βάλλω + φήμη
Word
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Word-lemma
Transliteration (Word)
English translation (word)
Transliteration (Etymon)
English translation (etymon)
Century
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Ed.
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
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)
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.