ἵημι

Validation

No

Last modification

Thu, 08/05/2021 - 14:03

Word-form

ἦθος

Transliteration (Word)

ēthos

English translation (word)

custom

Transliteration (Etymon)

hiēmi

English translation (etymon)

to throw

Author

Etym. Gudianum

Century

11 AD

Source

Idem

Ref.

Etym. Gudianum, eta, p. 238

Ed.

F.W. Sturz, Etymologicum Graecae linguae Gudianum et alia grammaticorum scripta e codicibus manuscriptis nunc primum edita, Leipzig: Weigel, 1818

Quotation

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

Translation (En)

ēthos means "custom, habit". It comes from ethos "habit", by lengthening of the [e] into [ē]. Or from hiēmi "to throw", <future> hēsō, ‘and I will throw (hēsō) myself’ (Il. 17.515), from which the individual actions are sent forth 

Comment

Derivational etymology starting from the future of the verb "to throw": the future provides only the initial vowel. The semantic justification is that custom produces the individual acts: custom is seen as an active force within man

Parallels

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)

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