ἔθος
Word
Validation
Word-form
Word-lemma
Etymon-lemma
Transliteration (Word)
English translation (word)
Transliteration (Etymon)
English translation (etymon)
Century
Source
Ref.
Ed.
Quotation
εἰ δὲ σεσημείωται τὸ ἑταῖρος προπερισπώμενον διὰ τῆς αι διφθόγγου, γέγονεν δὲ παρὰ τὸ ἔθος ἐθαῖος, ὡς δρόμος δρομαῖος, καὶ τροπῇ τοῦ θ εἰς τ, καὶ πλεονασμῷ τοῦ ρ ἑταῖρος, μεταθέσει τῆς ψιλῆς εἰς δασεῖαν· οὕτως Ἡρωδιανὸς ἐν Ἐπιμερισμοῖς
Translation (En)
If one singles out hetairos "comrade" as properispomene on the diphthong [a], <it is because> it comes from ethos "custom", *ethaios, as dromos "race" dromaios "running", and by change of the [th] into [t] and addition of the [r], hetairos, the smooth breathing changing into a rough breathing. This is what Herodian says in the Epimerisms
Parallels
Orion, Etymologicum, epsilon. 66 (Ἑταῖρος. ἔθος ἐθαῖος ὁ συνήθης, καὶ πλεονασμῷ τοῦ ρ, ἐθαῖρος, καὶ μεταθέσει τοῦ θ εἰς τ, ἑταῖρος); Etym. Parvum, epsilon 3 (οὕτως καὶ παρὰ τὸ ἔθος ἐθαῖος καὶ πλεονασμῷ τοῦ Ρ ἐθαῖρος καὶ τροπῇ τοῦ Θ εἰς Τ ἑταῖρος); Etym. Gudianum, epsilon, p. 545 (οὕτως καὶ παρὰ τὸ ἔθος ἐθαῖος καὶ πλεονασμῷ τοῦ ρ ἐθαῖρος καὶ τροπῇ τοῦ δασέος εἰς ψιλὸν γίνεται ἑταῖρος, οἱονεὶ ὁ συνήθης καὶ φίλος. τὸ δὲ ἕταρος ἐκ τοῦ ἑταῖρος); Etym. Gudianum Additamenta, epsilon, p. 547 (Ἔτης· ὁ πολίτης· ἀπὸ τοῦ ἔθους ἢ τῆς συνηθείας, ὅθεν καὶ ἑταῖρος παρῆκται, ὡς καὶ ξένος ὁ ἐκτὸς ἑνότητος ὤν); Eustathius, Comm. Il. 1, 45 Van der Valk (τοιοῦτον δέ τι, φασίν, αἴτιον καὶ τοῦ δασύνεσθαι τοῦ ἑταῖρος τὴν ἄρχουσαν ὡς ἀπὸ τοῦ ἔθους. ἑταῖρος γὰρ ὁ ἐν ἔθει τυγχάνων ἡμῖν. ἀνεπόδισεν οὖν, φασίν, ἡ τοῦ θ δασεῖα μετὰ τὴν εἰς ψιλὸν μεταβολὴν καὶ ἀναβέβηκεν εἰς τὴν ἄρχουσαν); ibid., 1, 143 (δῆλον δὲ καὶ ὅτι ἀπὸ τοῦ ἔθους, οὐ μόνον ὁ ἑταῖρος καὶ ὁ ἔτης, ἀλλὰ φανερῶς καὶ ὁ ἐθάς); Etym. Magnum, Kallierges, p. 385 (Ἑταῖρος: Βοηθὸς, συνναύτης, φίλος. Εὔσημος ἡ λέξις κατὰ τὸ δηλούμενον. Παρὰ τὸ ἠθεῖος, ἠθαῖος κατὰ Δωριεῖς, ὡς εἴθε, αἴθε. Ἢ παρὰ τὸ ἦθος, ἠθαῖος, καὶ ἐθαῖος· καὶ κατὰ ἐναλλαγὴν, ἑταῖρος, πλεονασμῷ τοῦ ρ· καὶ τὸ ε δασύνεται. Ἢ ὡς δρόμος δρομαῖος, οὕτως ἔθος ἐθαῖος, ὁ συνήθης· εἶτα μεταθέσει τοῦ θ εἰς τ, ἑταῖος, καὶ πλεονασμῷ τοῦ ρ, ὡς στὰξ, στράξ· ἄτεμις, ἄρτεμις· ἴδις, ἴδρις· ἀκοῶμαι, ἀκροῶμαι. Ἢ ἐκ τοῦ ἔθω, ἐθαῖρος· καὶ μεταθέσει τοῦ θ, ὡς θρὶξ τριχὸς, γίνεται ἑταῖρος, ὁ ἐξ ἔθους τινὶ ἐπιφοιτῶν· καὶ ἀποβολῇ τοῦ ι, ἕταρος); Ps.-Zonaras, Lexicon, epsilon, p. 624 (ἐκ δὲ τοῦ ἔθω ἐθαῖρος καὶ ἑταῖρος, οἱονεὶ ὁ ἐξ ἔθους τινὶ ἐπιφοιτῶν)
Choeroboscus, De orthographia (epitome), p. 201 (Ἔθαιρω καὶ Ἑταῖρος: Τὸ θαι καὶ τὸ ται δίφθογγος· παρὰ γὰρ τὸ ἐθάρω, καὶ τὸ ἐτάρω γέγονεν); Etym. Gudianum, epsilon, p. 403 (Ἐθαίρω καὶ ἑταίρω· παρὰ τὸν ἐθαρῶ καὶ ἑταρῶ μέλλοντα οὐκ ἔχουσιν)
Bibliography
NB: the etymological notice in Beekes' EDG is contradictory about the relationship with ἔτης. On the one hand, ἑταῖρος shows no trace of initial ϝ, whereas ϝέτης does, but given the various reflexes of initial *sw- in Greek, this is not a very strong objection.
Comment
The etymology is given in order ti justify the exception to the rule according to which the word should be proparoxytone, ἕταιρος. This derivational etymology relies on the fact that companions are used to being together, hence the derivation from a word meaning "custom". It implies three formal manipulations (a change of the consonant, the addition of another consonant and a secondary initial aspiration). Choeroboscus gives the same etymon but a different derivation, and the intermediate step is, not an adjective *ἐθαῖος, but a verb *ἐθάρω. A variant starts from the verb ἔθω and not the noun ἔθος (Etym. Magnum).
The Homeric variant ἕταρος was explained by a syncope: Tryphon, Peri pathôn 1.25 (Ἔλλειψις δέ ἐστιν ἀποβολὴ φωνήεντος κατὰ τὸ μέσον οὐ ποιοῦντος συλλαβήν, οἷον ἀμνίον ἀντὶ τοῦ αἱμνίον (σημαίνει δὲ τὸ αἷμα δεχόμενον ἀγγεῖον), ἑταῖρος ἕταρος, ἀμύξαι ἀντὶ τοῦ αἱμύξαι, γεραόν ἀντὶ τοῦ γεραιόν), and many others. However, Herodian deemed it "more regular" than the usual ἑταῖρος: De prosodia catholica, Lentz III/1, p. 201 (τὸ μέντοι ἑταῖρος προπερισπᾶται. ἴσως οὖν ἀναλογώτερον τὸ «ἑτάρους τε» χωρὶς τοῦ ι λεγόμενον. πολλὰ γάρ ἐστι τοιαῦτα, μάρμαρος, βάρβαρος, τάλαρος, κύλλαρος, φλύαρος)