κηλέω

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Sun, 07/18/2021 - 18:10

Word-form

καλός

Transliteration (Word)

kalos

English translation (word)

beautiful

Transliteration (Etymon)

kēleō

English translation (etymon)

to charm, to bewitch

Author

Orion

Century

5 AD

Source

Idem

Ref.

Etymologicum (, kappa, p. 83

Ed.

F. Sturz, Orionis Thebani etymologicon, Leipzig, Weigel, 1820

Quotation

Καλός. παρὰ τὸ καλεῖν πρὸς ἑαυτὸν ἕκαστον· ἢ παρὰ τὸ κηλεῖν. πάντες γὰρ τῷ καλῷ κηλούμεθα

Translation (En)

Kalos "beautiful": from the fact it calls everyone to itself. Or from kēleîn "to charm", because we are all charmed by what is beautiful

Comment

Derivational etymology relying on the usual alternation between [a] and [ē]. It is semantically close to the etymology by καλέω "to call" (see καλός / καλέω) and etymologizes the adjective through the attitude of men toward beautiful things. The same etymology is also provided for the noun κάλλος "beauty"

Parallels

Ps.-Dionysius Aeropagita, De divinis nominibus, p. 151 (καὶ ὡς πάντα πρὸς ἑαυτὸ καλοῦν, ὅθεν καὶ κάλλος λέγεται); J. Philoponus, De opificio mundi, p. 293 (καλὸν μὲν γὰρ εἴρηται παρὰ τὸ κηλεῖν καὶ θέλγειν ἢ παρὰ τὸ πρὸς ἑαυτὸ καλεῖν); ibid., p. 293 (οὐ καλὸν δὲ ὅμως· οὐ γὰρ κηλεῖ τὸν πάσχοντα οὐδὲ καλεῖ πρὸς ἑαυτά, τοὐναντίον δὲ λυπεῖ καὶ ἀλγύνει καὶ ἀποτρέπει τῆς αὐτῶν κοινωνίας); Proclus, In Platonis Alcibiadem i 328 (ἐτύμως γάρ, εἴτε διὰ τὸ καλεῖν εἰς ἑαυτὸ κέκληται καλὸν εἴτε διὰ τὸ κηλεῖν καὶ θέλγειν τὰ πρὸς αὐτὸ δυνάμενα βλέπειν, ἐραστόν ἐστι κατὰ φύσιν· διὸ καὶ ὁ ἔρως πρὸς τὸ καλὸν ἄγειν λέγεται τὸ ἐρῶν); Simplicius, Commentarius in Epicteti enchiridion 32 (Ὡς γὰρ τοῦ ἀγαθοῦ τὸ καλὸν ἐκφανέστερόν ἐστιν, ἐπανθοῦν αὐτοῦ τῇ κρυφίᾳ ἑνώσει—διὸ θέλγει καὶ κηλεῖ τοῦτο καὶ καλεῖ πρὸς ἑαυτό, καὶ ἔρωτα πᾶσιν ἐναποτίκτει τῆς πρὸς ἑαυτὸ ἐπιστροφῆς—); Choeroboscus, Epimerismi in Psalmos, p. 182 (κάλλος, παρὰ τὸ κάζω, τὸ κοσμῶ, ἢ παρὰ τὸ λῶ τὸ θέλω, ἢ παρὰ τὸ κηλῶ, τὸ θέλγω, καὶ ἀπατῶ· διὰ γὰρ τῶν καλῶν κατακηλούμεθα, καὶ θελγόμεθα, καὶ ἀπατώμεθα); Etym. Magnum, Kallierges, p. 485 (Καλός: Ἐκ τοῦ κάλλος· ἢ παρὰ τὸ κάζω· ὁ μέλλων, κάσω· ῥηματικὸν ὄνομα, καλός. Ἢ παρὰ τὸ καλῶ, ἐκ τοῦ καλεῖν πρὸς ἑαυτὸν ἕκαστον, ὡς ἀγαθὸν, ἐφ’ ὃ ἄγαν θέομεν. Ἢ παρὰ τὸ κηλεῖν·  πάντες γὰρ κηλούμεθα τῷ καλῷ καὶ θελγόμεθα. Ἢ παρὰ τὸ λῶ, τὸ θέλω)

The etymology is probably implicit in Aelius Aristides, Κατὰ τῶν ἐξορχουμένων, Jebb p. 408 (οὕτω τοίνυν καὶ τὸ τῶν λόγων κάλλος μετὰ τῆς ἁπάσης φύσεως καὶ τοῦτ’ ἔχει, κηλεῖν τοὺς ἀκούοντας)

Modern etymology

Older καλϝός. The closest cognate is Ved. kalyāṇa- "beautiful" (Beekes, EDG)

Persistence in Modern Greek

MG still has the neuter καλό meaning "the good" as an abstract quality, and compounds in καλο-. The simple adjective was replaced by ωραίος "beautiful"

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