λιμήν
Word
Validation
No
Word-form
λίμνη
Word-lemma
Etymon-lemma
Transliteration (Word)
limnē
English translation (word)
pool of standing water
Transliteration (Etymon)
limēn
English translation (etymon)
harbour
Century
9 AD
Source
Idem
Ref.
Epimerismi homerici ordine alphabetico traditi, lambda 34
Ed.
A.R. Dyck, Epimerismi Homerici: Pars altera. Lexicon αἱμωδεῖν [Sammlung griechischer und lateinischer Grammatiker (SGLG) 5.2] Berlin - New York: De Gruyter, 1995: 59-761
Quotation
ὡς γὰρ παρὰ τὸ πατήρ πάτρη, μήτηρ μήτρη, ποιμήν ποίμνη, οὕτως λιμήν λίμνη. οἱ δὲ παρὰ τὸ λίαν μένειν
Translation (En)
As from patēr comes patrē, from mētēr mētrē, from poimēn poimnē, so from limēn "harbour" comes limnē "pool of standing water". But for others, it comes from "to stay" (menein) very much (lian)
Modern etymology
Λίμνη is a derivative of λιμήν "harbour"
Persistence in Modern Greek
The word is used in Modern Greek to designate 1. 'the lake' and 2. any accumulated liquid, e.g., "λίμνη αίματος".
Entry By
Le Feuvre
Comment
The word is correctly analyzed as a derivative of λιμήν "harbor". This derivational explanation is found only here. An alternative etymology is provided, which in fine amounts to the same, since λιμήν was also etymologized as a compound λίαν + μένω.