ἅλς
Word
Validation
Word-form
Word-lemma
Etymon-lemma
Transliteration (Word)
English translation (word)
Transliteration (Etymon)
English translation (etymon)
Century
Reference
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Ed.
Quotation
δασύνεται τὸ ἅλς καὶ τὰ παρ’ αὐτό, ἅλιος παρὰ τὴν ἁλός γενικὴν κτητικῶς μετήχθη. σημαντικὸν δέ ἐστι τοῦ ματαίου, ἐπεὶ οὐκ εὔχρηστον εἰς πόσιν τὸ θαλάσσιον ὕδωρ, τὸ γοῦν ἐναντίον πότιμον καὶ ποταμός λέγεται (Lentz ποιητικῶς μετενεχθέν).
Translation (En)
Hals "sea" has a rough breathing, as well as its derivatives, halios "fruitless" was derived as a ctetic "from the genitive halos "of the sea". Its meaning is that of the fruitless thing, since sea water is useless for consumption, and the opposite is said potimos "drinkable", <hence> potamos "river".
Parallels
Suetonius, Peri blasphemiôn, prologue (ἁπλῶς μὲν ὡς ἅλιον, τὸν μάταιον, ἀπὸ τῆς ἁλὸς ἐν οὐδενὶ λόγῳ κειμένης πρὸ τῆς τῶν νηῶν εὑρέσεως); Porphyrius, Quaest. Hom. ad Iliadem pertinentium reliquiae, Il. 10, 67 (ὁ δὲ ἅλιος ἀπὸ τῶν εἰς ἅλα βαλλομένων, ὡς τὸ ‘ἅλιον ἔπος ἔκβαλον ἤματι κείνῳ’ [Il. 18.324]); Orion, Etymologicum, alpha, p. 7 (Ἅλιον, τὸ μάταιον, τὸ εἰς θάλασσαν ῥιπτόμενον καὶ ἀφανιζόμενον, ἢ παρὰ τὴν ἅλα· ἀπὸ τοῦ εὐχρηστεῖν εἰς πόσιν τὸ θαλάσσιον ὕδωρ); ibid., eta, p. 70 (Ἠλίθιος, ὁ ἀνόητος, παρὰ τὴν ἅλα. ταύτης γὰρ τὸ ὕδωρ ἄχρηστον. ἔνθεν καὶ ἅλιον τὸ μάταιον, καὶ ἀλὼς παράγωγον τοῦ ἀλῶ); Etym. Gnuinum, alpha 485 (Ἅλιον (Ε 715)· σημαίνει δὲ τὸ μάταιον· ‘ἦ ῥ’ ἅλιον τὸν μῦθον ὑπέστημεν Μενελάῳ’. παρὰ τὸ ἅλς ἁλός ἅλιον, ὡς πτύξ πτυχός πτύχιον καὶ χθών χθονός χθόνιον, οἱονεὶ τὸ εἰς θάλασσαν ῥιπτόμενον καὶ ἀφανιζόμενον· ἢ ἀπὸ μεταφορᾶς τοῦ θαλαττίου ὕδατος ἀχρήστου ὄντος εἰς πόσιν. οὕτως Ὠρίων); Etym. Gudianum, alpha, p. 88 (Ἅλιον· τὸ μάταιον· ἀπὸ τῆς ἁλὸς γενικῆς· τὸ γὰρ τῆς θαλάσσης ὕδωρ ἄχρηστον); Etym. Gudianum Additamenta, alpha, p. 88 (Ἅλιον· τὸ μάταιον· τὸ εἰς θάλασσαν ῥιπτόμενον καὶ ἀφανιζόμενον· ἢ παρὰ τὴν ἅλα, ἀπὸ τοῦ μὴ εὐχρηστεῖν εἰς πόσιν τὸ θαλάσσιον ὕδωρ); Eustathius, Comm. Il. 1, 697 Van der Valk (Ἰστέον δὲ καί, ὅτι τοῦ ἅλιον πόνον ἐφερμηνευτικόν ἐστι τὸ ἀτέλεστον ἱδρῶτα. οὐκ ἄδηλον δέ, ὡς ἐπὶ ψόγῳ τῆς ναυτιλίας ἅλιον ἐκ τῆς ἁλὸς τὸ μάταιον εἴρηται, καὶ ὡς τὸ ἀτέλεστον καὶ ἀτελεύτητον λέγεται); ibid. 1, 795 Van der Valk (Τὸ δὲ ἅλιον ὡς δασυνόμενον ἀπὸ τοῦ ἅλς ἁλός γίνεται καὶ δηλοῖ τὸ ἀσυντελές. καὶ ἡ θάλασσα γὰρ ἀσυντελὴς τοῖς γε πιεῖν ἐθέλουσι); Eustathius, Comm. Od. 1, 172 (καὶ ὅτι δίχα παρῳδίας, ἠδύνατο ἐκεῖνος χρήσασθαι τῷ ἅλιος, ἀντὶ τοῦ μάταιος. ὃ καὶ αὐτὸ, ἐκ τοῦ ἃλς ἁλὸς παρῆκται ὡς ἀλλαχοῦ δεδήλωται); Etym. Magnum, Kallierges, p. 64 (Ἅλιον: Σημαίνει τὸ μάταιον· ‘Ἦ ῥ’ ἅλιον τὸν μῦθον ὑπέστημεν Μενελάῳ;’ Ἃλς ἁλὸς ἅλιον, οἱονεὶ τὸ εἰς θάλασσαν ῥιπτούμενον καὶ ἀφανιζόμενον. Ἢ ἀπὸ μεταφορᾶς τοῦ θαλασσίου ὕδατος· τὸ γὰρ τῆς θαλάσσης ὕδωρ ἄχρηστον εἰς πόσιν· οὕτως Ὠρίων); Etym. Symeonis, vol. 1, p. 308 (ἅλιον (Ε 715)· σημαίνει <δὲ> τὸ μάταιον· παρὰ τὸ ἅλς ἁλός ἅλιον, ὡς πτύξ πτυχός πτύχιον, οἱονεὶ τὸ εἰς θάλασσαν ῥιπτόμενον καὶ ἀφανιζόμενον. ἢ ἀπὸ μεταφορᾶς εἰς πόσιν); Ps.-Zonaras, Lexicon, alpha, p. 131 (Ἅλιον δὲ, τὸ μάταιον, ι. [παρὰ τὸ ἃλς, ἁλὸς, ἅλιον, ὡς πτὺξ, πτυχὸς, πτύχιον, οἱονεὶ τὸ εἰς θάλασσαν ῥιπτόμενον καὶ ἀφανιζόμενον.]); Lexicon αἱμωδεῖν, alpha 40 (ἅλιον: τὸ μάταιον· ἀπὸ τῆς ἁλός γενικῆς· τὸ γὰρ ⸤θαλάσσιον ὕδωρ ἄχρηστον⸥)
Comment
Paronymic etymology equating ἅλιος2 "fruitless" with its homonym ἅλιος1 "marine", although this remains implicit: the latter is indeed derived from ἅλς "sea", leading to the same etymology for the former. From the formal point of view, the derivation is unproblematic, from the semantic point of view it is justified by a reference to the undrinkable quality of sea water because it is salty, and from "undrinkable" one moves on to "useless", even though this is not the meaning of ἅλιος which means "producing no effect" and not "which cannot be used". The etymology is backed by an etymology ex antonymo explaining ποταμός "river" as having "drinkable" water (πότιμος). Suetonius has a different justification: the sea was useless before the invention of ships.