αὕω

Validation

Yes

Last modification

Wed, 06/02/2021 - 10:55

Word-form

αὐχμός

Transliteration (Word)

aukhmos

English translation (word)

drought

Transliteration (Etymon)

hauō

English translation (etymon)

to dry up

Author

Etym. Genuinum

Century

9 AD

Source

Idem

Ref.

Etym. Genuinum, alpha 1433

Ed.

F. Lasserre and N. Livadaras, Etymologicum magnum genuinum. Symeonis etymologicum una cum magna grammatica. Etymologicum magnum auctum, vol. 1, Rome: Ateneo, 1976

Quotation

Αὐχμός· ἡ ξηρότης· […] εἴρηται παρὰ τὸν αὔξω μέλλοντα αὐχμός κατὰ ἀντίφρασιν, ὁ μὴ ποιῶν τι αὔξεσθαι· ὑγρότης γὰρ τρέφει. ἢ παρὰ τὸ αὔω, τὸ ξηραίνω, ἐξ οὗ αὖος καὶ αὐαλέος καὶ αὐσταλέος γίνεται αὐχμός· τὸ μὲν γὰρ κοινὸν αὐγμός, τὸ δὲ Ἀττικὸν αὐχμός. ἢ παρὰ τὸ ἄζω, τὸ ξηραίνω, γίνεται ἀχμός καὶ αὐχμός 

Translation (En)

Aukhmos "drought". It gets its name from the future auxō "I will increase", aukhmos, by antiphrasis, the one which does not make anything grow, because humidity is the one who makes things grow. Or from auō "to dry up", from which auos "dry", aualeos "dry", austaleos "parched", one derives aukhmos. In koinè it is augmos, but in Attic aukhmos. Or from azō "to dry up", comes *akhmos and aukhmos

Comment

The word is analyzed as a derivative from αὕω "to dry up", related to αὗος "dry", which is basically correct from our modern point of view. Drought is what dries up the land and the plants

Parallels

Etym. Magnum, Kallierges, p. 174 (idem); Ps.-Zonras, Lexicon, alpha, p. 342 (Αὐχμός. ξηρασία, ἀνομβρία. παρὰ τὸ αὔξω αὐχμός. κατὰ ἀντίφρασιν ὁ μὴ ποιῶν τὶ αὔξεσθαι. [ὑγρότης γὰρ τρέφει. ἢ παρὰ τὸ αὔω τὸ ξηραίνω, ἐξ οὗ αὖος καὶ αὐαλέος, γίνεται αὐχμός.]); Eustathius, Comm. Od. 2, 204 Stallbaum (Αὐσταλέος δὲ καὶ κατὰ διάλυσιν ἀϋσταλέος ὁ αὐχμῶν, ἀπὸ τοῦ αὔω, ἐξ οὗ καὶ ὁ αὐχμὸς καὶ ὁ αὐχμηρός); ibid. 2, 322 (γίνεται δὲ τὸ αὐχμεῖν, ὥς περ καὶ ὁ αὐχμὸς, παρὰ τὸ αὔω τὸ ξηραίνω πλεονασμῷ δασέος, ὡς καὶ ἐν τῷ βρυχηθμὸς γίνεται καὶ τοῖς ὁμοίοις); Scholia in Aristophanem, Nub. 1120b (scholia anonyma recentiora) (αὐχμὸς ἐτυμολογεῖται ἀπὸ τοῦ αὔειν ἤγουν ξηρότητα χέειν)

Modern etymology

Compound of αὖος, Att. αὗος "dry", and "earth" (*dhghm-, χαμαί). Within Greek, belongs with αὐαλέος, αὐστηρός. PIE *h2sus-, cognate with Lith. sausas, OCS suxъ "dry" (Beekes, EDG)

Persistence in Modern Greek

No

Entry By

Le Feuvre