μάω

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Word-form

μήτηρ

Transliteration (Word)

mētēr

English translation (word)

mother

Transliteration (Etymon)

maō

English translation (etymon)

to search

Author

Philoxenus

Century

1 BC

Reference

Fr. 145

Edition

C. Theodoridis, Die Fragmente des Grammatikers Philoxenos [Sammlung griechischer und lateinischer Grammatiker (SGLG) 2. Berlin: De Gruyter, 1976]:

Source

Etym. Genuinum

Ref.

Etym. Genuinum, mu 52

Ed.

M.P. Funaioli, Museum criticum XVIII, 1983, 305-312

Quotation

μῶ, ὁ μέλλων μάσω, μέμακα μαστὸς καὶ μασθός· ὁ ζητητικὸς τοῖς παισί. καὶ μήτηρ, ζητοῦσα τὰ πρὸς τροφὴν τοῖς παισίν

Translation (En)

"to search", the future is masō, <perfect> memaka, mastos "breast" and masthos "idem", the one that is searched by the children. And mētēr "mother", she who searched food for her children

Comment

From the ghost form *μάω, μῶ, assumed as the etymon of ματεύω "to search", are derived both the name of the breast (μαστός), as the "searched" one (passive) and the name of the mother, as the "searching" one "active). The etymology relies on the familiar alternation α ~ η. Three different semantic justifications are provided: in the first one (Philoxenus), the mother is searching for food for her young. In the second one (Orion, see Parallels), she is looking for her young. In the third one (Ps.-Zonaras, see Parallels), the young searches for her. Most sources give as etymon not Philoxenus' monosyllabic μῶ, but one of the existing forms, ματεύω, or μαστεύω

Parallels

Orion, Etymologicum, mu, p. 101 (Μήτηρ ἡ μαστεύουσα τὰ πρὸς τροφὴν τοῖς κυηθεῖσιν. ἢ ὅτι φυσικῶς αὐτὰ μαστεύει τὰ γεννηθέντα ἡ μήτηρ); Meletius, De natura hominis, p. 9 ([μάω] ἐξ οὗ καὶ μήτηρ, ἡ ζητουμένη παρὰ τῶν παίδων· ἢ ἡ μαστεύουσα τὰ πρὸς τροφὴν τοῖς κυηθεῖσιν· ἢ ὅτι φυσικῶς αὐτὰ μαστεύει καὶ ζητεῖ τὰ γεννηθέντα); Epimerismi homerici ordine alphabetico traditi, mu 20 (μήτηρ (Β 313): τὸ μη η· ἐκ τοῦ ματῶ μάτηρ καὶ μήτηρ, ὡς μάτις μῆτις, ἡ τῶν ἀδήλων ζητητική); Etym. Gudianum, mu, p. 393 (Μήτηρ, παρὰ τὸν μῶ μήσω μέλλοντα, ὃ ἔστι φροντίσω· τὸ μη ἦτα, ἐκ τοῦ ματῶ μάτηρ καὶ μήτηρ, ὡς μάτης καὶ μήτης ὁ τῶν ἀδήλων ζητητικός); ibid., p. 393 (Μητηρ, τινὲς ἀπὸ τοῦ μαστεύσθαι· τινὲς, ὅτι μέθηκε τὸ βρέφος ἐν τῇ κυήσει· τινὲς ἀπὸ τῆς μήτρας· αὑτὴ δὲ ἡ μήτρα μήστειρα καλεῖται, καὶ ἔρα ἀπὸ τοῦ ὑγραίνεσθαι ἀπὸ τοῦ θοροῦ· καθὸ καὶ οἱ ὠσιαγενεῖς, φύσεως ἐργαστήριον αὐτὴν εἶπον); ibid., p. 394 (Μήτρα, ὡς ἀπὸ τοῦ πατὴρ πάτρα, οὕτω καὶ ἀπὸ τοῦ μήτηρ μήτρα, ὑπερβιβασμῷ τοῦ ρ, τὸ δὲ μήτηρ, παρὰ τὸ μῶ τὸ ζητῶ· ἡ μαστεύουσα τὰ πρὸς τροφὴν τοῖς κυηθεῖσι· ἢ ὅτι φυσικῶς αὐτὰ τὰ γεννηθέντα μαστεύει καὶ ζητεῖ· ῥήτρα καὶ φήτρα, ἡ μήτρα τῆς γυναικός); Etym. Magnum, Kallierges, p. 584 (Μήτηρ: Παρὰ τὸ μὴ τηρεῖσθαι· αἱ γὰρ γυναῖκες, πρὶν γένωνται μητέρες, φυλάττονται πρὸς τὸ μὴ λυμανθῆναι τὴν αὑτῶν παρθενίαν· ἡνίκα δὲ γένωνται μητέρες, οὐ τηροῦνται. Ἢ παρὰ τὸ μῶ, τὸ ζητῶ, ἡ ὑπὸ τῶν τέκνων ζητουμένη· ἢ ἡ μαστεύουσα τὰ πρὸς τροφὴν τοῖς κυηθεῖσιν· ἢ ὅτι φυσικῶς αὐτὰ μαστεύει τὰ κυηθέντα ἡ μήτηρ. Ἢ ἐκ τοῦ ματῶ, μάτηρ καὶ μήτηρ, ὡς μάτις μῆτις, ἡ τῶν ἀδήλων ζητητική. Τὸ ΜΗ, η· ἐκ τοῦ μήσω μέλλοντος); Eustathius, Comm. Il. 2, 385 Van der Valk (τοῦ δὲ τοιούτου μῶ παράγωγα καὶ ἡ μαῖα καὶ ἡ μήτηρ, ἤδη δὲ καὶ ἡ Μοῦσα); Eustathius, Comm. Od. 2, 213 Stallbaum (ἀπὸ τοῦ μῶ γὰρ τὸ ζητῶ καὶ ἡ μαῖα καὶ ἡ μήτηρ); Ps.-Zonaras, Lexicon, mu, p. 1358 (Μήτηρ. ἡ μαστεύουσα τὰ πρὸς τροφὴν τοῖς κυηθεῖσιν. ἢ ὅτι μαστεύει καὶ ζητεῖ τὰ γεννηθέντα); ibid., p. 1358 (Μήτηρ. παρὰ τὸ μῶ, τὸ ζητῶ. ἡ ὑπὸ τῶν τέκνων ζητουμένη. τὸ μη η, διατί; ἐκ τοῦ μῶ, μήσω μέλλοντος);

Modern etymology

Inherited name of the mother, PIE *meh2ter-, cognate with Lat. mater, Engl. mother, OCS mati (Beekes, EDG)

Persistence in Modern Greek

MG has μητέρα, from the old accusative singular.

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