λοβός
Word
Validation
Word-form
Word-lemma
Etymon-lemma
Transliteration (Word)
English translation (word)
Transliteration (Etymon)
English translation (etymon)
Century
Source
Ref.
Ed.
Quotation
Λώβη· λαόβη· ἡ ἐπὶ κακῷ περιβόητος ἢ ἀπὸ τοῦ λοβός, ὃ σημαίνει τὰ ἄκρα τῶν ὤτων· ἐϋτρήτοισι λοβοῖσι, ἀπὸ μεταφορᾶς τῶν ἠκρωτηριασμένων· οἱ γὰρ παλαιοὶ τοὺς ἔν τινι ἀτοπήματι ἁλόντας ἐνυβρίζοντες τὰ ἄκρα τῶν ὤτων ἀπέτεμον. ἢ ἀπὸ τοῦ λαβή, ὃ σημαίνει τὸ ξίφος ἢ τὴν βλάβην, λώβη.
Translation (En)
Lōbē ("dishonour"): *laobē, public dishonour for a crime, or from lobos ("lobe of the ear"), which means the extremities of the ears. "With well-pierced lobes" (Il. 14.182) by metaphor from the ones who have suffered the amputation of the extremities (akrōtēriasmos). Indeed, the ancients, to insult the ones they had caught in an offence, cut off the extremity of their ears. Or from labē, which means the sword, or the damage (blabēn), comes lōbē.
Parallels
Epimerismi homerici ordine alphabetico traditi, lambda 6 (⸤λω⸥βήσαιο (Β 242): ῥῆμα εὐκτικὸν μέσου ἀορίστου πρώτου. λωβῶ ἐκ τοῦ λοβός· τοῦτο ἀπὸ μεταφορ⸤ᾶς⸥ τῶν ἠκρ⸤ω⸥τ⸤ηρ⸥ιασμένων, ἐπειδὴ οἱ παλαιοὶ τοὺς ἔν τινι ἀτοπ⸤ήματι⸥ ἁλόντας ἐνυ⸤βρ⸥ίζοντες τ⸤ὰ ἄ⸥κρα τῶν ὤτων ⸤ἀπέτεμνον, †ὡς καὶ ὁ ποιητὴς⸥ πρὸς τὸν ⸤Ἶρον†⸥· καὶ ταῦτα ὁ Ὠρίων (deest Et. Orion. GHJbL). ὁ δὲ Ἡρωδιανὸς λέγει (2, 352, 6; cf. 1, 309, 15), ὅτι ἐ⸤κ τοῦ λαβή⸥ ἐστιν, ὃ σημαίνει τὸ ξίφος· ἐξ αὐτοῦ γίνεται λάβη καὶ τὸ α τρέπεται εἰς ω (ὡς ἐμάθομεν [Hdn. 2, 351, 17]· φᾶρος φαριαμός καὶ φωριαμός) καὶ γίνεται λ⸤ώ⸥βη); Etym. Gudianum, lambda, p. 376 (Λώβη, ἡ βλάβη, κυρίως ἐπὶ τῶν ἠκρωτηριασμένων· ἀπέτεμνον γὰρ τοὺς λόβους καὶ τὰ ἄκρα τῶν ῥινῶν· καὶ λώβη ἡ ὕβρις, οἷον, λωβοὴ ἐπὶ κακῷ περιβόητος πᾶσιν); ibid., p. 375 (Λωβήσαιο, παρὰ τὸ λωβῶ, πρώτης συζυγίας τῶν περισπωμένων, μέσου ἀορίστου πρώτου παθητικοῦ εὐκτικοῦ· τοῦτο παρὰ τὸ λωβὴ, τοῦτο παρὰ τὸ λῶ τὸ θέλω, κατ’ ἀντίφρασιν, ὃν οὐδεὶς θέλει· τοῦτο ἀπὸ μεταφορᾶς τῶν ἠκρωτηριασμένων· ἐπειδὴ οἱ παλαιοὶ τοὺς ἔν τισιν ἀτοπήμασιν ἀλῶντας ἐνυβρίζοντες τὰ ἄκρα τῶν ὤτων ἀπέτεμνον· ὡς καὶ ὁ ποιητὴς πρὸς τὸν ἶρον· καὶ ταῦτα ὁ Ὠρίων· ὁ δὲ Ἡρωδιανὸς λέγει ὅτι ἐκ τοῦ λαβή ἐστιν, ὃ σημαίνει τὸ ξίφος· ἐξ αὐτοῦ γὰρ λάβη, καὶ τὸ α τρέπει εἰς ω· ὡς ἐμάθομεν, φάρος φαριαμὸς καὶ φωριαμὸς); Etym. Magnum, Kallierges, p. 570 (Λώβη: Ἡ ὕβρις ἡ ἐπὶ κακῷ περιβόητος. Παρὰ τὸ λῶ, τὸ θέλω, κατὰ ἀντίφρασιν, ἣν οὐδεὶς θέλει· ἢ παρὰ τὸ βλάβη. Ἢ ἐκ τοῦ λωβός· τοῦτο ἐκ τοῦ λοβὸς, τοῦ διὰ τοῦ ο μικροῦ κατ’ ἐπαύξησιν· ἀπὸ μεταφορᾶς τῶν ἠκρωτηριασμένων· οἱ γὰρ παλαιοὶ τοὺς ἔν τινι ἀτοπήματι ἁλόντας ἐνυβρίζοντες τὰ ἄκρα τῶν ὤτων ἀπέτεμνον, ὡς καὶ ὁ ποιητὴς πρὸς τὸν Ἶρον. Καὶ ταῦτα ὁ Ὠρίων· ὁ δὲ Ἡρωδιανὸς λέγει, ὅτι ἐκ τοῦ λαβὴ, ὃ σημαίνει τὸ ξίφος, γίνεται λάβη· καὶ τροπῇ τοῦ α εἰς ω, λώβη, ὡς φάρος φαριαμὸς φωριαμός); Ps.-Zonaras, Lexicon, lambda, p. 1325 (Λώβη. ἡ βλάβη καὶ ἡ ὕβρις. ἡ ἐπὶ τῷ κακῷ περιβόητος. ἢ ἀπὸ τοῦ λοβὸς, ὃ σημαίνει τὰ ἄκρα τῶν ὠτῶν. ‘εὐτρήτοισι λοβοῖσιν’. οἱ γὰρ παλαιοὶ τοὺς ἔν τισιν ἀτοπήμασιν ἁλόντας ἐνυβρίζοντες, τὰ ἄκρα τῶν ὠτῶν ἀπέτεμνον. ἢ ἀπὸ τοῦ λαβὴ, ὃ σημαίνει τὸ ξίφος ἢ τὴν βλάβην, λώβη)
Bibliography
On the etymology, see P. Ragot, "Grec homérique λωβη ou l'offense faite à Achille : étude sémantique et étymologique", Revue de Philologie 76/2, 2002, pp. 243-275.
Comment
Derivational etymology relying on the familiar alternation ο ~ ω. The infamy is materialized in the cut ears of the traitor. The explicit reference to ἀκρωτηριασμός, a punishment for traitors (used in the Odyssey for the goalkeeper Melanthius), makes it difficult to explain the word λοβός in its normal use, in particular in Il. 14.182: the ἐϋτρήτοισι λοβοῖσι are the ear-lobes of Hera, into which she attaches beautiful earrings, which is miles away from the notion of dishonour. The lexicographer gets rid of the difficulty by saying "metaphorically" (ἀπὸ μεταφορᾶς). It is a reversible etymology (see λοβός / λώβη)