σχίζω

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Thu, 08/05/2021 - 14:03

Word-form

σκέλη

Transliteration (Word)

skelos

English translation (word)

limb

Transliteration (Etymon)

skhizō

English translation (etymon)

to split

Author

Orion

Century

5 AD

Source

Idem

Ref.

Etymologicum (, sigma, p. 145

Ed.

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

Quotation

Σκέλη. ἢ διὰ τὴν σχίσιν· διέσχισται γὰρ ἀπ’ ἀλλήλων, ἢ παρὰ τὸ κέλευθον, δι’ ἧς βαδίζομεν, πλεονάσαντος τοῦ σ. […] ἢ παρὰ τὸ κατεσκληκέναι, καὶ σκληρότερον εἶναι τῶν ὕπερθεν. οὕτω Σωρανός

Translation (En)

Skelē "limbs": from the splitting (schisis). Because they are separated from each other. Or from keleuthos "road", through which we walk, with adjunction of [s]. […] Or from the fact they are dried up (katesklēkenai), and drier than the upper parts <of the body>. Soranus

Comment

Descriptive derivational etymology: the limbs are distinct parts of the body, as opposed to the torso and abdomen, for instance, between which there is no visible separation. It implies two formal manipulations, change of [kh] to [k] and of [I] to [e].

Parallels

Meletius, De natura hominis, p. 129 (τὸ δὲ σκέλος παρὰ τὴν σχέσιν ἐκλήθη· διέσχισται γὰρ ἀπ’ ἀλλήλων· ἢ παρὰ τὴν κέλευθον, ὅ ἐστιν ὁδὸς, δι’ ἧς βαδίζομεν· ἢ παρὰ τὸ ἐσκληκέναι καὶ σκληρότερον εἶναι τῶν ὕπερθεν μορίων); Choeroboscus, Epimerismi in Psalmos, p. 125 ([…] καὶ ἐν συγκοπῇ σκέλος· διὰ γὰρ τὴν ὁδὸν βαδίζομεν· ἢ παρὰ τὸ σχίζω· ἀπεσχισμένα γάρ εἰσι τὰ σκέλη ἀπ’ ἀλλήλων [see Etym. Gudianum]); Etym. Gudianum, sigma, p. 503 (Σκελίζω, τοῦτο παρὰ τὸ σκέλος, τοῦτο παρὰ τὸ κέλευθος, ὃ σημαίνει τὴν ὁδὸν, πλεονασμῷ τοῦ σ, σκέλευθος, καὶ ἐν συγκοπῇ σκέλος· δι’ αὐτοῦ γὰρ τὴν ὁδὸν τελειοῦμεν, ὅ ἐστι βαδίζομεν· ἢ παρὰ τὸ σχίζω σχέλος καὶ σκέλος· ἀπεσχισμένα γάρ εἰσιν ἀπ’ ἀλλήλων τὰ σκέλη, ἐξ οὗ καὶ κατασκελίζω); Etym. Magnum, Kallierges, p. 716 (Σκέλος: Ἢ παρὰ τὴν σχίσιν· διέσχισται γὰρ ἀπ’ ἀλλήλων· ἢ παρὰ τὴν κέλευθον, δι’ ἧς βαδίζομεν· ἢ παρὰ τὸ ἐσκληκέναι καὶ σκληρότερα εἶναι τῶν ὕπερθεν. Ἢ κέλευθος, πλεονασμῷ τοῦ σ, σκέλευθος, καὶ συγκοπῇ, σκέλος· δι’ αὐτῶν γὰρ τὴν ὁδὸν τελοῦμεν. Ἢ παρὰ τὸ σχίζω, σχέλος, καὶ σκέλος· ἀπεσχισμένα γάρ εἰσιν ἀπ’ ἀλλήλων. Ἐκ δὲ τοῦ σκέλος γίνεται σκελίζω)

Modern etymology

From PIE *skel- "bent", cognate with Lat. scelus "crime, malice" (lit. "crookedness"). Within Greek, belongs with σκολιός "bent" (Beekes, EDG)

Persistence in Modern Greek

MG still has σκέλος as a learned word with the proper meaning "limb" and the metaphoric meaning "member, element"

Entry By

Le Feuvre