βύζω

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No

Last modification

Thu, 08/05/2021 - 14:03

Word-form

βυθός

Transliteration (Word)

buthos

English translation (word)

depth

Transliteration (Etymon)

buzō

English translation (etymon)

to be frequent

Author

Orion

Century

5 AD

Source

Idem

Ref.

Etymologicum, beta, p. 38

Ed.

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

Quotation

Βυθός, παρὰ τὸ βάθος, ἣ παρὰ τὸ βύζω, βυτὸς καὶ βυθός.

Translation (En)

Buthos ("the depth"): from bathos or from buzō ("to be frequent"), *butos and then buthos.

Comment

Derivational etymology relying on the meaning "to be stuffed, pressed" of βύζω, the bottom of the water being hard.

Parallels

Etym. Genuinum, beta 289 (Βυθός· τὸ βάθος τὸ ἄφατον· παρὰ τὸ βάθος, τοῦ α εἰς υ τραπέντος. ἢ παρὰ τὸ βύζω βυστός καὶ βυθός); Etym. Gudianum, beta, p. 291 (Βυθός· παρὰ τὸ βάθος· ἢ παρὰ τὸ βύζω βυστός καὶ βυθός); Etym. Magnum Kallierges, p. 217 (Βυθός: Τὸ βάθος τὸ ἄφατον, παρὰ τὸ βάθος, τροπῇ τοῦ α εἰς υ. Ἣ παρὰ τὸ βύζω, βυστὸς καὶ βυθὸς, τροπῇ τοῦ θ εἰς σ, καὶ πλεονασμῷ ἑτέρου σ, γίνεται βυσσὸς, τὸ βάθος); Etym. Symeonis, vol. 1, p. 514 (βυθός· τὸ βάθος, τροπῇ τοῦ α εἰς υ. ἢ παρὰ τὸ βύζω βυστός καὶ βυθός); Ps.-Zonaras, Lexicon, beta, p. 411 (Βυθός. τὸ βάθος, τροπῇ τοῦ α εἰς υ. ἢ παρὰ τὸ βύζω, βυστὸς καὶ βυθός)

Modern etymology

Unknown (Beekes, EDG)

Persistence in Modern Greek

MG still has βυθός as the name of the bottom of the sea, a lake, or a riverbed

Entry By

Arthur de Tocqueville