καταμονή

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Last modification

Sun, 06/27/2021 - 23:22

Word-form

καμμονίη

Transliteration (Word)

kammoniē

English translation (word)

steadfastness, endurance

Transliteration (Etymon)

katamonē

English translation (etymon)

remaining

Author

Apollonius Soph.

Century

1 AD

Source

Idem

Ref.

Lexicon homericum, p. 94

Ed.

I. Bekker, Apollonii Sophistae lexicon Homericum, Berlin, 1833

Quotation

καμμονίην τὴν ἐκ καταμονῆς νίκην. δὶς δὲ κέχρηται τῇ λέξει

Translation (En)

Kammoniē: the victory obtained by remaining (katamonēs) <alone on the battlefield>, The word is used twice

Comment

This explanation is found in all our sources unanimously, and repeated in modern etymological dictionaries. It is erroneous and this is neither the meaning of the word nor its morphological analysis (see Bibliography). This synchronic interpretation analyses κατ-μονή with a monosyllabic form of κατα-, of which there are many instances in Homer. So that it is a non Ionic form but it does not need any formal manipulation except for the change of the suffix.

Parallels

A Schol. Il. 22.257 (257a1 Erbse) (καμμονίην: ὅτι καμμονίη νίκη οὐ καθολικῶς, ἀλλὰ ἡ ἐκ καταμονῆς· διὸ ἐπὶ τῶν μονομαχούντων καὶ πυκτευόντων (cf. Ψ 661) τίθησιν, ἐπὶ δὲ δρομέων οὐκέτι); bT Schol. Il. 22.257 (257b Erbse) (τὴν μονομερῆ νίκην); T Schol. Il. 22.257 (257a2 Erbse) (τὴν ἐκ καταμονῆς νίκην); A Schol. Il. 23.661 (661a1 Erbse) (καμμονίην: ὅτι οὐκ ἔστιν ἓν ἀνθ’ ἑνὸς καμμονίη νίκη, ὡς οἱ Γλωσσογράφοι, ἀλλ’ ἡ ἐκ καταμονῆς· διὸ ἐπὶ δρομέων οὐ τάσσει, ἀλλ’ ἐπὶ τῶν πυκτευόντων καὶ μονομαχούντων (cf. Χ 257)· διὰ γὰρ καταμονῆς); D Schol. Il. 22.257 (τὴν ἐκ καταμονῆς νίκην, ὅ ἐστι τὴν ἐκ μονομεροῦς); Geneva Schol. Il. 22.257 (idem); ibid., 23.661 (τὴν ἐκ καταμονῆς νίκην); Hesychius, Lexicon, kappa 603 (idem); Eustathius, Comm. Il. 4, 807 Van der Valk (καμμονίην κἀνταῦθα εἰπών, ὡς καὶ προερρέθη, τὴν ἐκ καταμονῆς νίκην)

Bibliography

On the meaning and etymology of the word, which Greek scholars did no longer understand, see C. Le Feuvre, « La forme homérique καμμονίη, le parfait κέκασμαι et le groupe de skr. śáṃsati ‘louer’ ». Revue de Philologie 82/2, 2008 [2011], p. 305-320. The word is a derivative of root *keNs- "to speak solemnly", belonging with κέκασμαι "to be renowned, to excel". It is an abstract noun derived from an agent noun *k̑n̥s-mon- "he who praises", matching Ved. śásman- "praise" < *k̑n̥s-mn̥- (neuter). It has nothing to do with μένω "to stay", which is no more than a synchronic etymology.

Modern etymology

See above, Bibliography. The etymology found in modern etymological dictionaries, which repeats the Greek synchronic etymology, is obsolete.

Persistence in Modern Greek

No

Entry By

Le Feuvre