ἕσις
Word
Validation
No
Word-form
ὄσσε
Word-lemma
Etymon-lemma
Transliteration (Word)
osse
English translation (word)
the two eyes
Transliteration (Etymon)
hesis
English translation (etymon)
a sending forth
Century
5 AD
Source
Idem
Ref.
Etymologicum, omicron, p.113
Ed.
F. Sturz, Orionis Thebani etymologicon, Leipzig, Weigel, 1820
Quotation
Ὄσσε. οἱ ὀφθαλμοὶ, παρὰ τὴν ἕσιν καὶ βολὴν τῆς ὄψεως.
Translation (En)
Osse "the eyes": from the sending forth (hesis) and the throw of the sight.
Parallels
Meletius, De natura hominis, p. 68 (λέγονται καὶ παρὰ τῷ ποιητῇ ὄσσε, παρὰ τὴν ὑπὸ τὰ κείμενα ἔσιν, καὶ τὴν ἐπ’ εὐθὺ βολήν).
Modern etymology
Old dual of the root noun *h3ekw- "eye", belonging with ὄψομαι "I will see", ὄπωπα "I have seen", compounds in -ωψ and -ωπος (Beekes, EDG)
Persistence in Modern Greek
No
Entry By
Arthur de Tocqueville
Comment
Derivational etymology relying on the familiar alternation ο ~ ε (λέγω ~ λὀγος). It does not take into account the fact that ἕσις has an initial aspiration whereas ὄσσε does not. It is consistent with the conception of vision in Greek thought, according to which the eyes throw light onto objects and are the source of sight. The relationship between lemma and etymon is one of agent noun (lemma) vs action noun (etymon)