δείδω + ἴλη

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Last modification

Fri, 07/30/2021 - 14:39

Word-form

δειλός

Transliteration (Word)

deilos

English translation (word)

cowardly

Transliteration (Etymon)

deidō + ilē

English translation (etymon)

to fear + troop

Author

Porphyrius

Century

3 AD

Source

Idem

Ref.

Quaestionum Homericarum ad Iliadem pertinentium reliquiae, 17.143

Ed.

H. Schrader, Porphyrii quaestionum Homericarum ad Iliadem pertinentium reliquiae, Leipzig: Teubner, 1880.

Quotation

φύξηλις ἐστὶν ὁ φεύγων τὰς ἴλας, δειλὸς δὲ ὁ δεδιὼς τὰς ἴλας, μενεδήιος δὲ ὁ ὑπομένων τὴν δηιοτῆτα, ἐσθλὸς δὲ ὁ ἐθελοντὴς μαχόμενος, οἱονεὶ ἐθελός

Translation (En)

Phuxēlis "runaway" is the one who flees before the troops, deilos "cowardly" the one who fears (dediōs) the troops (ilas), menedēios the one who awaits firmly the battle, esthlos the one who fights willingly, as though it were *ethelos

Comment

Compositional etymology keeping the relationship with "to fear" (δείδω) and accounting for the end of the word by the name of the troop, ἴλη. That is, the word is understood in a military context (that of the Iliad). The structure of the compound is Verb-Object. A variant of the etymology starts from the noun δέος instead of the verb δείδω (see Parallels)

Parallels

Etym. Gudianum, delta, p. 338 (Δειλός· παρὰ τὸ φοβεῖσθαι τὰς ἴλας τῶν πολεμίων· ἢ παρὰ τὸ δέω, τὸ φοβοῦμαι, πλεονασμῷ τοῦ ι δείω, ὁ μέλλων δείσω καὶ ἐξ αὐτοῦ δειλός· ἢ παρὰ τὸ δέω δεειρός, καὶ τροπῇ τοῦ ρ εἰς λ δειλός κατὰ συγκοπήν); Etym. Gudianum Additamenta, delta, p. 339 (Δειλός· ὁ ἀσθενής· παρὰ τὸ δέω, τὸ φοβοῦμαι, δειλός· δέους γάρ ἐστι ποιητικός· καὶ γίνεται ἐκ τοῦ δέελος. σημαίνει δὲ ὁ δειλὸς δύο· τὸν κακὸν καὶ τὸν ἄνανδρον. δειλὸς δὲ κυρίως ὁ δεδιὼς τὰς ἴλας τῶν π⟦ολεμίων⟧ ἤτοι τὰ στίφη); Eustathius, Comm. Il. 3, 232 Van der Valk (Ἰστέον δὲ καὶ ὅτι τὸ «δειλός», ὁ δεδιὼς τὰς ἴλας, ὁ καὶ φύξηλις, ἐξ οὗ καὶ ἡ δειλία καὶ τὸ δειλαίνεσθαι, παρὰ τοῖς μεθ’ Ὅμηρον μάλιστα ἐπλεόνασεν); Tzetzes, Exegesis in Homeri Iliadem Α.292 (δειλός· παρὰ τὸ δεῖσθαι καὶ ὑστερίζειν τῆς ἴλης ἤτοι τάξεως); Scholia in Claudium Aelianum 1.43 (‹φυγή·› ἀπὸ τοῦ φεύγω φυγή, ὅθεν καὶ φύξιλις ποιητικῶς, ὃ κοινῶς λέγεται δειλός· τὸ μὲν ἀπὸ τοῦ φεύγειν τὰς ἴλας, τὸ δὲ ἀπὸ τοῦ δεδιέναι αὐτάς. ἐναντία τούτοις ποιητικῶς μὲν τὸ ἐσθλὸς ὁ ἐθελοντὴς δηλαδὴ μαχόμενος, κοινῶς δὲ τὸ ἀνδρεῖος); Schol. Od. θ 351 Pontani (“δειλὸς” δὲ παρὰ τὸ “δεδιέναι τὰς ἴλας”, ὡς καὶ “φύξηλις”)

Modern etymology

Derivative of *dwei- "to fear" found in δείδω, δεινός, δεῖμα, δέος

Persistence in Modern Greek

Yes, as a learned word

Entry By

Le Feuvre