γέρας

Validation

Yes

Word-form

γέρον

Transliteration (Word)

gerōn

English translation (word)

old man

Transliteration (Etymon)

geras

English translation (etymon)

gift of honor

Author

Epimerismi homerici

Source

Idem

Ref.

Epimerismi Homerici in Iliadem 1.26

Ed.

A. Dyck, Epimerismi homerici, pars prior epimerismos continens qui ad Iliadis librum A pertinent, Berlin 1983

Quotation

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. ἢ παρὰ τὸ ῥέω, τὸ φθείρω· οὐδὲν γὰρ ἰσχνότερον γήρως

Translation (En)

Geron "old man": vocative, with [o]. It comes from eirō, which means "to say". From it comes erōn, and through adjunction of [g] gerōn, as rhea, grea. And Homer says "but they are good speakers" (Il. 3.150–1). Or from geras, which means "honor", because we honor old men. Or from the fact that they look on earth (eis gên horân), because they are stooped. Or from the fact that they go to earth, from rheō "to destroy". Because nothing is drier than old age

Comment

This etymology relying on paronymy happens to be the correct one by modern standards, γέρων and γέρας being indeed related, although the one is not directly derived from the other. The association is already explicit in Il. 4.323 τὸ γὰρ γέρας ἐστὶ γερόντων "this is the gift of honor for old men"

Parallels

Epimerismi homerici ordine alphabetico traditi, gamma 3 (Γίνεται 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· ‘ἀλλ’ ἀγορηταὶ | ἐσθλοί’ (Γ 150-51). ἢ παρὰ τὸ γέρας, ὃ σημαίνει τὴν τιμήν· ἢ παρὰ τὸ εἰς γῆν ὁρᾶν); ibid., 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. Manum, 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); 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 [= elliptic etymology deriving the word from γέρας meaning τιμή]. Ἢ, ὁ εἰς γῆν ὁρῶν, ὁ ἐγγὺς τοῦ θανάτου [NB: this is the reading of mss YQX, mss 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)

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"

Entry By

Le Feuvre