ἅμα + ἄξων
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Quotation
Καὶ ὅρα ὅτι ψιλοῦσθαι ὁ ποιητὴς τὴν ἄμαξαν βούλεται, ὡς δηλοῖ τὸ «κατ’ ἀμαξιτόν». τὸ δ’ αὐτὸ καὶ ἀπὸ τοῦ κατημαξευμένου φαίνεται. γίνεται γάρ, φασίν, ἄμαξα παρὰ τὸ ἄγειν τὰ ἀμώμενα, ἤτοι θεριζόμενα. οἱ δὲ δασύνοντες ἀπὸ τοῦ ἅμα καὶ τοῦ ἄξονος αὐτὴν συντιθέασιν
Translation (En)
And note that Homer has amaxa "wagon" with a smooth breathing, as shown by the ‘kat' amaxiton’ (Il. 22.146) ‘on the road’. The same appears also from the katēmaxeumenos "trite, on which many wagons have passed". Because, as they say, amaxa comes from "to lead" (agein) that which has been reaped (ta amōmena), that is, the cut crop. But others spell it with a rough breathing, and hold it for a compound of hama "together" and axōn "axle"
Parallels
Scholia in Aratum (vetera) 27, 85 (Ἅμαξαι λέγονται παρὰ τὸ ὁμοῦ ἐν τῷ ἄξονι εἱλεῖσθαι. ἄλλως. Ἅμαξαι: διὰ τὸ ἅμα ἐν τῷ ἄξονι καὶ τῇ τούτου ἀρχῇ εἶναι)
Comment
This etymology shares with the usual one (ἅμαξα / ἅμα + ἄγω) the analysis of the first element as the adverb ἅμα "together, at the same time", but identifies the second element as the name of the axle. It refers probably to the fact that a wagon has four wheels, hence two axles, as opposed to a cart, although the scholion to Aratus (see Parallels) has a different interpretation and understands that the wheels rotate together on the axle.