φλέγω
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
Πρόδικος δ’ ἐν τῶι Περὶ φύσεως ἀνθρώπου γράμματι τὸ συγκεκαυμένον καὶ οἷον ὑπερωπτημένον ἐν τοῖς χυμοῖς ὀνομάζων φλέγμα παρὰ τὸ πεφλέχθαι τῆι λέξει μὲν ἑτέρως χρῆται, φυλάττει μέντοι τὸ πρᾶγμα κατὰ ταὐτὸ τοῖς ἄλλοις
Translation (En)
Prodicus in his On the nature of man calls what is burned and so to speak overcooked in the bodily fluids phlegma, from the fact that it is inflamed (pephlekhthai) uses this word in a different meaning, but he keeps the reality (pragma) in the same way as the others
Parallels
Philolaus, fr. 27 (ap. Anonym. Lond. 18, 8) (λέγει γὰρ μηδὲ τετάχθαι ἐπὶ τῶι ἥπατι χολήν, ἰχῶρα μέντοι τῆς σαρκὸς εἶναι τὴν χολήν. τό τ’ αὖ φλέγμα τῶν πλείστων ψυχρὸν εἶναι λεγόντων αὐτὸς θερμὸν τῆι φύσει ὑποτίθεται. ἀπὸ γὰρ τοῦ φλέγειν φλέγμα εἰρῆσθαι); Galenus, De placitis Hippocratis et Platonis 8, 6, 48 (Πρόδικος ὑπαλλάττων τοὔνομα τὸν πικρόχολον χυμὸν ὀνομάζει φλέγμα διὰ τὸ νομίζειν ἀπὸ τοῦ πεφλέχθαι τὴν προσηγορίαν αὐτῷ γεγονέναι); Anon. Lond. 18, 41 (ἀπὸ γ(ὰρ) τοῦ φλέγειν φλέγμα εἰρῆσθ(αι)); Orion, Etymologicum, phi, p. 159 (Φλέγμα. κατὰ ἀντίφρασιν. ἐστὶ γὰρ ψυχρόν. φλέγω φλέξω φλέγμα. τὸ δὲ πικρὸν φλέγμα λέγεται, οἷον χολή. οὐδὲ γὰρ ἀποκριθεῖσα πήγνυται. οὕτω λέγει Σωρανὸς, ἐτυμολογῶν τὸν ἄνθρωπον ὅλον); Orion, Etymologicum (excerpta e cod. Darmstadino 2773), phi, p. 617 (φλέγμα, παρὰ τὸ φλέγω φλέξω· φλέγμα κατὰ ἀντίφρασιν· ψυχρὸν γάρ); Hesychius, Lexicon, phi 581 (φλέγμα· φλόξ, καῦσος, παρὰ τὸ φλέγειν); Alexander Trallianus, De febribus, vol. 1, p. 313 (δηλοῖ δὲ τοῦτο ἡμῖν καὶ αὐτὸ τὸ τοῦ φλέγματος ὄνομα. διὰ γὰρ τὸ φλέγειν αὐτὸ καὶ θερμαίνειν εἴρηται ‘φλέγμα’. καὶ τοῦτο μέν ἐστι φανερῶς ἄτοπον); Etym. Gudianum, phi, p. 554 (Φλέγμα, παρὰ τὸ φλέγω φλέξω φλέγμα κατ’ ἀντίφρασιν, ψυχρότατον γάρ ἐστι· καὶ τὸ πικρότατον φλέγμα λέγεται, οἷον χολὴ, οὐδὲ γὰρ ἀποκριθεῖσα πήγνυται); Etym. Magnum, Kallierges, p. 795 (idem); Ps.-Zonaras, Lexicon, phi, p. 1815 (Φλέγμα. παρὰ τὸ φλέγω, φλέξω, φλέγμα κατὰ ἀντίφρασιν· ψυχρότατον γάρ ἐστι. †τὸ φλέγμα ἀναλογεῖ τῷ ὕδατι, ψυχρὸν ὂν καὶ ὑγρόν.†)
Bibliography
On the use by Galen of this explanation and on the criticism of the etymological method, see N. Rousseau, "Ὅτι ἀλαζών ἐστι μάρτυς ἡ ἐτυμολογία: Galen on Etymology, Theory and Practice,", in A. Zucker, C. Le Feuvre (eds), Ancient and Medieval Greek etymology. Theory and practice I, Berlin, de Gruyter 2021, 136-141.
Comment
The derivation of φλέγμα from φλέγω is of course correct. Φλέγμα means "inflammation, heat", but in the medical vocabulary it refers to the phlegm, the cold and humid humor. Galen here says that Prodicus' explanation deriving φλέγμα from φλέγω poses a problem because he still refers to the phlegm (the πρᾶγμα is the same as for other authors writing about medical matters) but he uses the word in a different meaning (that of inflammation). Galen comes back several times to Prodicus' explanation in order to argue that etymology is pointless and does not help understand the correct meaning of words nor to use them properly.