ζάω

Validation

No

Word-form

ζωννύω

Transliteration (Word)

zōnnumi

English translation (word)

to gird

Transliteration (Etymon)

zaō

English translation (etymon)

to live

Author

Choeroboscus

Century

9 AD

Source

Idem

Ref.

Epimerismi in Psalmos p. 128

Ed.

T. Gaisford, Georgii Choerobosci epimerismi in Psalmos, vol. 3, Oxford, 1842

Quotation

Ζωννύω παρὰ τὸ ζῶ, ἐπειδὴ τὸ ζῶ παρὰ τὸ ζέω γίνεται, καὶ ἐν ἐκείνῳ τῷ τόπῳ ζωννύμεθα, ἔνθα ἔστι τὸ τοῦ σώματος θερμὸν, ἡ δὲ ἐν τῇ καρδίᾳ

Translation (En)

Zōnnuō "to gird" comes from "to live", since comes from zeō "to boil", and we gird in the very place where the heat of the body is located, and it is in the heart

Comment

The derivation of ζώννυμι, ζώνη from "to live" is the usual one (see ζώνη / ζάω). Choeroboscus assumes ζώνη is derived from ζώννυμι (Epimerismi in Psalmos, p. 145: ζώνη. παρὰ τὸ ζωννύω), whereas others consider ζώννυμι is derived from ζώνη (Pollux, Onomasticon 2, 166: τὸ δὲ ὑπὸ τὰς πλευρὰς ὀστῶν χήτει κενεὼν καλεῖται καὶ ζώνη, ἀφ’ ἧς ὀνόματα ζώννυσθαι, ζῶμα, διάζωμα, καὶ ζωστήρ, καὶ ζώνη τι ὅπλον ὁμώνυμον τῷ μέρει). Choeroboscus in his explanation gives as the etymon ζῆν "to live", and adds that the latter is derived from ζέω "to boil", but his semantic explanation justifies ζώννυμι by the notion of heat, that is, he etymologizes the word by the etymon of its etymon. Where other authors say the waist is where the vital organs are located, Choeroboscus says that it is the place where the heat is concentrated… even though the heart is not quite at the  level of the waist.

Parallels

Etym. Parvum, zeta 1 (Herodian?) (Ζωννύω· τὰ ἀπὸ μονοσυλλάβων ῥημάτων κατὰ παραγωγὴν γινόμενα βαρύτονα διὰ τοῦ ὕω, διὰ δύο ΝΝ γράφονται, ζῷ ζωννύω, ῥῶ ῥωννύω, χῶ χωννύω); Etym. Gudianum, zeta, p. 234 (Ζωννύω, τὸ τῇ ζώνῃ δεσμῶ, ἢ ὁπλίζω τὸ περιεζωσμένον ἐκ τοῦ ζώου· βαρύνεται. εἰ γὰρ ἦν ἀπὸ τοῦ ζῶ ζήσω, οὐκ ὤφειλε προσλαμβάνειν τὸ σ. τὸ δὲ ζῶ ἐπὶ τῆς ζωῆς, ὁ μέλλων ζήσω. ἔχει δὲ τὸ ζωννύω παρὰ τὸ ζῶ συγγένειάν τινα, ἐπεὶ τὸ ζῆν αὐτῷ θερμασία, ὥσπερ καὶ κατὰ περίφρασιν, ἀλίβας λέγεται ὁ νεκρὸς, ὁ μὴ ἔχων λιβάδα, μήτε θερμότητα, ἀπὸ μεταφορᾶς τοῦ ζῆν, καὶ τὸ ζωννύω, ἐπειδὴ κατ’ ἐκεῖνον τὸν τόπον ζωννύμεθα, ἐν ᾧ ἔστι τὸ τοῦ σώματος θερμόν, ἤγουν ἡ καρδία); Etym. Magnum, Kallierges, p. 413-414 (Τὸ περιεζωσμένον ἐκ τοῦ ζώω βαρυτόνου· εἰ γὰρ ἦν ἀπὸ τοῦ ζῶ ζώσω, οὐκ ὤφειλε προσλαμβάνειν τὸ σ· τοῦ δὲ ζῶ (ἐπὶ τῆς ζωῆς) ὁ μέλλων, ζήσω. Ἔχει δὲ τὸ ζωννύω πρὸς τὸ ζῶ συγγένειάν τινα· ἐπειδὴ τὸ ζῆν ἐπὶ τοῦ θερμοῦ λαμβάνεται, παρὰ τὸ ζέω, διὰ τὴν ἐν αὐτῷ θερμασίαν, ὥσπερ καὶ κατὰ περίφρασιν ἀλίβας ὁ νεκρός· ἀπὸ δὲ μεταφορᾶς τοῦ ζῆν καὶ τὸ ζωννύω· ἐπειδὴ κατ’ ἐκεῖνον τὸν τόπον ζωννύμεθα, ἐν ᾧ ἐστι τὸ τοῦ σώματος θερμὸν, ἡ καρδία); Eustathius, Comm. Il. 1, 92 Van der Valk (ἡ τοιαύτη δὲ ἀκολουθία παράγει καὶ τὸ ῥωνύω καὶ ζωνύω ἐκ τοῦ ῥώω καὶ ζώω); Eustathius, Comm. Od. 2, 165 Stallbaum (δῆλον δ’ ὅτι, καθὰ ἐκ τοῦ χῶ καὶ ῥῶ γίνεται χωνύω καὶ ῥωνύω, οὕτω καὶ ἐκ τοῦ ζῶ, οὗ προστακτικὸν τὸ ζῶσαι, τὸ ζωνύω. ἀφ’ οὗ ὡς χώνυμι, ῥώνυμι, οὕτω καὶ ζώνυμι, καθ’ ἑτεροίαν δὲ παραγωγὴν καὶ τὸ ζωνύσκω· ὡς τὸ, ζωνύσκετο μίτρην)

Modern etymology

Derivative of the PIE root *yeh3s- "to gird", related with ζώννυμι, ζωστήρ, ζῶμα. Cognate with Av. yāsta- "girded", Rus. pojas "belt" (Beekes, EDG)

Persistence in Modern Greek

Modern Greek has ζώνω from ζώννυμι, a metaplasm based on stem ζωσ-.

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