*ποτάζω
Word
Validation
Yes
Word-form
ποταμός
Word-lemma
Etymon-lemma
Transliteration (Word)
potamos
English translation (word)
river
Transliteration (Etymon)
*potazō
English translation (etymon)
to drink
Century
9 AD
Source
Idem
Ref.
Epimerismi in Psalmos p. 135
Ed.
T. Gaisford, Georgii Choerobosci epimerismi in Psalmos, vol. 3, Oxford, 1842
Quotation
ποταμός· παρὰ τὸ ποτάζω, τὸ ῥέω, ἢ παρὰ τὸ πότιμον ὕδωρ ἔχειν
Translation (En)
Potamos "river": from potazō "to flow", or from the fact that it has "drinkable" water
Parallels
Choeroboscus, Epimerismi in Psalmos, p. 162 (παρὰ τὸ πότιμον ὕδωρ ἔχειν, ἢ παρὰ τὸ ποτάζω ποτάσω ποταμός· οὕτως Ἡρωδιανός); Etym. Gudianum, pi, p. 477 (idem); 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)
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.
Entry By
Le Feuvre
Comment
The assumed etymon is a ghost word ποτάζω, drawn from the compound οἰνοποτάζω "to drink wine". The explicit derivation is given by Choeroboscus elsewhere (see Parallels), together with the etymology by πότιμος and with the mention "this is what Herodian says". This led Lentz to attribute the etymology by ποτάζω to Herodian (referenced under Peri pathôn, Lentz III/2, p. 300). However, this is dubious: we know from an A scholion that Herodian derived ποταμός from πότιμος (see ποταμός / πότιμος), therefore the mention "this is what Herodian says" in Choeroboscus applies to the etymology by πότιμος, but probably not to the etymology by ποτάζω. The interversion of the two etymologies between the formulation on p. 135 (ποτάζω first, πότιμος second) and p. 162 (πότιμος first, ποτάζω second) may explain that the name of Herodian got associated wrongly with the explanation by ποτάζω