χαμαί + ἧμαι
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Transliteration (Word)
English translation (word)
Transliteration (Etymon)
English translation (etymon)
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Quotation
Κάμηλος· ὅτι χαμαὶ καθημένη αἴρει τὸ φορτίον, χάμηλος καὶ κάμηλος. ἐτυμολογεῖται δὲ παρὰ τὸ κάμπτειν τοὺς μηρούς.
Translation (En)
Kamēlos "camel": because it lifts its weight sitting (kathēmenē) on the ground (khamai), *khamēlos and kamēlos. It is also etymologized from "to bend (kamptein) its limbs (mērous)
Parallels
Etym. Gudianum, kappa, p. 295 (Κάμηλος, ὅτι χάμαι καθημένη αἴρει τὸ φόρτιον, χάμηλος καὶ κάμηλος. ἐτυμολογεῖται δὲ παρὰ τὸ κάμπτειν τοὺς μηρούς· ἢ παρὰ τὸ κάμνειν μᾶλλον. |Κάμηλος, χαλάμηλος, ὅτι χαμαὶ καθήμενος γομοῦται καὶ αἴρει τὸ φορτίον. τινὲς κάμειν μῆρος, ἀπὸ τοῦ κάμτειν τοὺς μήρους, κάμηλος κατὰ συγγένειαν πρὸ τοῦ ρ πρὸ τοῦ λ κάμηρός τις ἐστιν, ἀπὸ τοὺς μήρους κάμπτειν, ἐν τῷ καθέζεσθαι, οὕτως Ἡράκλειτος); Etym. Magnum, Kallierges, p. 487-488 (Κάμηλος: Τὸ ζῷον· ὅτι χαμαὶ καθημένη αἴρει τὸ φορτίον, χάμηλος, καὶ κάμηλος. Ἐτυμολογεῖται δὲ καὶ παρὰ τὸ κάμπτειν τοὺς μηροὺς ἐν τῷ καθέζεσθαι, κάμηρός τις οὖσα καὶ κάμηλος)
Comment
Compositional etymology referring to a behavioral characteristic of the animal. The segmentation is κάμ-η-λος. This implies a formal manipulation, the change of aspirate [kh] into plain [k]. The notion of "sitting" is weird because the camel lifts first the hinder part, then the front legs, so that the animal is in fact never "sitting" but rather kneeling.