ἅλμη

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Word-form

ἁλμυρός

Transliteration (Word)

halmuros

English translation (word)

salt, briny

Transliteration (Etymon)

halmē

English translation (etymon)

sea water

Author

Apollonius Dyscolus?

Century

1-2 AD

Source

Etym. Genuinum

Ref.

Etym. Genuinum, alpha 519

Ed.

F. Lasserre and N. Livadaras, Etymologicum magnum genuinum. Symeonis etymologicum una cum magna grammatica. Etymologicum magnum auctum, vol. 1, Rome: Ateneo, 1976

Quotation

Ἁλμυρόν (δ 511)· ‘ἐπεὶ πίες ἁλμυρὸν ὕδωρ’. ὥσπερ παρὰ τὸ τόλμη γίνεται τολμηρός καὶ παρὰ τὸ ἄτη ἀτηρός, οὕτως καὶ παρὰ τὸ ἅλμη ἁλμηρός καὶ τροπῇ τοῦ η εἰς τὸ υ ἁλμυρός, ὡς τηρός τυρός. ἢ κυρίως τίθεται ἡ λέξις ἐπὶ τῶν εἰς ἅλα μυρομένων ποταμῶν, ὅ ἐστιν ἐκχεομένων, ὥστε οὐ τροπῇ κατὰ Ἀπολλώνιον 

Translation (En)

Halmuron "briny": ‘since you drank briny water’ (Od. 4. 511). As from tolmē "boldness" comes tolmēros "bold" and from atē "fault" atēros "pernicious", so from halmē "sea water" comes *halmēros, and through change of the [ē] into [u], halmuros, as in *tēros turos "cheese". Or it is properly said for rivers flowing (muromenōn) into the sea (eis hala), that is, running into it, so that there is no need of change as Apollonius assumes

Comment

This explanation deriving ἁλμυρόν from ἅλμη is basically correct by modern standards, although the assumed formal manipulation, change of η to υ, is not, of course

Parallels

Herodian, Peri pathôn (supplementum), Lentz III/2, p. 360 (idem); Etym. Magnum, Kallierges, p. 69 (idem); Herodian, Peri pathôn, Lentz III/2, p. 367 (ἐπειδὴ πολλάκις τὸ η εἰς τὸ υ τρέπεται οἷον ἅλμη ἁλμυρός); Herodian, Παρεκβολαὶ τοῦ μεγάλου ῥήματος p. 13 (ἐπειδὴ καὶ τὸ η εἰς υ τρέπεται ὡς ἐν τῷ ἅλμη ἁλμηρός ἁλμυρός); Choeroboscus, Prolegomena et scholia in Theodosii Alexandrini Canones isagogicos de flexione verborum p. 91 (idem); Etym. Gudianum, alpha, p. 97 (Ἁλμυρός· ὁ ἅλμης μετέχων· ὡς τόλμη τολμηρός, ἄτη ἀτηρός, <οὕτω καὶ> ἅλμη ἁλμηρός, καὶ τροπῇ τοῦ η εἰς υ ἁλμυρός, ὡς τηρός τυρός· ἢ κυρίως τίθεται ἡ λέξις ἐπὶ τῶν εἰς ἅλα μυρομένων ποταμῶν, ὅ ἐστιν ἐκχεομένων); ibid., alpha, p. 99 (εἴρηται δὲ Ἅλυς οἱονεὶ ἄλης τις ὢν καὶ πλανήτης· πολλὴν γὰρ διοδεύει γῆν· τροπῇ τοῦ η εἰς υ, ὡς ἅλμη ἁλμυρός); ibid., alpha, p. 230 (Ἄτρυτα· ἀκάματα, σκληρὰ καὶ ἰσχυρά. σημαίνει δὲ καὶ ἀβλαβῆ, οἷον ἄτρητα· παρὰ τὸ τρῶ τρήσω τρητά καὶ ἄτρυτα μετὰ τοῦ στερητικοῦ α <καὶ> τροπῇ τοῦ η εἰς υ, ὡς ἅλμη ἁλμυρός); Etym. Magnum, Kallierges, p. 167 (idem); Lexicon αἱμωδεῖν, alpha 1 49 (idem); Eustathius, Comm. Il. 2, 229 Van der Valk (οὐκ ἔστιν ἐνστῆναι τὸν ἐνθυμηθέντα ὁμοίαν τροπὴν τοῦ η εἰς υ ἐν τῷ στήσω στῦλος καὶ ἅλμη ἁλμυρός); ibid., 3, 213 (ἀλλὰ καὶ ὁ στῦλος τροπῇ ὁποία γίνεται καὶ ἐν τῷ ἅλμη ἁλμυρός, καὶ τηρῶ τυρός); Eustathius, Comm. Od. 1, 338 Stallbaum (ζητητέον ἑτέραν τινὰ ἐτυμολογίαν ταύτης τε καὶ τοῦ τυρβάζειν, ὥσπερ καὶ τοῦ τυροῦ. ὃν καὶ παρὰ τὸ τηρεῖν φασί τινες γίνεσθαι. ὡς γὰρ ἅλμη ἁλμηρὸς, οὕτω τυρῶ τυρὸς, ὃ εἰς τήρησιν συμπηγνύμενος); Etym. Symeonis, vol. 1, p. 324 (ἁλμυρόν (δ 511)· ὥσπερ παρὰ τὸ τόλμη γίνεται τολμηρόν καὶ ἅλμη ἁλμυρός, ὡς τηρός τυρός); Ps.-Zonaras, Lexicon, alpha, p. 122 (Ἁλμυρός. ὡς τὸ τόλμη τολμηρὸς, οὕτω καὶ ἅλμη ἁλμυρός. καὶ ὡς τηρὸς, τύρος. κυρίως δὲ τίθεται ἡ λέξις ἐπὶ τῶν ἅλας μυρωμένων ποταμῶν, ὅ ἐστιν ἐκχεομένων); ibid., sigma, p. 1627 (Σάτυρος. χορευτὴς τοῦ Διονύσου. παρὰ τὸ σάθη σάθυρος καὶ σάτυρος. ὡς ἅλμη ἁλμυρός. κατωφερὲς γάρ ἐστι τὸ γένος τῶν Σατύρων. καὶ σάτυρος ζῶον)

Modern etymology

Ἀλμυρός is probably an older *ἁλυρός (cf. ἁλυκός "salty") remodeled after ἅλμη. Both are derived from ἅλς "salt", hence "sea", inherited from PIE and cognate with Lat. sal, Engl. salt (Beekes, EDG)

Persistence in Modern Greek

MG still has αλμυρός designating 1. 'the salty' and 2. (metaphorically) the 'expensive'.

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