵν’ ᾖ παρώνυμον τὸ ὄνομα, ἢ παρὰ τὸ ἕτοιμος ἤδη εἰς τιμὴν ἢ εἰς γῆν, ὁρῶν ἐγγὺς τοῦ θανάτου); Epimerismi homerici Il. 1.26 (γέρον: κλητικὴ διὰ τοῦ ο. | γέγονε δὲ παρὰ τὸ εἴρω, ὃ σημαίνει τὸ λέγω· γίνεται ἐξ αὐτοῦ ἔρων καὶ πλεονασμῷ τοῦ γ γέρων, ὡς ῥέα, γρέα. καὶ ὁ ποιητής· ‘ἀλλ’ ἀγορηταὶ | ἐσθλοί’ (Γ 150–51). ἢ παρὰ τὸ γέρας, τὸ σημαῖνον τὴν τιμήν· τιμῶμεν γὰρ τοὺς γέροντας. ἢ παρὰ τὸ εἰς γῆν ὁρᾶν, διὰ τὸ κεκυφέναι. ἢ παρὰ τὸ εἰς γῆν ἔρ<χ>εσθαι. παρὰ τὸ ῥέω, τὸ φθείρω· οὐδὲν γὰρ ἰσχνότερον γήρως); Epimerismi homerici ordine alphabetico traditi, gamma 26 (γέρων: παρὰ τὸ εἴρω, τὸ λέγω, ἔρων καὶ γέρων· λεκτικοὶ γὰρ μᾶλλον οἱ γέροντες ‘ἀλλ’ ἀγορηταὶ | ἐσθλοί, {τε}τεττίγεσσι ἐοικότες’ (Γ 150-51). οἱ δὲ πλανώμενος λέγουσιν, ὁ εἰς τὴν γῆν ὁρῶν· —ἢ εἰς τὴν γῆν ῥέων […] οἱ δὲ λέγουσιν παρὰ τὸ ἔρρω ἔρων <καὶ γέρων>, ὁ ἐφθαρμένος ἤδη, ὡς παρὰ τὸ ῥέω, τὸ διαφθείρω, γραῖα, ἡ διεφθαρμένη. ἢ παρὰ τὸ ἐρῶ ἐρᾷς καὶ γέρας (πᾶς γὰρ γέρατος ἐπιθυμεῖ); Etym. Gudianum, gamma, p. 308 (Γέρων <Β 21>· παρὰ τὸ ἔρρω, τὸ φθείρω, ἔρρων καὶ γέρων, ὁ μετὰ φθορᾶς εἰς τὸν Ἅιδην πορευόμενος· ἢ παρὰ τὸ εἴρω, τὸ λέγω· λεκτικοὶ γὰρ οἱ γέροντες, καὶ Ὅμηρος <Γ 150 sq.>· „ἀλλ’ ἀγορηταὶ ἐσθλοί“· ἢ παρὰ τὸ γέρας, ὃ σημαίνει τὴν τιμήν· ἢ παρὰ τὸ εἰς γῆν ὁρᾶν); Etym. Gudianum Additamenta, gamma, p. 306 (Γέρων· παρὰ τὸ <εἰς> [τὴν] γῆν ὁρᾶν. | Γέρων· τινές φασιν, ὁ εἰς γῆν ὁρῶν· ἢ ὁ μετὰ φθορᾶς πορευόμενος· ἢ ὁ καλῶς δημηγορῶν); Etym. Magnum, Kallierges p. 226 (Γέρων: Παρὰ τὸ ἔρρω, τὸ φθείρω, ἔρρων καὶ γέρων, ὁ μετὰ φθορᾶς εἰς τὸν ᾅδην πορευόμενος, πλεονασμῷ τοῦ γ. Ἢ παρὰ τὸ εἰς τὴν γῆν ἔρρειν, τουτέστι φθείρεσθαι, διὰ τὸ θανάτου ἐγγὺς εἶναι. Ἢ παρὰ τὸ εἰς γῆν ὁρᾶν τῷ κεκυφέναι, καὶ περὶ αὐτὴν νενευκότα περιπατεῖν. Ἢ παρὰ τὸ τῆς γῆς ἐρᾶν, πλησίον ὄντας θανάτου καὶ τάφου δεομένους. Ἢ παρὰ τὸ γέρας, ὃ σημαίνει τὴν τιμήν. Ἢ παρὰ τὸ εἴρω, τὸ λέγω· λεκτικοὶ γὰρ οἱ γέροντες· ἔρων καὶ γέρων); Etym. Symeonis, gamma 77 (Γέρων· παρὰ τὸ εἰς γῆν ὁρᾶν, οἱ δὲ παρὰ τὸ εἰς γῆν ἔρρειν τουτέστι φθείρεσθαι, διὰ τὸ ἐγγὺς εἶναι θανάτου ἔρων καὶ πλεονασμῷ τοῦ γ, γέρων); Ps.-Zonaras, Lexicon, gamma, p. 426 (γέρων δὲ εἴρηται παρὰ τὸ εἰς τὴν γῆν ὁρᾷν. οἱ δὲ, παρὰ τὸ εἰς τὴν γῆν ἔῤῥειν· διὰ τὸ ἐγγὺς εἶναι θανάτου, ἔρων, καὶ πλεονασμῷ τοῦ γ γέρων. [ἢ παρὰ τὸ εἴρω τὸ λέγω, εἴρων καὶ γέρων)

Modern etymology

Γέρων belongs with γῆρας "old age", γραῦς "old woman" and γέρας "gift of honor", inherited from PIT *g̑erh2- "old" (Beekes, EDG)

Persistence in Modern Greek

Modern Greek has γέροντας, and γέρος "old man"

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