ἀ- + ἄκος

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Sat, 07/03/2021 - 08:57

Word-form

ἀνάγκη

Transliteration (Word)

anankē

English translation (word)

necessity

Transliteration (Etymon)

a- + akos

English translation (etymon)

not + remedy

Author

Choeroboscus

Century

9 AD

Source

Idem

Ref.

Epimerismi in Psalmos p. 136

Ed.

T. Gaisford, Georgii Choerobosci epimerismi in Psalmos, vol. 3, Oxford, 1842

Quotation

ἀνάγκη, παρὰ τὸ ἄγω ἄγη καὶ ἀνάγκη, ἐπειδὴ τὸ ταῖς ἀγκάλαις κρατούμενον κατὰ δύναμιν ἀφυκτότερον κρατεῖται, ἢ παρὰ τὸ ἄκος, ὃ σημαίνει τὴν θεραπείαν, πρὸς ἣν ἄκος οὐκ ἔστιν εὑρεῖν

Translation (En)

Anankē "necessity", from agō "to lead" (agē) and anankē, since that which is mastered by the grasp of the arms is dominated by a power which one cannot flee; or from akos "remedy", which means "cure", that against which it is impossible (ouk, scil. = an-) to find a remedy

Comment

The word is parsed as a privative compound, which was almost automatic for word with initial ἀ-, here under the prevocalic variant ἀν-. The identification of the second element as ἄκος implies a formal manipulation, the insertion of a nasal consonant. The inflectional type is not discussed, yet Choeroboscus knew that for s-stems like ἄκος compounds are in -ής and not in -η. From the semantic point of view, necessity is defined negatively as an illness would be

Parallels

Etym. Gudianum, alpha, p. 129 (Ἐπιμερισμῶν τοῦ Ψαλτηρίου Ἀνάγκη <Ps. 24, 17>· ἀγκάς ἀγκή καὶ ἀνάγκη, ἐπειδὴ τὸ ταῖς ἀγκάλαις κρατούμενον κατὰ δύναμιν ἀφυκτότερον κρατεῖται· ἢ παρὰ τὸ ἄκος, πρὸς ἣν ἄκος οὐκ ἔστιν εὑρεῖν); Etym. Magnum, Kallierges, p. 95 (Ἀνάγκη: Ἡ θεὸς, παρὰ τὸ ἀνάσσω. Καὶ τὸ πρᾶγμα ἀνάγκη· πάντων γὰρ ἐπικρατεῖ. Εἰ δὲ ἦν ἐπίρρημα, ὀξύνετο ἂν, ὡς στενάχω, στεναχή. Παρὰ τὸ ἄγω οὖν, ἄγη· καὶ πλεονασμῷ τοῦ κ ἀνάγκη, ἡ πάντα κρατοῦσα. Ἢ ἀγκάς, ἀγκὴ καὶ ἀνάγκη· ἐπειδὴ τὸ ταῖς ἀγκάλαις κρατούμενον κατὰ δύναμιν ἀφυκτότερον κρατεῖται. Ἢ παρὰ τὸ ἄκος, πρὸς ἣν ἄκος οὐκ ἔστιν εὑρεῖν)

Modern etymology

Ἀνάγκη is isolated within Greek but has cognates in other IE languages: Hitt. henkan- "death", O.Irish écen "fate" (Beekes, EDG)

Persistence in Modern Greek

MG still has ανάγκη, meaning: 1. 'something imposed by reality', 2. 'urination, defecation', 3. 'emotional need', 4. 'absence of basic material goods'. There also are a lot of phrases ("έπεσα στην ανάγκη του")

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