ἔθος

Word

Validation

No

Last modification

Thu, 08/05/2021 - 14:03

Word-form

ἦθος

Word-lemma

LSJ

Etymon-lemma

LSJ

Transliteration (Word)

ēthos

English translation (word)

custom

Transliteration (Etymon)

ethos

English translation (etymon)

habit, custom

Author

Aristotle

Century

4 BC

Source

Idem

Ref.

Magna moralia 1.6.2.

Ed.

F. Susemihl, Aristotle (ed. G.C. Armstrong), vol. 18, Cambridge, Mass.: Harvard University Press, 1935 (repr. 1969)

Quotation

τὸ γὰρ ἦθος ἀπὸ τοῦ ἔθους ἔχει τὴν ἐπωνυμίαν· ἠθικὴ γὰρ καλεῖται διὰ τὸ ἐθίζεσθαι

Translation (En)

Because ēthos "custom" is named from ethos "habit". And ethics is thus called from the fact one is accustomed to doing something

Comment

Derivational etymology which establishes a relationship between two words phonetically and semantically close. It is correct by modern standards. The less frequent word, ἦθος, is derived from the more frequent one, ἔθος (which is not only more frequent but has also more derivatives, esp. ἐθίζω)

Parallels

Aristophanes Gram., fr. 14 (παρ’ ἐνίοις γάρ, φησί, τὰ ἔθη ἤθη λέγεται); Eustathius, Comm. Il. 2, 380 Van der Valk  (idem); Plutarch, De liberis educandis 2f (καὶ γὰρ τὸ ἦθος ἔθος ἐστὶ); Aspasius, In ethica Nicomachea commentaria, p. 37 (τὸ γὰρ ἔθος μικρὸν παρατρέψαντες ἦθος λέγομεν); Συναγωγὴ λέξεων χρησίμων ἐκ διαφόρων σοφῶν τε καὶ ῥητόρων πολλῶν (versio cod. B), alpha 463 (ὕστερον δὲ τὸ ε εἰς τὸ η ἐξετάθη, ὥσπερ καὶ τὸ ἔθος εἰς ἦθος); Photius, Lexicon, alpha 471 (idem); Lexica segueriana, alpha, p. 39 (idem); Etym. Gudianum, eta, p. 238 (Ἦθος, σημαίνει τὸν τρόπον. γίνεται παρὰ τὸ ἔθος, κατ’ ἔκτασιν τοῦ ε εἰς η. ἢ ἀπὸ τοῦ ἵημι ἥσω. ἥσω γὰρ ἐγὼ ἀφ’ οὗ καὶ αἱ κατὰ μέρος ἐκπέμπονται πράξεις) Etym. Magnum, Kallierges, p. 422 (Ἦθος: Ὁ τρόπος· παρὰ τὸ ἔθος, ἦθος, κατ’ ἔκτασιν τοῦ ε· καὶ τὸ ἠθεῖος τινὲς ἐπὶ τοῦ συνήθους λαμβάνουσιν, ἵν’ ᾖ ἐθεῖος. Ἢ παρὰ τὸ ἵημι, τὸ πέμπω· ‘ Ἥσω γὰρ καὶ ἐγὼ’, Ἰλιάδος ρʹ, ἀντὶ τοῦ ἀκοντίσω, πέμψω. Ἵημι οὖν, ἥσω, ἦθος· ἀφ’ οὗ καὶ αἱ κατὰ μέρος ἐκπέμπονται πράξεις); Ps.-Zonaras, Lexicon, eta, p.  981 (Ἦθος. τὸ ἐν ψυχῇ χρονίσαν ἔθος, ἢ τὸ παρ’ ἄλλων ἰδικῶς ἀνθρώπῳ σχηματιζόμενον. παρὰ τὸ ἔθος ἦθος κατ’ ἔκτασιν. ἢ παρὰ τὸ ἵημι, ἥσω, ἀφ’ οὗ αἱ κατὰ μέρος ἐκπέμπονται πράξεις); Anonymous, In Ethica Nicomachea ii-iv commentaria p. 122 (ἀπὸ γὰρ τοῦ ἔθους τὸ ἦθος ὠνόμασται καὶ αἱ ἠθικαὶ ἀρεταὶ ἐθικαὶ καλοῦνται); Scholia in Platonem, Gorg. 484d bis (ἤθη τὰ ἐν ἔθει κείμενά φησιν).

The etymology is implicit in Theodoretus, De providentia orationes decem, MPG 83, p. 673 (Ἀλλὰ τὰ μὲν ἤθη τὰ ἔθη ποιεῖ, καὶ τὸ τῆς ψυχῆς αὐτεξούσιον)

Modern etymology

Ἦθος and ἔθος are two words resulting from the splitting of a same PIE paradigm. Root *swedh- "custom, character". Related within Greek to εἴωθα. Cognate with Lat. suēscō "to become accustomed to" (Beekes, EDG)

Persistence in Modern Greek

Yes, as a learned word

Entry By

Le Feuvre
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