ἀλφάνω
Word
Validation
Word-form
Word-lemma
Etymon-lemma
Transliteration (Word)
English translation (word)
Transliteration (Etymon)
English translation (etymon)
Century
Source
Ref.
Ed.
Quotation
Ἄλφιτα (Λ 640)· ‘ἐπὶ δ’ ἄλφιτα λευκὰ πάλυνεν’. παρὰ τὸ ἀλφαίνειν, ἡ πρῶτον εὑρεθεῖσα τροφή. ἢ ἀλήφατά τινα ὄντα, τὰ ἀληλεσμένα, πρὸς ἀντιδιαστολὴν τῶν ὅλων, ἀλήφατα ἄλφιτα
Translation (En)
Alphita "barley" (Il. 11.640): ‘epi d' alphita leuka palunen’ "and he poured over white flour". From alphainein "to fetch", the first food found. Or *alēphata, the ground one, as opposed to the whole one, *alēphata, alphita
Parallels
Etym. Symeonis, vol. 1, p. 344 (idem); Etym. Gudianum, alpha, p. 101 (Ἄλφιτον· τὸ παχὺ ἄλευρον· παρὰ τὸ ἀλφαίνειν· ἡ πρώτη εὑρεθεῖσα τροφή); Eustathius, Comm. Il. 3, 273 Van der Valk (Γίνεται δὲ ἄλφιτον, ὡς καὶ ἐν Ὀδυσσείᾳ φαίνεται, ἢ παρὰ τὸ ἀλῶ, τὸ ἀλήθω, καὶ τὸ φῶ, τὸ φονεύω, τὸ οἱονεὶ πεφασμένον ἐν τῷ ἀλήθεσθαι. διὸ καὶ μυλήφατον λέγεται. ἢ παρὰ τὸ ἄλφω, τὸ εὑρίσκω, καὶ τὸ ἴτης, ὁ πτωχός, τὸ τοῖς ἴταις εὑρισκόμενον. ἄλφιτον γάρ, φασί, κυρίως κρίθινον πίτυρον. τινὲς δὲ ἁπλούστερον ἄλφιτόν φασι τὸ ἐκ πεφρυγμένων κριθῶν, παρὰ τὸ ἀλφῶ τὸ πρῶτον ἐφευρεθέν); Eustathius, Comm. Od. 1, 98 Stallbaum (δοκεῖ δὲ τὸ ἄλφιτον, εὐτελέστερον ἀλεύρου εἶναι. εἰ δὲ οἱ μεθ’ Ὅμηρον ἐπὶ κριθίνων ἀλεύρων ἢ καὶ ἐπὶ πιτύρων τὸ ἄλφιτον τιθέασι παρὰ τὸ ἄλφεσθαι ἴταις ὅ ἐστιν εὑρίσκεσθαι πτωχοῖς δι’ εὐτέλειαν, ἀλλ’ ὁ ποιητὴς οὐχ’ οὕτως ἐκδέχεται. ἀλλὰ τὸ ἁπλῶς ἄλευρον, ἄλφιτον λέγει διὰ τὸ ἐν τῷ ἀλεῖσθαι, φάειν, ἤγουν φαίνειν καὶ λευκαίνεσθαι, ἢ φονεύεσθαι. ὅθεν καὶ μυλήφατον ἄλφιτον, ὅπερ ὅ τι οὐκ ἐξ ἀνάγκης πίτυρον ἢ πιτυρῶδες ἐστὶ, δηλοῦσι καὶ τὰ τῶν τρυφώντων ψαιστὰ, ἄλφιτα ὄντα κατὰ Παυσανίαν, οἴνῳ καὶ ἐλαίῳ μεμαγμένα ἢ δεδευμένα); Etym. Magnum, Kallierges, p. 73 (Ἄλφιτον: Ἡ ἀξιολογωτάτη τροφή· κυρίως τὰ ἀπὸ τῶν πεφρυγμένων κριθῶν ἀλεσθεισῶν θραύσματα, καταχρηστικῶς δὲ καὶ τὰ ἀπὸ τῶν πυρῶν, ἢ φακῶν· ‘Ἐπὶ δ’ ἄλφιτα λευκὰ πάλυνεν’. Παρὰ τὸ ἀλφαίνειν, ἡ πρῶτον εὑρεθεῖσα τροφή. Ἢ ἀλήφατά τινα ὄντα, τὰ ἀληλεσμένα, πρὸς ἀντιδιαστολὴν τῶν ὅλων); Schol. Od. β 290f Pontani (ἄλφιτα: τὰ ἄλευρα παρὰ τὸ ἀλφῶ, τὸ ψηλαφῶ); ibid. β 354b (ἄλφιτα: “ἄλφιτον” λέγεται τὸ παχὺ ἄλευρον παρὰ τὸ ἀλφαίνειν, ἡ πρώτη εὑρεθεῖσα τροφή); Schol. Oppianum, Hal. 4.358 (Ἄλφιτα· ἄλευρα· κυρίως τὰ τῶν κριθῶν ἄλευρα ἀπὸ τοῦ ἀλφῶ τὸ εὑρίσκω· πρὸ γὰρ τοῦ εὑρεθῆναι τὸν σῖτον κριθὰς ἤσθιον); Lexicon αἱμωδεῖν, alpha 51 (ἄλφιτα: τὰ ἄλευρα, παρὰ τὸ ἀλφαίνειν· ἡ πρώτη εὑρεθεῖσα τροφή)
Bibliography
On the origin of ἄλφι, see C. Watkins, "Let us now praise famous grains", Proceedings of the American Philosophical Society 122, 1978, 9-17. The suffix of an old name of barley, -it-, was transferred to its epithet "white", and the new adjective was then substantivized and replaced the old noun. "Barley" was originally paired with "honey" (*melit- > μέλι, μέλιτος) and had the same suffix, which is preserved in Hittite (seppit-) and indirectly in Greek with lexical replacement.
Comment
Derivational etymology assuming the flour was the first food "found" by man. It relies on the meaning "to fetch" of the verb ἀλφαίνω, while another explanation with the same etymon relies on the meaning "to yield" and explains that ἄλφιτα аre a healthy food.