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Ancient and Medieval Greek Etymologies

ἑταῖρος

Word

ἑταῖρος

Validation

No

Last modification

Thu, 08/05/2021 - 14:03

Word-form

ἑταῖρον

Word-lemma

LSJ

Etymon-lemma

LSJ

Transliteration (Word)

hetairos

English translation (word)

comrade, companion

Transliteration (Etymon)

heteros

English translation (etymon)

other

Author

Plutarch

Century

1-2 AD

Source

Idem

Ref.

De amicorum multitudine 93e

Ed.

G.N. Bernardakis, Plutarch. Moralia. Leipzig, Teubner, 1889 (2)

Quotation

καὶ τὸ ἄλλον αὑτὸν ἡγεῖσθαι τὸν φίλον καὶ προσαγορεύειν ἑταῖρον ὡς ἕτερον, οὐδέν ἐστιν ἢ μέτρῳ φιλίας τῇ δυάδι χρωμένων. οὔτε γὰρ δούλους οὔτε φίλους ἔστι κτήσασθαι πολλοὺς ἀπ’ ὀλίγου νομίσματος

Translation (En)

and that we usually esteem a friend another self, and call him hetairos "companion" as much as to say heteros "the other one", is a convincing argument that the number two is the adequate and complete measure of friendship (transl. Goodwin)

Comment

Derivational etymology playing on the near-homophony between ἑταῖρος and ἕτερος after the monopthongization of the diphthong [a] into [ε] (the two words remained nevertheless distinct because of stress position). The companion is another self.

Parallels

Clemens of Alexandria, Stromata 2.9.41.2 (ὁ δὲ ἑταῖρος ἕτερος ἐγώ)

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.