καίριος
Word
Validation
No
Word-form
καρπός
Word-lemma
Etymon-lemma
Transliteration (Word)
karpos
English translation (word)
fruit
Transliteration (Etymon)
kairios
English translation (etymon)
timely
Century
5 AD
Source
Idem
Ref.
Etymologicum (Excerpta e cod. Vat. gr. 1456) 113
Ed.
A.M. Micciarelli Collesi, "Nuovi `excerpta' dall' Etimologico' di Orione," Byzantion 40 (1970): 521-542
Quotation
Καρπός: τὸ καίριον παντὸς πράγματος. ἢ <ὁ> καιροῦ παντὸς ἴδιος καρπός
Translation (En)
Karpos "fruit": the timely point (kairion) of everything. Or the fruit proper to all seasons.
Parallels
Etym. Gudianum, kappa, p. 300 (Καρπὸς, παρὰ τὸ φυῆναι αὐτὸν ἐκ τῆς κάρας, καὶ τοῦ ὀποῦ τοῦ δένδρου. τὸ γὰρ ἄκρον τοῦ σώματος ἡ κεφαλή. καὶ ἡ τοῦ δένδρου κεφαλὴ τὸ ἄκρον ἐστι καρπὸς τὸ καίριον παντὸς πράγματος, ἢ ὁ τοῦ καιροῦ παντὸς ἴδιος καρπός)
Modern etymology
Probably cognate with Lat. carpō and Lith. kerpù "to cut", with zero grade of the root (Beekes, EDG)
Persistence in Modern Greek
Καρπός is still used in Modern Greek designating: 1. 'the final product of a plan', 2. 'children' as the "result of marriage", 3. 'any product of human activity'.
Entry By
Le Feuvre
Comment
The etymology aims at accounting for the metaphoric meaning of καρπός "fruit" (the fruit of labour, veg sim.). It does so by assuming the etymon is καίριος "in season, timely", which is appropriate also for the proper meaning "fruit": fruits are produced timely, and the produce of anything comes in due time. Formally, the etymology implies a formal manipulation, the change of the diphthong [ai] into the plain vowel [a]. The etymology is repeated in the Gudianum, but mixed with another one in a faulty redaction.