λα- + βαρύς

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Last modification

Thu, 08/05/2021 - 14:03

Word-form

λάβρος

Transliteration (Word)

labros

English translation (word)

violent, impetuous

Transliteration (Etymon)

la- + barus

English translation (etymon)

very + heavy

Author

Eustathius of Thessalonica

Century

12 AD

Source

Idem

Ref.

Commentarii ad Homeri Iliadem 1, 296

Ed.

M. van der Valk, Eustathii archiepiscopi Thessalonicensis commentarii ad Homeri Iliadem pertinentes, Leiden, 1971-1987

Quotation

Τὸ δὲ λάβρον οὐ σφαλερὸν μὲν, εἰ καὶ τῇ αυ διφθόγγῳ παραλήγεται παρὰ τὴν αὖραν. ἀρέσκει δὲ τοῖς ἀκριβεστέροις διὰ τοῦ βῆτα γράφεσθαι διὰ τὸ λίαν βαρύ. ἐπεὶ καὶ ζαχρηεῖς ἄνεμοι κατὰ τοιοῦτον σημαινόμενον λέγονται

Translation (En)

The word labros "violent" is not ambiguous if the diphthong [au] is in the penultimate syllable, from aura "breeze". But the most precise scholars say it must be written with [b] because it means "very heavy" (lian baru), since winds are also said zakhrēeis "violent" with the same meaning

Comment

Compositional etymology identifying the second element as βαρύς. This interpretation, implying a syncope of [a], is backed by the parallel of ζαχρηής understood "very agressive" (see Parallels), with another intensive prefix, both λαβρός and ζαχρηής being epithets of wind in Homer. The etymology is used in order to justify the spelling λάβρος against a competing spelling λαῦρος: the two fell together in Byzantine pronunciation.

Parallels

ibid., 1, 296 (Λάβρος δὲ ὁ λίαν βαρύς); ibid., 3, 773 Van der Valk (Λάβρον δὲ καὶ νῦν συνήθως διὰ τοῦ β τὸ λίαν βαρύ. [Οὕτω δὲ καὶ λάβρος ἄνεμος διὰ τοῦ β, ὡς λίαν βαρύνων, εἰ καί τινες ἐπιθυμοῦσι γράφειν αὐτὸν διὰ τῆς αυ διφθόγγου παρὰ τὴν αὔραν, καὶ ὁ λαβραγόρας δὲ διὰ τοῦ β, οὐχ’ ἧττον δὲ τούτων ὁ λάβραξ διὰ τὸ λίαν βορόν); ibid., 3, 868 (λάβρος μέντοι διὰ τοῦ β ὁ λίαν βορὸς ἢ βαρύς);  ibid., 4, 768 (Τὸ δὲ λαβρεύεσθαι καιρία λέξις ἐστί, δηλοῦσα τὸ λάβρως καὶ οὐ μετὰ σκέψεως λαλεῖν. ἢ καὶ ἄλλως εἰπεῖν, στωμύλλεσθαι καὶ τὸν ἀκούοντα λίαν βαρύνειν τῇ φράσει. ὅθεν καὶ λαβραγόρας ὁ ἐν τῷ ἀγορεύειν λάβρος); Scholia in Aeschylum, Prom. 1022 (scholia recentiora) (λάβρος] λίαν βαρὺς καὶ μάργος)

Modern etymology

Unclear (Beekes, EDG)

Persistence in Modern Greek

MG still has λάβρος as a learned word

Entry By

Le Feuvre