κάρφω
Word
Validation
Word-form
Word-lemma
Etymon-lemma
Transliteration (Word)
English translation (word)
Transliteration (Etymon)
English translation (etymon)
Century
Source
Ref.
Ed.
Quotation
καρπός (Γ 246): σημαίνει δύο. ὁ πρὸς ἄμητον ἡτοιμασμένος ἄσταχυς· καὶ γίνεται παρὰ τὸ κεκάρφθαι, ὃ σημαίνει τὸ ἐξηράνθαι· καὶ ὁ ποιητὴς ‘καρπῷ βριθομένη’ (Θ 307). σημαίνει δὲ καὶ τὸν τῆς χειρὸς καρπόν, ὡς ἡ χρῆσις μαρτυρεῖ· ‘Ὀδυσ{σ}εῦς δὲ λαβὼν κύσε χεῖρ’ ἐπὶ καρπῷ ’(ω 398)· πλὴν καὶ τοῦτο, ὡς οἶμαι, παρὰ τὸ κάρφος, ὃ σημαίνει τὸ ξηρόν· κατὰ ξηρὸν γὰρ τῶν λοιπῶν μερῶν ἐστιν ὁ καρπὸς τῆς χειρός
Translation (En)
Karpos "fruit": it has two meanings. 1. the spike which is ready to be reaped. And it comes from kekarphthai which means "to dry up"; and Homer says ‘heavy with fruit’. It means also the wrist, as witnessed by this use: ‘Ulysses taking it kissed his hand above the wrist’. And besides, this meaning also, I think, comes from karphos which means "dry". Because the wrist is dry, compared to the other parts.
Parallels
Etym. Gudianum, kappa, p. 300 (idem); Etym. Gudianum, kappa, p. 300 (Καρπὸς, ἀπὸ τοῦ κεκάρφθαι, ὅ ἐστιν ἐξηράνθαι ἔνθα τῆς χειρὸς ξηρὸς ὢν ὁ τόπος καὶ ἄσαρκος. καρπὸς δὲ λέγουσι κάρφος τὶς ὤν· καρπὸς παρὰ τὸ κατάξηρον, οἷον, κάρφος); ibid., p. 301 (Κάρφη, παρὰ τὸ ἐξηράνθαι, καὶ καρπὸς, καὶ κατάξηρος στάχυς, καὶ τῆς χειρὸς ὁ καρπὸς, ὀστώδης ὢν καὶ ἄσαρκος. καὶ τὸ καρπῶσαι τὸ κατακαῦσαι τὰ ἐναντιζόμενα); Eustathius, Comm. Od. 1, 266 Stalllbaum (Καρπὸς δὲ παρὰ τὸ κάρφω γίνεται Ἰωνικῇ τροπῇ τοῦ δασέος εἰς ψιλόν. ὃς δηλαδὴ πεπανθεὶς ἤδη κάρφεται μηκέτι αὐξόμενος ὑγροῦ ἐπεισροῇ. ὁμώνυμος δὲ ἡ λέξις. καρπὸς γὰρ, καὶ μέρος ἤτοι ἄρθρον χειρὸς μεταξὺ βραχίονος καὶ θέναρος, ἀφ’ οὗ παράγεται τὸ μετακάρπιον); Etym. Magnum, Kallierges, p. 492 (Καρπός: Παρὰ τὸ κάρφος, ὃ σημαίνει τὸν ξηρὸν, γίνεται καρφὸς, καὶ καρπὸς, παρὰ τὸ κεκάρφθαι, ὃ ἐστὶν ἐξηράνθαι. Ἢ παρὰ τὴν ἅρπην, τουτέστιν ὁ τῇ δρεπάνῃ συναγόμενος. Ἢ ἀπὸ τοῦ κείρω, τὸ κόπτω, ὁ παρακείμενος, κέκαρκα· ὁ παθητικὸς, κέκαρμαι· ἐξ αὐτοῦ καρπὸς, ὁ κοπτόμενος καὶ προσφερόμενος εἰς βρῶσιν. Πρὸς ἀντιδιαστολὴν δὲ ἐβαρύνθη τὸ Κάρπος κύριον ὄνομα. Σημαίνει δὲ δύο· κυρίως γὰρ καρπὸς λέγεται, ὁ πρὸς ἄμητον ἡτοιμασμένος ἄσταχυς· οὗτος γὰρ ἡνίκα λευκανθῇ καὶ ξηρανθῇ, ἕτοιμός ἐστι πρὸς θερισμόν. Σημαίνει καὶ τὸ κοῖλον τῆς χειρὸς, ὡς τὸ, ‘κύσε χεῖρ’ ἐπὶ καρπῷ’. Ἔνθεν καὶ ὁ τῆς χειρὸς ξηρὸς τόπος καὶ ἄσαρκος καρπὸς λέγεται)
Comment
This etymology is modelled after the one for the homonym καρπός "fruit", which is already attested in Orion (see καρπός / κάρφω). "To dry" is taken here metaphorically, and refers to the fact that the wrist has less flesh on it than the hand or the arm, therefore it is "dry".