ἄλη + ζῶ
Word
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Word-lemma
Transliteration (Word)
English translation (word)
Transliteration (Etymon)
English translation (etymon)
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Ed.
Quotation
ἀλαζόνες· εἴρηται παρὰ τὸ ἀπὸ ἄλης ζῆν. ἄλη δὲ ἡ πλάνη. καὶ ἀλήτην τὸν πλανήτην. λέγονται δ’ οὕτω καὶ οἱ ψεῦσται.
Translation (En)
Alazones "braggarts", from the fact they make their living from wandering. Alē means "wandering", and alētēs is the wanderer. And liars, too, are thus called.
Parallels
Suetonius Tranquillus, Περὶ βλασφμιῶν 5 (Ἀλαζὼν ὠνομάσθη παρὰ τὸ ἀλώμενος ζῆν· τάσσεται δὲ κἀπὶ τῶν ὁπωσοῦν αὐχούντων περὶ ἑαυτῶν); Aelius Dionysius, Ἀττικὰ ὀνόματα, alpha 72 (ἀλαζών· κυρίως ὁ ἀπὸ ἄλης ζῶν καὶ ἀγύρτης, μεταφορικῶς δὲ ὁ ψεύστης καὶ κομπαστής. οὕτω Κρατῖνος); Hesychius, Lexicon, alpha 2731 (ἀλαζών· *ὑπερήφανος (Hab. 2,5) vgAn. ψεύστης A ἢ ἀπὸ ἄλης ζῶν); Etym. Genuinum, alpha 391 (Ἀλαζών· ὁ ἀπατεὼν † ἢ κομπαστής, ὁ ἐν ἄλῃ καὶ πλάνῃ ζῶν. ἢ ὁ ἐκ τοῦ ἀλᾶν ζῶν οὐκ ἐξ ἐπιτηδεύματος, ἀλλ’ ἀπὸ ἀπάτης); Suda, alpha 1057 (Ἀλαζών: πλάνος, ὑπερήφανος, ψευδής. παρὰ τὸ ἐν ἄλῃ ζῆν); Eustathius, Comm. Od., vol. 2, p. 101 (κεῖται γὰρ ἐν ῥητορικῷ λεξικῷ, ὅτι ἀλαζὼν κυρίως ὁ ἀπὸ ἄλης ζῶν καὶ ἀγύρτης, ἁπλῶς δὲ ὁ φέναξ); ibid., p. 260 (τοιοῦτος εἴη ἂν καὶ ἀλαζὼν κατὰ παλαιὰν παράδοσιν διὰ τὸ ἀλώμενος ζῆν ἐν τῷ μάτην αὐχεῖν· ἤδη δὲ καὶ βάβαξ καὶ βαβάκτης); Etym. Magnum, Kallierges, p. 55 (Ἀλαζών: Ὁ ἀπατεὼν καὶ κομπαστὴς, ὁ ἐν ἄλῃ καὶ πλάνῃ καὶ ἐκ τοῦ περιϊέναι ζῶν, οὐκ ἐξ ἐπιτηδεύματος, ἀλλ’ ἀπὸ ἀπάτης, ὁ ἐπὶ πλέον τὰ ἑαυτοῦ κομπάζων, ἐναντίως τῷ εἴρωνι); Ps.-Zonaras, Lexicon, alpha, p. 117 ( Ἀλαζών. ὁ ἀπατεὼν, ἢ κομπαστής· παρὰ τὸ ἐν ἄλῃ καὶ πλάνῃ ζῇν. ἢ ὁ ἐκ τοῦ ἀλᾷν ζῶν, οὐκ ἐξ ἐπιτηδευμάτων, ἀλλ’ ἐξ ἀπάτης); Schol. Aristophanem, Nub. 102c (Tzetzes) (ἀλαζὼν λέγεται ὁ ἄλῃ καὶ πλάνῃ ζῶν καὶ βίῳ ἀστάτῳ); ibid., 102f (ἀλαζόνας] τοὺς ἐν ἄλῃ καὶ πλάνῃ ζῶντας); ibid. 439a (ἀλαζών: ἄλῃ καὶ πλάνῃ ζῶν καὶ μηδὲν ὀρθὸν ἔχων βίῳ)
Comment
Compositional etymology. The last syllable is derived from ζῶ "to live", and is formally identical with the participle of the latter. It must be understood here as "to make a living". The first syllable is then derived from a formally close word. The structure of the compound is Adv-V, with the first member equivalent to an adverbial adjunct. NB: this etymology is assumed by the LSJ to reflect the original meaning of the word, which is erroneous