χῶρος

Word

Validation

Yes

Word-form

χορός

Word-lemma

LSJ

Etymon-lemma

LSJ

Transliteration (Word)

khoros

English translation (word)

dance, choir

Transliteration (Etymon)

khōros

English translation (etymon)

place

Author

Philoxenus

Century

1 BC

Reference

fr. 207

Edition

C. Theodoridis, Die Fragmente des Grammatikers Philoxenos [Sammlung griechischer und lateinischer Grammatiker (SGLG) 2], Berlin: De Gruyter, 1976

Source

Orion

Ref.

Etymologicum, chi, p. 165

Ed.

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

Quotation

χορός· παρὰ τὸ χῶ, τὸ χωρῶ. ἐπὶ τοῦ τόπου. Ὅμηρος (θ 260)· „λείηναν δὲ χορόν“. καὶ μετωνυμικῶς ἐπὶ τῶν συνελθόντων εἴρηται χορός, ἀπὸ τοῦ περιέχοντος τὸ περιεχόμενον

Translation (En)

khoros "choir": from khô "to make room" (khōreō), refering to the place. Homer "and they prepared the place" (Od. 8.260). And through metonymy chorus is also used for those who gather, from the container to the content

Comment

There are two steps in the etymology. The first step is that χορός is derived from χῶρος "place". This is accepted by Herodian (see Parallels). This relies on a metonymy which is explicit in Orion's formulation and on an assumed alternation between [ŏ] and [ō], which is explicit in Herodian. Philoxenus' theory of monosyllabic verbs goes a step further: χῶρος is itself derived from a monosyllabic χῶ "to give room, to move", given as the etymon of other forms like χώρα

Parallels

Herodian, De prosodia catholica, Lentz III/1, p. 191 (τὸ μέντοι βορός ὁ πολλὰ ἐσθίων καὶ τὸ χορός καὶ σορός ὁ τάφος καὶ τορός ὀξύνονται· οὐ γὰρ γίνονται ἀπὸ τοιούτων ῥημάτων, ἀλλὰ τὸ βορός ἀπὸ τοῦ βρῶ βρώσω βρώσκω, καὶ τὸ χορός ἀπὸ τοῦ χωρῶ, χῶρος, χορός τροπῇ τοῦ ω εἰς ο); Theognostus, Canones sive De orthographia 385 (χαίρω χαρῶ χόρος· τροπῇ τοῦ ω εἰς ο· οὕτως Ἡρωδιανὸς ἐν τῇ καθόλου [part of the explanation is missing]); Etym. Gudianum, chi, p. 569 (Χορὸς, ἄθροισμα, ἀπὸ τοῦ χῶρος, ὃ σημαίνει τὸν τόπον, ἀπὸ περιέχοντος τὸ περιεχόμενον· ἐκ τοῦ οὖν χῶρος, κατὰ συστολὴν τοῦ ω εἰς ο, καὶ καταβιβάσει τοῦ τόνου γίνεται χορὸς ὁ λαὸς, ὁ περιεχόμενος ἀπὸ τόπου· γίνεται καὶ χορεῖος); Etym. Magnum, Kallierges, p. 813 (Χορός: Οἶμαι παρὰ τὸ χαίρειν· ἢ ἐκ τοῦ χῶρος· ἀπὸ τοῦ περιέχοντος τὸ περιεχόμενον. Ἢ χαίρω χαρὸς καὶ χορός. Ἢ παρὰ τὸ χεὶρ χερὸς, χορός) ; Scholia vetera in Od. 12.4 Dindorf (χοροί] χῶραι, τόποι, ὡς καὶ εὐρύχορον λέγει γῆν τὴν εὔχωρον καὶ μεγάλην. V. ἀντὶ τοῦ χῶροι· ὅθεν καὶ εὐρύχορος. B.)

Modern etymology

Etymology disputed. A connection with χαίρω has been advocated (Beekes, EDG)

Persistence in Modern Greek

The word is still used in Modern Greek to designate: 1. 'dancing', 2. 'the Chorus of ancient drama', 3. a "metaphysical" community, e.g., angels, martyrs.
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