πότιμος

Word

Validation

Yes

Word-form

ποταμός

Word-lemma

LSJ

Etymon-lemma

LSJ

Transliteration (Word)

potamos

English translation (word)

river

Transliteration (Etymon)

potimos

English translation (etymon)

drinkable

Author

Herodian

Century

2 AD

Reference

De Prosodia catholica, Lentz III/1, p. 540

Edition

A. Lentz, Grammatici graeci III/1, Leipzig, Teubner 1867

Source

Scholia vetera in Iliadem

Ref.

A Scholion Il. 4.26a

Ed.

H. Erbse, Scholia Graeca in Homeri Iliadem (scholia vetera), vols. 1-5, 7, Berlin: De Gruyter, 1969-1988

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 has 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 called potimos "drinkable", <hence> potamos "river"

Comment

Paronymic etymology implying one formal manipulation, the change of [a] into [i]. This etymology does not take into account the position of stress, different in ποταμός and πότιμος. The river is assumed to get its name from the drinkable quality of its water, as opposed to the sea.

Parallels

Athanasius, Liber de definitionibus, MPG 28, p. 544 (ποταμὸς, ὡς πότιμον ἔχων ἐνέργειαν); Anastasius Sin., Viae dux 2.4, l. 164 (idem); Choeroboscus, Epimerismi in Psalmos p. 135 (παρὰ τὸ ποτάζω, τὸ ῥέω, ἢ παρὰ τὸ πότιμον ὕδωρ ἔχειν); ibid., p. 162 (παρὰ τὸ πότιμον ὕδωρ ἔχειν, ἢ παρὰ τὸ ποτάζω ποτάσω ποταμός· οὕτως Ἡρωδιανός); ibid., p. 184 (παρὰ τὸ πότιμον ὕδωρ ἔχειν); Etym. Gudianum, pi, p. 477 (idem); Etym. Gudianum Additamenta, epsilon, p. 512 (ποταμός παρὰ τὸ πότιμον ὕδωρ ἔχειν); T Schol. Il. 15.265c Erbse (ποταμοῖο: λείπει ὕδατι. ἢ ἀντὶ δοτικῆς, ὅ ἐστιν ὕδατι ποτίμῳ, ὡς καὶ τὸ „λοεσ<σ>άμενος ποταμοῖο“).

The etymology may be implicit in Philo, Quis rerum divinarum heres sit 136 (γῆ μὲν γὰρ εἰς ἠπείρους καὶ νήσους διῃρεῖτο, ὕδωρ δὲ εἰς θάλασσαν καὶ ποταμοὺς καὶ ὅσον πότιμον, ἀὴρ δὲ εἰς τὰς θέρους καὶ χειμῶνος τροπάς). There are many instances in Greek literature of a collocation of ποταμός and πότιμος but it seems to be more often a pun than a conscious etymological explanation, e.g. Plutarch, Antonius 47.7 (ἕτερον γὰρ οὐ πόρρω ποταμὸν εἶναι πότιμον); Artemidorus, Onirocriticon 2.38 (Ἀχελῷος δὲ τὰ αὐτὰ τοῖς ποταμοῖς καὶ παντὶ ποτίμῳ ὕδατι σημαίνει καὶ ἰσχυρότερα τὰ ἀποτελέσματα ποιεῖ); Aristoteles, Historia Animalium 603a (Ποιοῦνται δέ τινες καὶ δύ’ ἄλλας θήρας τῶν ἰχθύων. Διὰ γὰρ τὸ φεύγειν ἐν τῷ χειμῶνι τὰ βαθέα ἐν τοῖς ποταμοῖς (καὶ γὰρ ἄλλως τὸ πότιμον ὕδωρ ψυχρόν) ὀρύττουσι τάφρον εἰς τὸν ποταμὸν διὰ ξηροῦ)

Modern etymology

Probably derived from the root found in πέτομαι "to fly, to rush", referring to the quick motion of water (Beekes, EDG, who, however, concludes the etymology is uncertain)

Persistence in Modern Greek

Ποταμός is used with ποτάμι (neut.) in MG as 1. 'river' and 'massive flow'. Ποταμός, diminutive ποτάμιον, ποτάμι were used in Med. Greek (Em. Kriaras Dict. of Mediev. Vernacular Greek, vol. 17, s.v.). In MG there also are many derivatives and compounds.

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