κυέω
Word
Validation
No
Word-form
κυάμους
Word-lemma
Etymon-lemma
Transliteration (Word)
kuamos
English translation (word)
bean
Transliteration (Etymon)
kueō
English translation (etymon)
to conceive
Century
6 BC
Source
Plutarchus
Ref.
Quaestiones convivales 635 e-f
Ed.
C. Hubert, Plutarchi moralia, vol. 4, Leipzig: Teubner, 1938 (repr. 1971)
Parallels
Empedocles, fr. 141, ap. Gellius IV.11.9 (quia in Empedocli carmine qui disciplinas Pythagorae secutus est, versus hic invenitur ‘δειλοί ... ἔχεσθαι’. 10. opinati enim sunt plerique κυάμους legumentum dici ut a vulgo dicitur. sed qui diligentius scitiusque carmina Empedocli arbitrati sunt, κυάμους hoc in loco testiculos significare dicunt eosque more Pythagorae operte atque symbolice κυάμους appellatos, quod sint αἴτιοι τοῦ κυεῖν et geniturae humanae vim praebeant; idcircoque Empedoclen versu isto non a fabulo edendo, sed a rei veneriae proluvio voluisse homines deducere)
Modern etymology
Probably a loanword (Beekes, EDG)
Persistence in Modern Greek
MG has lost the word but still has the learned derivatives κυαμισμός, κυάμωση, referring to a hemolytic disease caused among others by the consumption of beans
Entry By
Le Feuvre
Comment
Derivational etymology, relying on a metaphor using "bean" for "egg" because of the similar shape. Empedocles is said to have used the same metaphor of "beans" to refer to the testicles, making the etymology more obvious since the latter are semantically related to the notion of conception (see Parallels). The interesting point, however, is that κυέω never refers to the male but only to the female, as it means "to be pregnant"