βάλλω + φήμη

Validation

Yes

Last modification

Sat, 06/05/2021 - 13:31

Word-form

βλάσφημος

Transliteration (Word)

blasphēmos

English translation (word)

evil-speaking, blasphemous

Transliteration (Etymon)

ballō + phēmē

English translation (etymon)

to throw + utterance

Author

Etym. Genuinum

Century

9 AD

Source

Idem

Ref.

Etym. Genuinum, beta 132

Ed.

F. Lasserre and N. Livadaras, Etymologicum magnum genuinum. Symeonis etymologicum una cum magna grammatica. Etymologicum magnum auctum, vol. 2, Athens: Parnassos Literary Society, 1992

Quotation

Βλάσφημος· παρὰ τὸ φήμη καὶ τὸ βάλλω, ὁ τὰς φήμας βάλλων, ὁ λοίδορος 

Translation (En)

Blasphēmos "evil-speaking": from phēmē "utterance" and ballō "to throw", he who throws insults, the insulting one

Comment

The word is parsed as a compound and the second element is correctly identified as φήμη. The first element is identified as βάλλω, which in the zero grade yields forms in βλη- in Greek (βλῆμα, βλητός, βέβλημαι): the etymology implies two formal manipulations, change of [ē] into [a] (the alternation between η and α was well known to Greek scholars, except that in that case it cannot apply) and insertion of an [s]. The etymology is of the descriptive type: one hurls insults at someone.

Parallels

Etym. Symeonis, vol. 1, p. 444 (idem); Etym. Gudianum, beta, p. 272 (Βλάσφημος· παρὰ τὸ βλάβη καὶ τὸ φήμη γίνεται βλάσφημος, ὁ βλάβην λέγων· ἢ ὁ τὰς κακὰς φήμας κατά τινος βάλλων, ἤγουν ὁ λοίδορος); Etym. Magnum, Kallierges, p. 199 (idem); Eustathius, Comm. Il. 1, 334 Van der Valk (διὸ ἐφερμηνεύων ἐπεσβόλον αὐτὸν λέγει, τουτέστιν, ὡς ἐν τοῖς εἰς τὴν Ὀδύσσειαν κάλλιον κεῖται, ἔπεσιν ὡς βέλεσι βάλλοντα, ὃ ταὐτόν ἐστι τῷ βλάσφημον· βλάσφημος γὰρ ὁ βάλλων ταῖς φήμαις λέγεται); Eustathius, Comm. Od. 1, 157 Stallbaum (περὶ οὗ δηλαδὴ ἐγγὺς καὶ προσεχῶς ἐλέγετό τι, οὕτω ταυτὸν καὶ ἔπος καὶ φήμη καὶ λόγος. ἃ συντεθέντα μετὰ τοῦ δόρυ καὶ φήμη καὶ βολὴ, ἐποίησαν τὴν ἐπεσβολίαν καὶ τὴν βλασφημίαν καὶ τὴν λοιδορίαν. ἔστι γὰρ λοίδορος μὲν, ὁ λόγοις οἷον καταδορατίζων. ἐπεσβόλος δὲ καὶ βλάσφημος, ὁ ἔπεσι βάλλων καὶ φήμαις)

Modern etymology

The second element of the compound is φήμη, but the first one remains obscure (Beekes, EDG)

Persistence in Modern Greek

Yes

Entry By

Le Feuvre