ἀρά
Word
Validation
Word-form
Word-lemma
Etymon-lemma
Transliteration (Word)
English translation (word)
Transliteration (Etymon)
English translation (etymon)
Century
Reference
Edition
Source
Ref.
Ed.
Quotation
ἔστι παρὰ τὴν ἀρὰν ἀραῖος, ὁ εὐκταῖος τῇ μητρὶ γενόμενος, καὶ πλεονασμῷ τοῦ ν Ἀρναῖος. οὕτως Ἡρωδιανὸς ἐν τῇ Ἀνωμάλῳ προσωδίᾳ
Translation (En)
From ara "prayer" comes araios "of the prayers", the one who comes following the prayers of his mother, and through adjunction of [n], Arnaios. This is what Herodian says in his Anomalos Prosodia
Parallels
Etym. Magnum, Kallierges, p. 146 (idem); Herodian, De prosodia catholica, Lentz III/1, p. 130 (τὸ δὲ ἁραιός ὁ μὴ πυκνὸς παρὰ τὸ ῥαιός ἐν πλεονασμῷ τοῦ α, μετελθούσης τῆς δασείας τοῦ ρ εἰς τὸ α, καθὼς καὶ ἐπὶ τοῦ ῥέζω καὶ ἕρδω, τὸ δὲ ῥαιός ἀπὸ τοῦ ῥαίω ῥήματος, ὃ δηλοῖ τὸ φθείρω. τὸ δὲ ἀραῖος ἀπὸ τῆς ἀρᾶς [the last sentence added by Lentz]); Etym. Magnum, Kallierges, p. 134 (Ἢ ἀπὸ τοῦ Ἄρεος, βλαπτικοῦ ὄντος, ἀρὰ ἡ βλάβη· καὶ ἀραῖα, βίαια, δεινὰ, χαλεπὰ, ὀδυνηρά· σημαίνει καὶ τὰ εὐκταῖα); Eustathius, Comm. Od. 2, 132 (τοιοῦτον παρὰ τῷ αὐτῷ καὶ τὸ, ὥς πέρ μ’ ἀραῖον εἷλες, ἤγουν ὥς περ ἐμὲ εἷλες διὰ τῆς ἀρᾶς); Scholia vetera in Sophoclem, Ph. 1181 (ἀρὰ ἡ εὐχή· ἀραῖος οὖν ᾧ πάντες προσευχόμεθα ἢ ὃν ἐπικαλούμεθα ἀρώμενοι); Scholia vetera in Odysseam 18, 5 Dindorf (γέγονε τὸ ὄνομα παρὰ τὴν ἀρὰν ἀραῖος, καὶ πλεονασμῷ τοῦ ν ἀρναῖος, ὁ εὐκταῖος τῇ μητρὶ γενόμενος).
Lexicographers (implicit): Hesychius, Lexicon, alpha 6947 (ἀραῖον· κατάρατον. ἢ Ὁ πρόσθεν ἐλθὼν ἦν ἀραῖός μοι νέκυς. οἷον ἀρὰν προσετρίβετο καὶ κατευχήν. Σοφοκλῆς Πολυΐδῳ (fr. 367)); Suda, alpha 3816 (Ἀραῖος: ἀρᾷ ὑποκείμενος); Scholia vetera in Aeschylum, Th. 785 (ἀραίας] ἀρὰς καταρασίμους (785a) / κατάρας (785b))
Comment
The derivation of ἀραῖος "accursed" from ἀρά "prayer, curse" is regular. This is the correct etymology. It is implicit in the formulation of lexicographers. Ἀραῖος is given as an intermediate step between ἀρά and ἀρναῖος, but it is not a ghost-word, and it explains the semantic evolution: ἀρά means both "prayer" and "malediction", hence ἀραῖος "obtained by prayer" (εὐκταῖος) or "accursed". The meaning "accursed" is the usual one, and the meaning "obtained by prayer" is the one assigned to ἀρναῖος