αἴρω

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Last modification

Mon, 06/21/2021 - 19:43

Word-form

ἀραί

Transliteration (Word)

ara

English translation (word)

prayer

Transliteration (Etymon)

airō

English translation (etymon)

to raise, to lift

Author

Orion

Century

5 AD

Source

Idem

Ref.

Etymologicum (excerpta e codice regio 2610), p. 176

Ed.

G.H.K. Koës, Orionis Thebani etymologicon (ed. F.G. Sturz), Leipzig: Weigel, 1820 (repr. Hildesheim: Olms, 1973): 173-184

Quotation

(Excerpta e cod. regio 1610Ἀραί· παρὰ τὸ αἴρειν κακῶς

(Excerpta e cod. Vat. gr. 1456Ἀραί· παρὰ τὸ αἴρειν κακῶς

Translation (En)

(Excerpta e cod. regio 1610) Arai "prayers": from airein "to raise" for evil.

(Excerpta e cod. Vat. gr. 1456) Arai "prayers": from airein "to raise". This is not correct.

Comment

Descriptive etymology alluding to the typical posture of a man praying God (in Christian times) or the upper gods (in pagan times). It implies only one formal manipulation, dropping of the [I]. Koës prints the etymology without a dot before κακῶς, and in that case the meaning is "to raise one's hand for evil". The Excerpta e cod. Vat. gr. 1456 have a dot, and in that case it means that the etymology is considered erroneous. Choeroboscus gives a complementary etymology distinguishing two meanings, "prayer" and "curse", with two etymologies, which is rejected by the Gudianum.

Parallels

Orion, Etymologicum (excerpta e cod. Vat. gr. 1456) 36 (idem); Orion, Etymologicum (excerpta e cod. Darmstadino 2773), alpha, p. 611 (ἀρὰ παρὰ τὸ αἴρεσθαι τὰς χεῖρας εὐχομένους); Choeroboscus, Epimerismi in Psalmos, p. 117 (Ἀρᾶς. παρὰ τὸ αἴρω τὸ ἐπαίρω, ἢ παρὰ τὸ εὔχομαι· καὶ εἰ μὲν σημαίνει τὴν εὐχὴν, γίνεται παρὰ τὸ αἴρω τὸ ἐπαίρω· οἱ γὰρ εὐχόμενοι εἰώθασι τὰς χεῖρας ἐκτείνειν· εἰ δὲ σημαίνει τὴν κατάραν, γίνεται παρὰ τὸ ἀρῶ τὸ ἐπεύχομαι, κατὰ ἀντίφρασιν); Etym. Genuinum, alpha 1108 (Ἀρά· ἡ εὐχή· παρὰ τὸ αἴρειν τὰς χεῖρας εὐχομένους); Epimerismi homerici Il. 1.11c2 (ἀρητῆρα: Ἰωνικὸν τροπῇ τοῦ α εἰς η· ἀρατήρ παρὰ τὸ ἀρῶ ἀρᾷς ἀράσω, ἀρατήρ καὶ ἀρητήρ. τὸ δὲ ἀρῶ παρὰ τὸ ἀρά· | τοῦτο παρὰ τὸ αἴρω, τὸ κουφίζω, <...> τὸ εἰς ὕψος αἴρειν τὰς χεῖρας. λέγεται δὲ καὶ ἀρά ἡ εὐχὴ καὶ ἡ κατάρα, ἴσως ἀπὸ τοῦ Ἄρεος, βλαπτικοῦ ὄντος); Etym. Gudianum, alpha, p. 193 (idem); Etym. Gudianum, alpha, p. 182 (Ἐπιμερισμῶν τοῦ Ψαλτηρίου. Ἀρά· παρὰ τὸ αἴρειν ... κακῶς· λέγεται δὲ καὶ ἡ εὐχὴ καὶ ἡ κατάρα ἀμφότερα ἀπὸ τοῦ αἴρεσθαι τὰς χεῖρας ἐν τῷ εὔχεσθαι); ibid., alpha, p. 183 (Ἀρά· σημαίνει δύο· τὴν εὐχήν, καὶ γίνεται παρὰ τὸ αἴρω, τὸ εἰς ὕψος ἐπαίρω· καὶ γὰρ οἱ εὐχόμενοι εἰώθασι τὰς χεῖρας εἰς ὕψος αἴρειν. εἰ δὲ σημαίνει τὴν κατάραν γίνεται παρὰ τὸ ἀρῶ, τὸ εὔχομαι, κατὰ ἀντίφρασιν. | Ἀρά· παρὰ τὸ αἴρειν εἰς οὐρανὸν τὰς χεῖρας); Etym. Magnum, Kallierges, p. 134 (Ἀρά: Ἡ εὐχή· παρὰ τὸ αἴρειν τὰς χεῖρας εὐχομένους· ἢ παρὰ τὸ ἀρύειν, ὅπερ ἐπὶ τὸ ἐπικαλεῖσθαι ἔταττον, καὶ μάλιστα Συρακούσιοι, ‘Ἀρύετ’ ἂν φύζην’. Ἀντὶ τοῦ ἐπικαλεῖσθε καὶ ἐφέλκεσθε. Ἀρύω, ἀρά. Ἢ ἀπὸ τοῦ Ἄρεος, βλαπτικοῦ ὄντος, ἀρὰ ἡ βλάβη· καὶ ἀραῖα, βίαια, δεινὰ, χαλεπὰ, ὀδυνηρά· σημαίνει καὶ τὰ εὐκταῖα); Etym. Symeonis, vol. 1, p. 164 (idem); Ps.-Zonaras, Lexicon, alpha, p. 295 (Ἀρά. ἡ κατάρα. λέγεται καὶ ἡ εὐχή. παρὰ τὸ αἴρειν τὰς χεῖρας εὐχομένους. ἢ παρὰ τὸ ἀρύειν, τὸ ἐπικαλεῖσθαι, ἀρά. ἢ ἀπὸ τοῦ Ἄρεως βλαπτικοῦ ὄντος); Scholia in Sophoclem, Aj. 509b (ἀρᾶται: ἀπὸ τοῦ ἀρά, ἡ εὐχή. τὸ δὲ ἀρὰ παρὰ τὸ αἴρειν τὰς χεῖρας εὐχομένους. ἢ παρὰ τὸ ἀρύειν, ὅπερ ἐπὶ τοῦ καλεῖσθαι ἔταττον καὶ μάλιστα οἱ Συρακούσιοι. ἀρύετ’ ἂν φύζην. ἀντὶ τοῦ ἐπικαλεῖσθαι καὶ ἐφέλκεσθαι. ἀρύω, ἀρά)

Modern etymology

From ἀρϝά preserved in Arc. κάταρϝος. No secure cognate out of Greek, maybe related to a Hittite verb meaning {to bow, to prostrate" (Beekes, EDG)

Persistence in Modern Greek

MG still has αρά as a learned word for "curse", the usual form being κατάρα

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