αὔρα

Validation

Yes

Last modification

Wed, 06/02/2021 - 12:12

Word-form

αὔριον

Transliteration (Word)

aurion

English translation (word)

tomorrow

Transliteration (Etymon)

aura

English translation (etymon)

breeze

Author

Pseudo-Herodian

Source

Idem

Ref.

De soloecismo et barbarismo p. 181

Ed.

L.C. Valckenaer, Ammonius. De differentia adfinium vocabulorum, 2nd edn., Leipzig: Weigel, 1822

Quotation

Κατὰ δὲ πνεῦμα βαρβαρίζουσιν οἱ λέγοντες αὕριον δασέως· δεῖ γὰρ αὔριον ψιλῶς· ἐπείπερ εἴρηται παρὰ τὴν αὔραν, ἥτις ἐκ τῶν ποταμῶν ἕωθεν ἀναδίδοσθαι φιλεῖ.  ‘αὔρη δ’ ἐκ ποταμοῦ ψυχρὴ πνέει ἠῶθι πρό’ (Od. 5.469)

Translation (En)

About breathing those who say that aurion "tomorrow" has a rough breathing make a barbarism. As a matter of fact, he word must have a smooth breathing, because it takes its name from aura "breeze", which is the breeze exhaled by rivers at dawn. "The cool breeze blows from the river at dawn” (Od. 5.469)

Comment

This work was attributed to Herodian, it is now considered inauthentic. The etymology is straightforward from the formal point of view, and justified from the semantic point of view by a quotation of Homer.

Parallels

Etym. Gudianum Additamenta, alpha, p. 234 (Αὔριον· τὸ χρονικὸν ἐπίρρημα εἴρηται παρὰ τὸ αὖθι, ὅπερ οἱ Αἰολεῖς φασι αὖρι τροπῇ τὸ θ εἰς ρ, ἀφ’ οὗ τὸ αὔριον, τὸ εἰς αὖθις. ἢ παρὰ τὴν αὔραν. ἢ παρὰ τὸ ἐναύεσθαι ὑπὸ τοῦ ἡλίου. ἢ παρὰ τὸ ἀήρ αὔηρ Αἰολικῶς αὔερα καὶ αὔρα· παρὰ τὸ αὔρα αὔριον· καὶ μᾶλλον βούλεται τὸ ἑωθινόν σημαίνειν διὰ τὸ <ε 469> „αὔρη δ’ ἐκ ποταμοῦ ⟦ψυχρὴ πνέει ἠῶθι πρό⟧“); Etym. Magnum, Kallierges, p. 171 (Αὔριον: Παρὰ τὸ αὔρα, καὶ μᾶλλον βούλεται τὸ ἕωθεν σημαίνειν, διὰ τὸ, ‘Αὔρη δ’ ἐκ ποταμοῦ ψυχρὴ πνεῖ ἠῶθι πρό”)

Modern etymology

Αὔριον is a derivative of "dawn", it is an old locative αὐρί (attested in αὐρι-βάτης "who sets to walk at dawn") and related within Greek to αὔρα "(morning) breeze", ἀήρ "(morning) mist" (Beekes, EDG)

Persistence in Modern Greek

MG still has αύριο as: 1. an adverb meaning 'tomorrow' and also 'near future', 2. as a noun, designating mainly the future.

Entry By

Le Feuvre