Ἄρης

Validation

Yes

Last modification

Mon, 06/21/2021 - 21:46

Word-form

ἀρά

Transliteration (Word)

ara

English translation (word)

prayer

Transliteration (Etymon)

Arēs

English translation (etymon)

Ares (god of war)

Author

Epimerismi homerici

Century

9 AD

Source

Idem

Ref.

Epimerismi homerici Il. 1.11c2

Ed.

A. Dyck, Epimerismi homerici, pars prior epimerismos continens qui ad Iliadis librum A pertinent, Berlin 1983

Quotation

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

Translation (En)

Arētēra "priest". Ionic, through change of the [a] into [ē]: aratēr, from arô, arais, arasō, aratēr and arētēr. And arô comes from ara "prayer". The latter comes from airō "to lift" >…> raising hands upwards. Ara means both "prayer" and "curse", maybe from Ares "Ares", as he is harmful.

Comment

The etymology by Ares is meant to account for the negative meaning "curse, malediction". It is a mere paronymic etymology which relies on the shared feature [harmful] of the god and the curse.

Parallels

Etym. Gudianum, alpha, p. 193 (idem); 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)

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

Entry By

Le Feuvre