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Ancient and Medieval Greek Etymologies

ποταμός

Word

ποταμός

Validation

Yes

Word-form

ποταμός

Word-lemma

LSJ

Etymon-lemma

LSJ

Transliteration (Word)

potamos

English translation (word)

river

Transliteration (Etymon)

potos

English translation (etymon)

drunk, drink, for drinking

Author

Orion

Century

5 AD

Source

Idem

Ref.

Etymologicum, pi, p. 134

Ed.

F. Sturz, Orionis Thebani etymologicon, Leipzig, Weigel, 1820

Quotation

Ποταμός. παρὰ τὸ ποτὸς ὀξυνόμενον. παρώνυμον ποταμός

Translation (En)

Potamos "river": from potos "which is drunk", oxytone, derivative potamos

Comment

The etymology derives the word from a shorter word with the same initial sequence [pot]. As the competing etymology by πότιμος (see ποταμός / πότιμος), it assumes the river is so named because of its drinkable water

Parallels

Etym. Magnum, Kallierges, p. 684 (Ποταμός: Παρὰ τὸ πότος παρώνυμον· ποτὸς δὲ ὀξυνόμενον σημαίνει τὴν πόσιν, παροξυνόμενον δὲ σημαίνει τὸ συμπόσιον. Ἢ παρὰ τὸ ποτάζω, τὸ ῥέω· ἢ παρὰ τὸ πότιμον ὕδωρ ἔχειν).

The etymology is probably implicit in Lycophron's Alexandra 1352 Πακτωλοῦ ποτὰ "the waters of the Pactolus", and Plutarch's De Alexandri magni fortuna aut virtute 332b (ποτὸν δὲ ποταμοὶ ῥέουσι). It may be alluded to in Philo's De opificio mundi 133 (εἰκότως οὖν καὶ γῇ τῇ πρεσβυτάτῃ καὶ γονιμωτάτῃ μητέρων ἀνέδωκεν ἡ φύσις οἷα μαστοὺς ποταμῶν ῥεῖθρα καὶ πηγῶν, ἵνα καὶ τὰ φυτὰ ἄρδοιτο καὶ ποτὸν ἄφθονον ἔχοι πάντα τὰ ζῷα), and Philo's De virtutibus 6 (ἔπειτα δὲ πηγὰς ἀφθόνους καὶ ποταμῶν οὐ χειμάρρων μόνον ἀλλὰ καὶ αὐθιγενῶν ῥεῖθρα ἀέναα πρὸς ποτοῦ χρῆσιν)

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.