*γῶ

Word

Validation

Yes

Last modification

Tue, 06/01/2021 - 15:48

Word-form

γῆ

Transliteration (Word)

English translation (word)

earth

Transliteration (Etymon)

*gō

English translation (etymon)

to give room/way (χωρῶ)

Author

Philoxenus

Century

1 BC

Reference

Fr. 80

Edition

C. Theodoridis, Die Fragmente des Grammatikers Philoxenos [Sammlung griechischer und lateinischer Grammatiker (SGLG) 2. Berlin: De Gruyter, 1976]:

Source

Etym. Magnum

Ref.

Etym. Magnum, Kallierges p. 229

Ed.

T. Gaisford, Etymologicum Magnum, Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1848

Quotation

γῆ· παρὰ τὸ γῶ, τὸ χωρῶ· ἡ πάντα χωροῦσα. τοῦτο δὲ παρὰ τὸ χῶ, […] καὶ τροπῇ τοῦ χ εἰς γ γῶ

Translation (En)

"earth". from * "to give room, to contain", ‹means› the one containing everything […] and through change of [kh] into [g] *.

Comment

This etymology is typical of Philoxenus, who sought to etymologize Greek words through a monosyllabic verbal form. The supposed *γῶ is a ghost-word invented for the sake of the etymological explanation of several words (see also γυνή / *γῶ), for this verb had four different meanings, as explained by Choeroboscus, Epimerismi in Psalmos (the text reads "two" meanings but lists four): Τὸ γῶ πόσα σημαίνει; Δύο· γῶ τὸ χωρῶ, ἐξ οὗ καὶ γῆ, ἡ πάντας χωροῦσα· γῶ τὸ γανῶ, ἐξ οὗ καὶ γυνή· γῶ τὸ λαμβάνω καὶ δέχομαι, ἐξ οὗ καὶ γαστήρ· γῶ τὸ φωνῶ, ἐξ οὗ καὶ "ηὔσε δὲ διαπρύσιον Δαναοῖσι γεγωνώς " (Il. 8.227). This is repeated, with the correct number, in Etym. Magnum, Kallierges p. 244: Γῶ σημαίνει τέσσαρα· τὸ χωρῶ, ἐξ οὗ καὶ γῆ ἡ χωρητικὴ πάντων· τὸ λαμβάνω καὶ δέχομαι, ἐξ οὗ καὶ γωρυτὸς, ἡ τῶν βελῶν θήκη, χωρυτός τις οὖσα, παρὰ τὸ χωρεῖν τὰ ῥυτὰ, τουτέστι τὰ τόξα ἢ τὰ βέλη, εἰς ἣν τὰ ῥυτὰ χωρεῖται· τὸ γεννῶ, ἐξ οὗ καὶ γυνή· τὸ φωνῶ, ὅθεν καὶ γεγωνώς.

That allowed several explanations. The first explanation, by Philoxenus, assumes that *γῶ means "to contain", which is one of the meanings of χωρέω: the earth contains everything (descriptive etymology). From the formal point of view, it implies a phonetic manipulation on the consonant (voiced / voiceless aspirate). A second explanation, first explicitly found in the 9th c. AD but maybe already known to Orion, assumes that *γῶ means "to give birth", and derives from it γυνή (see γυνή / γῶ) and also γῆ, as earth produces everything (functional etymology) (see γαῖα / *γῶ). The latter explanation does not require any phonetic manipulation

