λίαν + μένω
Word
Validation
No
Word-form
λιμήν
Word-lemma
Transliteration (Word)
limēn
English translation (word)
harbour
Transliteration (Etymon)
lian + menō
English translation (etymon)
very much + to stay
Century
5 AD
Source
Idem
Ref.
Etymologicum (excerpta e cod. regio 2610), p. 1799
Ed.
G.H.K. Koës, Orionis Thebani etymologicon (ed. F.G. Sturz), Leipzig: Weigel, 1820 (repr. Hildesheim: Olms, 1973): 173-184
Quotation
Λιμήν· διὰ τὸ λίαν μένειν καὶ ἀχειμάστως
Translation (En)
Limēn "harbor": because it stays still (menein) very much (lian) and without storms
Parallels
Orion, Etymologicum (excerpta e cod. Vat. gr. 1456) 120 (idem); Choeroboscus, Epimerismi in Psalmos, p. 174 (Λιμήν, παρὰ τὸ λίαν μένειν ἐν αὐτῷ τὰ πλοῖα); Etm. Gudianum, lambda, p. 370 (Λιμὴν, διὰ τὸ λίαν μένειν ἀχειμάστως ἐν αὐτῷ τὰ πλοῖα); Eustathius, Comm. Od. 1, 195 Stallbaum (Ἰστέον δὲ ὅτι λιμὴν παρὰ τὸ λίαν μένειν γίνεται); Etym. Magnum, Kallierges, p. 566 (s.v. λίμνη: Καὶ λιμὴν ὁμοίως, παρὰ τὸ λίαν μένειν ἐν αὐτῷ τὸ ὕδωρ)
Modern etymology
Within Greek, λιμήν is related to λειμών "humid meadow". The group is probably cognate with Lat. līmus "mud" (Beekes, EDG)
Persistence in Modern Greek
MG has λιμάνι, a calque from Turish liman, from hellenistic λιμένιον, diminutive of λιμήν. It designes the 'harbour' and the 'refuge'. There also is λιμένας as a learned word.
Entry By
Le Feuvre
Comment
The harbor is etymologized after its main characteristic, a which is that it is a shelter from storms and has calm waters. A variant understands the etymology as referring to the fact that ships stay in the harbor for a long time (Choeroboscus, see Parallels). The word is parsed as a compound with λίαν, as many words with initial [li].