ἄρδω

Validation

No

Last modification

Thu, 08/05/2021 - 14:03

Word-form

ἄλσος

Transliteration (Word)

alsos

English translation (word)

(sacred) grove

Transliteration (Etymon)

ardō

English translation (etymon)

to water, to irrigate

Author

Etym. Genuinum

Century

9 AD

Source

Idem

Ref.

Etym. Genuinum, alpha 537

Ed.

F. Lasserre and N. Livadaras, Etymologicum magnum genuinum. Symeonis etymologicum una cum magna grammatica. Etymologicum magnum auctum, vol. 1, Rome: Ateneo, 1976

Quotation

Ἄλσος· τὸ σύμφυτον χωρίον· παρὰ τὸ ἄλδω ἄλσω ἄλσος. ἢ ἀπὸ τοῦ ἄρδω, ὁ μέλλων ἄρσω, ἐξ αὐτοῦ ἄλσος. […] ἢ παρὰ τὸ ἄλλω τὸ ἀλλόμενον, ἄλλος καὶ διὰ τὴν συνέμπτωσιν τὴν πρὸς τὸ ἄλλος γίνεται ἄλσος κατὰ τροπὴν τοῦ λ εἰς σ. Μεθόδιος.

Translation (En)

Alsos "wooded place". From *aldō "to nourish", <future> alsō, alsos. Or from ardō "to irrigate", future arsō, and from it alsos. O from *hallō "to leap", the leaping one, *allos, and because of the confusion with allos "other", it becomes alsos by change of the [l] into [s]. Thus Methodius.

Comment

Derivational etymology starting from the future of the verb, which provides the [s], and implying one formal manipulation, the change of [r] into [l]: the latter can rely on cases of liquid dissimilation identified by Greek grammarians, from where they extrapolated a similar change also in cases where there was only one liquid consonant in the word. The etymon is the cause (to irrigate).

Parallels

Etym. Magnum, Kallierges, p. 70 (Ἄλσος: Τὸ σύμφυτον χωρίον. Παρὰ τὸ ἄλδω ἄλσω ἄλσος. Ἢ ἀπὸ τοῦ ἄρδω, ὁ μέλλων, ἄρσω, καὶ ἐξ αὐτοῦ ἄλσος. Ἢ παρὰ τὸ ἄλλω τὸ ἀλλόμενον, ἄλλος· καὶ διὰ τὴν συνέμπτωσιν τὴν πρὸς τὸ ἄλλος γίνεται ἄλσος, κατὰ τροπὴν τοῦ λ εἰς σ, τὸ τέμενος); Etym. Symeonis, vol. 1, p. 334 (ἄλσος· παρὰ τὸ ἄλδω, <τὸ αὔξω,> ἄλσω ἄλσος. ἢ παρὰ τὸ ἄρδω, ὁ μέλλων ἄρσω, ἐξ αὐτοῦ ἄλσος. ἄλδω δέ, τὸ αὐξάνω, <ἀφ’ οὗ> παράγωγον ἀλδαίνω, ὡς <αὔξω> αὐξάνω, καὶ ὡς ἀπὸ περισπωμένου ἀλδήσω καὶ ἀλδήσκω. ἢ παρὰ τὸ ἄλλω τὸ ἀλλόμενον, ἄλλος, καὶ διὰ τὴν συνέμπτωσιν γίνεται ἄλσος); Ps.-Zonaras, Lexicon, alpha, p. 133 (Ἄλσος. δάσος, σύνδενδρος τόπος. παρὰ τὸ ἄλδω, ἄλσω, ἄλσος· ἢ παρὰ τὸ [ἄρδω, ὁ μέλλων ἄρσω, καὶ ἐξ αὐτοῦ ἄλσος.])

Modern etymology

Unknown (Beekes, EDG)

Persistence in Modern Greek

'Αλσος is still used in Modern Greek to designate the 'small (especially artificial) forest near the center of a city'. There also is the diminutive "αλσύλλιο".

Entry By

Le Feuvre