Parallels

Etymology 1 "to contain": Herodian, Peri pathôn, Lentz III/2, p. 379 (idem); Philoponus, On the Creation of the World 181.25-27 (τοῦτο γὰρ αὐτῇ (τῇ γῇ) κυριώτατον ὄνομα καὶ τῇ φύσει πρέπον αὐτῆς· οἱ γὰρ διὰ τῶν ἐτυμολογιῶν φυσιολογοῦντες τὰ ὑποκείμενα τοῖς ὀνόμασι πράγματα παρὰ τὸ «γῶ» ῥῆμά φασιν, ὃ σημαίνει τὸ «χωρῶ», παρῆχθαι τὸ «γῆ» ὄνομα·); Orion, Etymologicum, gamma, p. 43 (s.v. γύαλον: τὸ δὲ γύω, παράγωγον τοῦ γῶ, δηλοῦντος τὸ λαμβάνω. ἀφ’ οὗ γῆ, ἡ πάντα λαμβάνουσα); Choeroboscus, Epimerismi in Psalmos p. 58 (ΓΗ̃ πόθεν γίνεται; Παρὰ τὸ γέα κατὰ συναίρεσιν τοῦ Ε καὶ Α εἰς ῆ, γῆ· τὸ δὲ γέα παρὰ τὸ γῶ, τὸ χωρῶ, ἡ πάντας χωροῦσα. Ἐκ δὲ τοῦ γῆ γίνεται γαῖα, διὰ διφθόγγου); Etym. Gudianum, gamma, p. 309 (Γῆ· παρὰ τὸ γῶ, τὸ χωρῶ); Eustathius, Comm. Il. 1, 289 (ἀπὸ τοῦ γῶ τὸ χωρῶ καὶ τίκτω γέα διὰ τοῦ ε ψιλοῦ, ὅθεν κατὰ κρᾶσιν τὸ γῆ); Etym. Magnum, Kallierges p. 222 (Τὸ δὲ γαῖα, παρὰ τὸ γῶ, τὸ χωρῶ, ἡ χωρητική […] Γαῖα: Ἔστι γῶ σημαῖνον τὸ τίκτω· ἐξ οὗ γίνεται γέα διὰ τοῦ ε ψιλοῦ, οἱονεὶ ἡ γεννητική· ἐξ οὗ κατὰ κρᾶσιν τοῦ ε καὶ α εἰς η γίνεται γῆ. Ἐκ τούτου γίνεται ἄλλη παραγωγὴ διὰ τῆς ΑΙ διφθόγγου, γαῖα, ὥσπερ σελήνη, σεληναία· Ἀθήνη, Ἀθηναία); Etym. Symeonis, gamma 84 (Γῆ· παρὰ τὸ γῶ, τὸ χωρῶ, ἡ πάντα χωροῦσα); Commentaria in Dionysii Thracis Artem grammaticam p. 364 (τὸ γῆ ὄνομα παράγωγον ὄν—παράγεται γὰρ ἀπὸ τοῦ γῶ ῥήματος, ὅ ἐστι τὸ χωρῶ); Ps.-Zonaras, Lexicon, gamma, p. 434 (γῆ δὲ εἴρηται παρὰ τὸ γῶ τὸ χωρῶ, ἡ πάντα χωροῦσα); Schol. in Oppianum, Hal, 1. 567 (Γαίης καὶ γῆς πόθεν γίνεται; παρὰ τὸ γῶ τὸ χωρῶ, ἐξ οὗ καὶ γῆ ἡ χωρητικὴ πάντων).

Etymology 2 "to give birth": Orion? ap. Etym. Gudianum, gamma, p. 309 (Ὠρίωνος Γῆ· διὰ τὸ τὸ γένος τῶν ἀνθρώπων ἐξ αὐτῆς <εἶναι>); Epimerismi Homerici Iliad 1.270 (γαίης: ἔστι γέω ῥῆμα τὸ σημαῖνον τὸ τίκτω, ἐξ οὗ καὶ γίνεται γέα διὰ τοῦ ε, οἱονεὶ ἡ γεννητική. ἐκ ταύτης τῆς λέξεως γίνεται γεωμέτρης, γεωλόφος καὶ γεωργός. τοῦτο τὸ γέα γίνεται κατὰ κρᾶσιν τοῦ ε καὶ α εἰς η γῆς); Epimerismi homerici ordine alphabetico traditi, gamma 29 (γαίης: ἔστι ῥῆμα <γῶ>, τὸ σημαῖνον τὸ τίκτω, ἐξ οὗ γίνεται γέα διὰ τοῦ ε ψιλοῦ, οἱονεὶ ἡ γεννητική. τοῦτο τὸ γέα {γίνεται} κατὰ κρᾶσιν τῶν εα εἰς η γίνεται γῆ, ἐξ οὗ τὸ γήπεδον καὶ γηγενής καὶ γηπόνος); Eustathius, Comm. Il. 1, 289 (Ὡς δὲ ἀπὸ τοῦ γῶ τὸ χωρῶ καὶ τίκτω γέα διὰ τοῦ ε ψιλοῦ, ὅθεν κατὰ κρᾶσιν τὸ γῆ, ἔτι δὲ καὶ γαῖα διὰ διφθόγγου); Etym. Magnum, Kallierges p. 222 (Γαῖα: Ἔστι γῶ σημαῖνον τὸ τίκτω· ἐξ οὗ γίνεται γέα διὰ τοῦ ε ψιλοῦ, οἱονεὶ ἡ γεννητική· ἐξ οὗ κατὰ κρᾶσιν τοῦ ε καὶ α εἰς η γίνεται γῆ); Etym. Symeonis, gamma 82; Ps.-Zonaras, Lexicon, gamma, p. 427.

Modern etymology

Chantraine 1970, 219: Neither γῆ nor γαῖα have an established etymology. It is supposed that “γαῖα” was a contamination of “γῆ” with “αἷα” and “μαῖα”, a simple hypothesis, related to the concept of ‘mother-land’.

Persistence in Modern Greek

Γη is still used in MG to designate: 1. the planet Earth, 2. the place of human life and activity, 3. the soil (Triandafyllidis Dictionary of Modern Greek).

Entry By

Chriti