λαβή

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Thu, 08/05/2021 - 14:03

Word-form

λώβη

Transliteration (Word)

lōbē

English translation (word)

dishonour

Transliteration (Etymon)

labē

English translation (etymon)

taking, handle

Author

Herodian

Century

2 AD

Reference

Peri Pathôn, Lentz III/2, p. 352

Edition

A. Lentz, Grammatici Graeci, vol. 3.2, Leipzig, Teubner, 1870

Source

Orion

Ref.

Etymologicum (excerpta e cod. regio Paris. 2630), p. 191

Ed.

G.H.K. Koës, Orionis Thebani etymologicon (ed. F.G. Sturz), Leipzig: Weigel, 1820 (repr. Hildesheim: Olms, 1973)

Quotation

(Lentz) ὁ Ἡρωδιανὸς λέγει, ὅτι ἐκ τοῦ λαβή, ὃ σημαίνει τὸ ξίφος, γίνεται λάβη καὶ τροπῇ τοῦ α εἰς ω λώβη ὡς ἀπὸ τοῦ φᾶρος φωριαμός

Translation (En)

Herodian says that from labḗ "taking, handle", which means "sword", comes *lábē and through change of the [a] into [ō], lōbē "insult, dishonor", as from phāros "coat" phōriamos

Comment

Derivational etymology. It implies first a change of accent (from the oxytone word is derived a paroxytone one) and then a change of the vowel. The insult is etymologized as the hostile "taking" (which is probably the correct etymology by modern standards, although of course Herodian's derivation process is not correct)

Parallels

Epimerismi homerici ordine alphabetico traditi, lambda 6 (idem); Etym. Magnum, Kallierges, p. 570 (idem); Herodian, De prosodia catholica, Lentz III/1, p. 309 (λώβη ἐκ τοῦ λαβή, ὃ σημαίνει τὸ ξίφος, λάβη. γίνεται καὶ τροπῇ τοῦ α εἰς ω λώβη ὡς φᾶρος φωριαμός); Etym. Genuinum, lambda 159 (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); Etym. Gudianum, lamda, p. 375 (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); 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.

Modern etymology

Λώβη is an action noun on the root of λαμβάνω "to take, to receive", and means "a hold" (Ragot 2002)

Persistence in Modern Greek

MG has λώβα "leprosy"

Entry By

Le Feuvre