κομέω

Validation

No

Last modification

Tue, 06/29/2021 - 09:46

Word-form

κόσμος

Transliteration (Word)

kosmos

English translation (word)

order

Transliteration (Etymon)

komeō

English translation (etymon)

to care for, to tend

Author

Eustathius of Thessalonica

Century

12 AD

Source

Idem

Ref.

Commentarii ad Homeri Iliadem 1, 43

Ed.

M. van der Valk, Eustathii archiepiscopi Thessalonicensis commentarii ad Homeri Iliadem pertinentes, Leiden, 1971-1987

Quotation

Κοσμήτορας δὲ πολλαχοῦ τοὺς ἡγεμόνας λέγει, ὡς κοσμοῦντας ἤτοι εὐτακτοῦντας τὸν λαόν. κόσμος γὰρ ἡ τάξις ἐκ τοῦ κομῶ, τὸ ἐπιμελοῦμαι, ἀφ’ οὗ καὶ ὁ πάντων περιεκτικὸς κόσμος, ὃν εὐτάκτως ἡ πρόνοια ἔταξεν

Translation (En)

He calls often the commanders kosmētoras, as they arrange in order, that is, in the right place, the troops. As a matter of fact, kosmos means "order", it comes from komô "I care for", from which comes also the <name of> the universe, kosmos, which providence disposed in good order

Comment

Derivational etymology implying only one formal manipulation, the adjunction of an [s]. Order is etymologized as that which someone tends for, which of course in the mind of the archbishop refers to the divine creator of the universe. Notice the Gudianum has the reverse derivation and derives κομέω from κόσμος (reversible etymology): Etym. Gudianum, kappa. p. 336 (τὸ δὲ κομῶ ἐκ τοῦ κόσμος· καὶ γὰρ κόσμον ὁ δημιουργὸς ἐνέθηκε τῷ ἀνθρώπῳ τὰς τρίχας· ἐκ δὲ τοῦ κομῶ καὶ τοῦ ἵππος γίνεται τὸ ἱπποκόμος· καὶ γηρωκόμος)

Parallels

Eustathius, Comm. Il. 4, 249 Van der Valk (ὁ δὲ τοῦ σίγμα μέσον πλεονασμὸς ἐν τῷ «ἐλάστρεον» ὁμοίως ἔχει τῷ βωτῶ, βωστρῶ, κομῶ, κοσμῶ); ibid., 4, 243 (καὶ ὅτι οὐ μόνον ἐν ἀρχαῖς λέξεων πλεονάζειν εἴωθε τὸ σίγμα, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἐν μέσῳ, καθὰ δῆλον ἐκ τοῦ ἐλατῶ ἐλαστρῶ, περὶ οὗ προγέγραπται, καὶ τοῦ κομῶ κοσμῶ, καὶ τοῦ βλῆτρον ἀμφίβληστρον, καὶ τοῦ βωτῶ βωστρῶ τοῦ ἐν Ὀδυσσείᾳ, καὶ ἑτέρων)

Modern etymology

Derivative of *keNs- "to put in order" and, as such, related within Greek to κέκασμαι (Beekes, EDG)

Persistence in Modern Greek

Yes

Entry By

Le Feuvre