αὐχέω
Word
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Word-form
Word-lemma
Etymon-lemma
Transliteration (Word)
English translation (word)
Transliteration (Etymon)
English translation (etymon)
Century
Source
Ref.
Ed.
Quotation
Αὐχήν, ἀπὸ τῆς ἄνω τῆς κεφαλῆς νεύσεως, ἐπὶ τῶν αὐθάδων, ἢ ἐπί τισιν αὐχούντων
Translation (En)
Aukhēn "neck": from the fact that the head moves above it, applied to arrogant people, or to those who boast (aukhountōn)
Parallels
Etym. Gudianum Additamenta, alpha, p. 238 (idem); Etym. Genuinum, alpha 1432 (Αὐχήν· ὁ τράχηλος· εἴρηται παρὰ τὸ αὐχμήν αὐχήν, ὁ κατάξηρος τόπος τοῦ σώματος. ἢ παρὰ τὸ † ἔχω ὀχήν καὶ αὐχήν, ἐφ’ οὗ ὀχεῖται ἡ κεφαλή. ἢ παρὰ τὸ αὐχεῖν καὶ γαυριᾶν γίνεται αὐχήν· γαυριῶντες γὰρ καὶ ἐπαιρόμενοι ἀνατείνομεν αὐτόν· οὕτως δὲ καὶ τραχηλιᾶν τινας λέγομεν. οὕτως Μεθόδιος); Etym. Magnum, Kallierges, p. 174 (idem); Joannes Mauropus, Etymologica nominum 205 (Αὐχὴν αὐχεῖ δὲ τὴν κάραν αὐτὸς φέρων); Ps.-Zonaras, Lexicon, alpha, p. 342 ([Αὐχήν. ὁ τράχηλος. παρὰ τὸ ἀχμὴν, ὁ κατάξηρος τόπος τοῦ σώματος. ἢ παρὰ τὸ ὄχω, ὀχὴν καὶ αὐχὴν, ὑφ’ οὗ ὀχεῖται ἡ κεφαλή. ἢ παρὰ τὸ αὐχεῖν καὶ γαυριᾷν γίνεται αὐχήν. γαυριῶντες γὰρ καὶ ἐπαιρόμενοι ἀνατείνομεν αὐτόν.]); Scholia in Oppianum, Hal. 1.66 (μεγαυχέϊ· μεγάλα αὐχοῦντι ἐπί σοι, μεγάλου κλέους, ἐκ μεταφορᾶς τῶν ἵππων ἐχόντων μεγάλους καὶ εὐπρεπεῖς αὐχένας παρὰ τὸ αὐχεῖν, τοῦτο δὲ παρὰ τὸ ἔχω ἔχειν καὶ αὐχεῖν· ἐν αὐτῷ γὰρ ὀχεῖται ἡ κεφαλή· ἢ ἀπὸ τοῦ αὐχεῖν καὶ γαυριᾷν· γαυριῶντες γὰρ καὶ ἐπαιρόμενοι τὴν κεφαλὴν ὕψει ἐκτείνομεν); Scholia in Sophoclem, Aj. 298b (scholia recentiora) (αὐχὴν λέγεται ὁ τράχηλος. γίνεται δὲ παρὰ τὸ ἔχω, ὀχὴν καὶ αὐχήν. ἐφ’ οὗ ὀχεῖται ἡ κεφαλή. ἢ παρὰ τὸ αὐχεῖν καὶ γαυριᾶν· γαυριῶντες γὰρ καὶ ἐπαιρόμενοι ἀνατείνομεν τὰς κεφαλάς)
Comment
The name of the neck is derived from the verb meaning "to boast", because of their phonetic similarity and by allusion to the fact that someone proud of something has his head lead high. The semantic connection is found in the metaphoric meaning of the compound ὑψαύχην "holding head high", hence "proud, arrogant", on which Sophocles built ὑψαυχέω "to boast" (fr. 1106 TrGF), and conversely in μεγαλαύχην "how holds head high" in Olympiodorus, built on μεγαλαυχέω "to boast, to be arrogant" (Aeschylus). The starting point of the confusion is the Homeric compound ἐριαύχενες "with high neck", epithet of horses, which was soon understood as "proud" (Apollonius, Lexicon homericum p. 76 Bekker: ἐριαύχενας μεγαλαύχενας. ἐπίθετον δέ ἐστι τοῦ ἵππου).