λεῖος + μένω
Word
Validation
No
Word-form
λιμήν
Word-lemma
Transliteration (Word)
limēn
English translation (word)
harbour
Transliteration (Etymon)
leios + menō
English translation (etymon)
smooth + to stay
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 (diamenein) smooth (leion), that is, calm, and that it is not agitated by disorderly blows of waves and currents most of the time
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
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.