ἅλς + μύρω

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Word-form

ἁλμυρός

Transliteration (Word)

halmuros

English translation (word)

salt, briny

Transliteration (Etymon)

hals + murō

English translation (etymon)

sea + to flow

Author

Scholia in Oppianum

Source

idem

Ref.

Scholia et glossae in Halieutica 2.258

Ed.

U.C. Bussemaker, Scholia et paraphrases in Nicandrum et Oppianum in Scholia in Theocritum (ed. F. Dübner), Paris: Didot, 1849

Quotation

(πέτρης) ἁλιμυρέος· διὰ τῆς θαλάσσης ἠχούσης, ἐν τῇ ἁλὶ ἠχούσης, ἢ ἐν τῇ ἁλὶ πλημμυρούσης, ἁλμυρᾶς καὶ ἠχητικῆς, τῆς ὑπὸ θαλάσσης βρεχομένης· ἀπὸ τοῦ ἃλς καὶ τοῦ ῥέω ἃλς ἁλὸς ἅλμη ἁλιμυρέος, τῆς ἐν ἁλὶ οὔσης καὶ ἠχούσης, ἁλμυρῆς, τῆς ἐν τῇ ἁλὶ οὔσης, περὶ ἣν μύρεται, ἤως μορμύρει, Ὅμηρος (Od. ε, 460) δέ· «ποταμὸν ἁλιμυρήεντα» λέγει.

Translation (En)

halimureos: because of the roaring sea, the one roaring in the sea or the one overflowed in the sea, briny and resounding, the one flooded by the sea. From hals "sea" and rheō "to flow", hals, halos "sea", halmē "sea water" halimureos the one in the sea and roaring. Halmurēs "sea water", the one in the sea (en hali) around which <the sea> is flowing (muretai), that is, flowing noisily. And Homer has (Od. 5.460) potamon halimurēenta "river flowing into the sea"

Comment

The formulation is not very clear. The word ἁλιμυρής, epithet of a rock, and which Oppian borrowed from Apollonius of Rhodes, is parsed as a compound ἅλς + μύρω, on the model of the Homeric ἁλιμυρήεις. Ἁλμυρός is supposedly derived from this ἁλιμυρής through a syncope. The formulation is clearer in the Byzantine Etymologica (see Parallels), where ἅλμυρός is given as a compound ἅλς + μύρω with no reference to ἁλιμυρής. The first etymology mentioned for ἁλιμυρής, implies apparently ἅλμη + ῥέω, maybe because the genitive ἁλιμυρέος suggested ῥέω, but it could also be understood as an elliptic etymology, which is clearly the case for ἁλιμυρής in the scholia to Apollonius (see ἁλιμυρής / ἅλς + μύρω)

Parallels

Etym. Genuinum, alpha 519 (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); Etym. Magnum, Kallierges, p. 69 (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); 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)

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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