ἔχω

Validation

No

Word-form

ἔγχος

Transliteration (Word)

enkhos

English translation (word)

spear

Transliteration (Etymon)

ekhō

English translation (etymon)

to hold

Author

Herodian

Century

2 AD

Source

Idem

Ref.

Schematismi homerici 75

Ed.

P. Egenolff, "Zu Herodianos technikos," Jahrbücher für classische Philologie 149 (1894): 338-345

Quotation

Λέλογχα· λήχω λέληχα· τροπῇ τοῦ η εἰς ο λέλοχα, εἰς τύπον τοῦ κέκλοφα, καὶ ἐπενθέσει τοῦ γ, ὡς τὸ ἔνχος ἔγχος (in the margin: ἐνέχεται γάρ)

Translation (En)

Lelonkha "I obtained": lēkhō, <perfect> lelēkha; through change of the [ē] into [o] *lelokha, of the keklopha type, and through insertion of [g], as in enkhos / egkhos "spear" (in the margin: "because it is held in (enekhetai)")

Comment

The etymology is not fully explicit since it is give as a parallel for *λέλοχα / λέλογχα. The marginal addition gives the wrong etymon, as ἐνέχω, whereas Herodian's formulation implies that the etymon is ἔχω, as explicit in other sources. This etymology relies on a formal manipulation, the addition of [g], which is developed in other sources. It displayed the confusion between the graphic and phonetic levels, since γ is realized [ŋ] and what is inserted is in fact a nasal consonant [n], not a [g]. The fact that *ἔνχος, the correct phonetic form, is given first, before the standard spelling ἔγχος, seems to point to the fact that Herodian thought the inserted consonant was in fact an [n] which is spelled γ before a velar consonant (the latter point is explicit in the Epimerismi, see Parallels). The etymology arose out of a contextual co-occurrence in Homer, ἔγχος ἔχων ἐν χειρὶ  (Il. 17.604), ἐν δ’ ἄρα χειρὶ || ἔγχος ἔχ’ ἑνδεκάπηχυ (Il. 6.318-319), which also gave rise to the competing etymology by ἐν χειρί (see ἔγχος / ἐν + χείρ).

Parallels

Epimerismi homerici ordine alphabetico traditi, epsilon 183 (= Herodian, Peri pathôn, Lentz III/2, p. 283) (ἔγχος: ὄνομα ῥηματικὸν παρὰ τὸ ἔχω ἔχος καὶ ἔγχος πλεονασμῶ τοῦ γ. ἠρέμα οὖν παρετυμολογεῖ Ὅμηρος παρατιθεὶς τὸ ῥῆμα· ἔγχος ἔχ’ ἑνδεκάπηχυ (Ζ 319, Θ 494). πλεονάζει δὲ τὸ γ, ὡς καὶ ἐν τῷ λόγχη (παρὰ τὸ λόχος λόχη καὶ λόγχη, ἡ εἰς λόχον ἐπιτήδειος)); Etym. Gudianum, epsilon, p. 398 (Ἔγχος· ... παρὰ τὸ ἔχω ἔχος καὶ ἔγχος); Etym. Magnum, Kallierges, p. 313 (idem); Etym. Symeonis, epsilon 57 (idem); Scholia in Sophoclem, Aj. 95b (idem); Eustathius, Comm. Il. 2, 321 Van der Valk (Ἰστέον δὲ ὅτι τὸ «ἔγχος ἔχε» τρόπος ἐτυμολογίας ἐστὶν ὡς τοῦ ἔγχους ἀπὸ τοῦ ἔχειν ὀνομαζομένου); Eustathius, Comm. Od. 1, 23 Stallbaum (οὕτω δὲ μετ’ ὀλίγα καὶ τὸ ἔγχος ἐτυμολογῶν, φησί. παλάμῃ δ’ ἔχε χάλκεον ἔγχος. ἀπὸ τοῦ ἔχω γὰρ τὸ ἔγχος γίνεται)

Modern etymology

Unknown (Beekes, EDG)

Persistence in Modern Greek

No

Entry By

Le Feuvre