λεῖος + μένω

Validation

No

Word-form

λιμήν

Transliteration (Word)

limēn

English translation (word)

harbour

Transliteration (Etymon)

leios + menō

English translation (etymon)

smooth + to stay

Author

Etym. Gudianum

Century

11 AD

Source

Idem

Ref.

Etym. Gudianum, lambda, p. 370

Ed.

F.W. Sturz, Etymologicum Graecae linguae Gudianum et alia grammaticorum scripta e codicibus manuscriptis nunc primum edita, Leipzig: Weigel, 1818 (repr. Hildesheim: Olms, 1973): 229-584

Quotation

Λιμὴν, παρὰ τὸ λεῖον αὐτὸν διαμένειν ἤγουν πραῢν, καὶ μὴ πρὸς ἀτάκτους φορὰς ῥευμάτων καὶ κυμάτων, τὰ πολλὰ ἀντεγείρεσθαι

Translation (En)

Limēn "harbour", from the fact that it stays (diameneinsmooth (leion), that is, calm, and that it is not agitated by disorderly blows of waves and currents most of the time

Comment

Etymology similar to the usual one by λίαν + μένω, except that the first element is less ubiquitous than λίαν and more appropriate to the physical description of the Harbour. The etymology implies iotacism.

Parallels

There is no parallel

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