ὄψομαι

Word

Validation

No

Last modification

Thu, 08/05/2021 - 14:03

Word-form

ὕψος

Word-lemma

LSJ

Etymon-lemma

LSJ

Transliteration (Word)

hupsos

English translation (word)

height

Transliteration (Etymon)

opsomai

English translation (etymon)

I will see

Author

Herodian

Century

2 AD

Reference

De Prosodia catholica, Lentz III/1, p. 393

Edition

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

Source

Theognostus

Ref.

Canones sive De orthographia 111

Ed.

J.A. Cramer, Anecdota Graeca e codd. manuscriptis bibliothecarum Oxoniensium, vol. 2, Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1835 (repr. Amsterdam: Hakkert, 1963)

Quotation

(Theognostus) Πρὸ τοῦ ζ, ἢ ξ, ἢ ψ τὸ υ ψιλὸν κατ’ ἀρχὴν λέξεως οὐχ εὕρηται, εἰ μὴ ἐν τῷ ὕψος· γεγονέναι δὲ καὶ αὐτὸ φασὶν παρὰ τὸ ὄπτω τὸ βλέπω, ὄψω ὄψος, καὶ τροπῇ Αἰολικῇ ὕψος· οὕτως Ἡρωδιανὸς ἐν τῷ περὶ πνευμάτων

Translation (En)

Before [z] or [x] or [ps] the upsilon is not found at the beginning of a word except in hupsos "height". They say it comes from *optō "to see", opsō, *opsos, and through Aeolic change hupsos. This is what Herodian says in the Peri pneumatôn

Comment

Derivational etymology starting from the future ὄψομαι (here a ghost present ὄπτω is given as the etymon), which provides the [ps]. The height is what is visible and conspicuous. Herodian explains the change of [o] in the etymon to [u] in the lemma by a dialectal feature, specific to Aeolic. As a matter of fact, a few words with [o] in Ionic-Attic show up with [u] in Lesbian, some are quoted as parallels by the Epimerismi homerici (see Parallels): this is never the case for an initial [o], but never mind. The fact that Ionic-Attic and koine Greek also have ὕψος was not a problem for Herodian: this implies that the "common" language can have words coming from different dialects

Parallels

Herodian, Peri pathôn, Lentz III/2, p. 636 (παρὰ τὸ ὄψομαι ἐξέπιπτε ῥηματικὸν ὄψος καὶ κατὰ μεταβολὴν τοῦ ο εἰς τὸ υ ὕψος, ἔνθεν ἔστιν ἰδεῖν πάντα· τὸ δὲ υ πρὸ τοῦ διπλοῦ οὐδέποτε εὑρίσκεται, εἰ μὴ μόνον ἐν τῷ ὕψος); Orion, Etymologicum, upsilon, p. 158 (Ὕψος. παρὰ τὸ ὄπτω τὸ βλέπω ὄψος, καὶ τροπῇ τοῦ ο εἰς υ, ὕψος. ἀφ’ οὗ ἐστὶ τὸ ὁρᾶν πάντα); Orion, Etymologicum (excerpta e cod. Darmstadino 2773), p. 616 (ὕψος, περὶ τὸ ὄπτω τὸ βλέπω, ὄψω, ὄψος καὶ ὕψος); Choeroboscus, Epimerismi in Psalmos, p. 99 (Ἐκ τοῦ ὕψος, τοῦτο παρὰ τὸ ὄπτω, τὸ βλέπω, ὁ μέλλων, ὄψω ὄψος καὶ ὕψος); Epimerismi homerici ordine alphabetico traditi, upsilon 31 (ὄψω ὄψος καὶ ὕψος κατὰ μεταβολὴν τοῦ ο εἰς τὸ υ Αἰολικῶς, ὡς ἀσσότερος ἐπασσότερος καὶ ἐπασσύτεραι (Δ 427) καὶ ‘ἐν νεκύων ἀγύρει” (Π 661) καὶ μόγις μύγις καὶ ὄνομα ὄνυμα); Etym. Magnum, Kallierges, p. 786 (Ὕψος: Παρὰ τὸ ὄπτω, τὸ βλέπω, ὄψος· καὶ τροπῇ ὕψος· ἀφ’ οὗ ἐστιν ὁρᾶν); Ps.-Zonaras, Lexicon, upsilon, p. 1792 (idem)

Modern etymology

Derivative belonging with ὕψι "up, above", ὑψηλός "high", ὕπατος "highest" and with ὑπό "under". Cognate with Ved. úpa "near", Lat. sub(s) "under" (Beekes, EDG)

Persistence in Modern Greek

Yes, as a learned word

Entry By

Le Feuvre
View PDF