νᾶμα + ἀφαιρέω
Word
Validation
No
Word-form
νεφέλη
Word-lemma
Transliteration (Word)
nephelē
English translation (word)
cloud
Transliteration (Etymon)
nāma + haireō
English translation (etymon)
running water, stream + to take from
Century
5 AD
Source
Idem
Ref.
Etymologicum (excerpta e cod. regio 2610), p. 180
Ed.
G.H.K. Koës, Orionis Thebani etymologicon (ed. F.G. Sturz), Leipzig: Weigel, 1820 (repr. Hildesheim: Olms, 1973): 173-184
Quotation
Νεφέλη· διὰ τὸ τὰ νάματα ἀφελεῖν ἐκ τῆς θαλάσσης· ἢ ταῦτα φέρειν
Translation (En)
Nephelē "cloud": because it takes the running waters (namata) out (apheleîn) of the sea. Or because it bears them
Parallels
Orion, Etymologicum (excerpta e cod. Vat. gr. 1456) 146 (Νεφέλη: διὰ τὸ τὰ νάματα ἀφελεῖν ἐκ τῆς θαλάσσης. ἢ ταῦτα φέρειν); Etym. Gudianum, nu, p. 406 (Νεφέλη, διάτι τὰ νάματα ἀφελεῖν ἐκ τῆς θαλάσσης, ἢ ταῦτα φέρειν, ἢ ὑφελὼν, ἢ παρὰ τὸ νίφω τὸ χιονίζω).
With the variant ὑφελεῖν: Anastasius Sin., Viae dux 2, 8 (νεφέλη διὰ τὸ νάματα ὑφελεῖν), and Eym. Gudianum, nu, p. 406 (see above)
Modern etymology
Νεφέλη belongs with νέφος "cloud", not with νείφω "to snow" and is cognate with Lat. nebula "cloud", Germ. Nebel, Ved. nábhas- "cloud" (Beekes, EDG)
Persistence in Modern Greek
The word is still used in Modern Greek as a learned word to designate the 'cloud', while it also exists as a proper name. There also is the word νεφέλωμα.
Entry By
Le Feuvre
Comment
The word is parsed as a compound referring to the origin of the cloud, which forms above the sea through evaporation, therefore "taking out" the water from the sea. The segmentation is νε-φέλη: the second element is assumed to be ἀφελεῖν with loss of the initial vowel (in a variant of the same explanation, the etymon is assumed to be ὑφελεῖν according to the same principle: see Parallels). The first element is reduced to the initial syllable of νᾶμα: this implies a formal manipulation, the change of [ā] into [e], which is not commented upon.