ἀμφί + εἰλέω
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Quotation
Ὀμφαλός, κυρίως ἐπὶ τοῦ ἡμετέρου σώματος τὸ μέσον· καὶ εἴρηται παρὰ τὸ ὀμπνεῖν, ὅ ἐστιν ἀναμπνεῖν, παρ’ ὃ καὶ ὄμπνος ὁ δημητριακὸς καρπός· τὸ δὲ βρέφος κατὰ γαστρὸς ὂν διὰ τοῦ ὀμφάλου ἀναπνεῖ καὶ τρέφεται· μεταφορικῶς καὶ ἐπὶ τοῦ ζυγοῦ καὶ ἐπὶ τῆς ἀσπίδος, καὶ ἐπὶ τῶν ἄλλων τὸ μέσον. ἄλλως· ὀμφαλὸς, οἱ μὲν παρὰ τὸ φάλλῳ ἐοικέναι, ὅ ἐστι μηρίον· ἐκκρεμὴς γάρ ἐστιν ἐν ἀρχῇ, πρὸ τῆς ἀποτομῆς· οἱ δὲ ἀπὸ τοῦ περὶ αὐτὸν εἱλεῖσθαι τὸ γεννώμενον· οἱ δὲ ἀπὸ τῆς ἐμβρύων ἐμφύσεως· οἱ δὲ οἷον ὀπλαλὸν καὶ ὀμπαλὸν, δι’ οὗ τοῖς ὁμμορίοις ἡ ὀμπνὴ ἐπιχορηγεῖται, τοῦτ’ ἔστιν ἡ τροφή· διὸ καὶ τὴν Δήμητραν τὸν τρόφον οὖσαν, κυρίως Ὀμπνεῖαν Αἰολεῖς ὀνομάζουσι· καταχρηστικῶς δὲ καὶ ἐπὶ τῆς ἀσπίδος, καὶ ἐπὶ τῶν ἄλλων τὸ μέσον, ἀπὸ μεταφορᾶς τοῦ ἡμετέρου σώματος
Translation (En)
Omphalos "navel". Properly speaking, it refers to the middle of the human body. And it gets its name from ompnein, which means "to breathe" (anapnein), from which comes also ompnos, Demeter's fruit. For the embryo in the womb breathes and is fed through the navel. By metaphor, it is also said for a yoke and a shield, and for the middle part of other objects. Otherwise: omphalos "navel", for some, because it is similar to a phallus, that is, the body part, since it hangs out from the body at the beginning, before it is cut. But others say it is thus called from the fact that the developing being is rolled (eileisthai) around it. Others yet, from the growth of the embryos. Others, as though it were a *oplalon and *ompalon, through which the ompnē, that is, the food, is driven to the body parts (?). This is why the Aeolians call Demeter, who is the food, Ompneia, in an appropriate manner. And by metaphor it is used for the middle part of a shield and other objects by metaphor from the human body
Parallels
Etym. Magnum, Kallierges, p. 625 (Ὀμφαλός: Κυρίως ἐπὶ τοῦ ἡμετέρου σώματος κατὰ τὸ μέσον· εἴρηται ἀπὸ τοῦ εἶναι εἰς τὸ ἐμπνεῖν. Παρὰ οὖν τὸ ἐμπνεῖν, ὅ ἐστιν ἀναπνεῖν, γίνεται ὀμπναλός· καὶ κατὰ ἀποβολὴν τοῦ ν, καὶ τροπῇ τοῦ π εἰς φ, ὀμφαλὸς, δι’ οὗ τὸ ἔμβρυον ἀναπνεῖ· τὸ γὰρ βρέφος, κατὰ γαστρὸς ὂν, περὶ αὐτὴν εἰλεῖται καὶ ἀναπνεῖ καὶ τρέφεται· ὅθεν καὶ τὴν Δήμητραν, τροφὸν οὖσαν, ὀμπνίαν ὀνομάζουσι Κυριανοὶ, (ὡς παρὰ Λυκόφρονι, ‘Καὶ κτῆσιν ἄλλην ὀμπνίαν κειμηλίων’) τὴν συντελοῦσαν πρὸς τὸ ζῆν, παρὰ τὸ πνέω· καὶ ὄμπνους, τοὺς Δημητριακοὺς καρπούς. Ἢ παρὰ τὸ φαλῷ ἐοικέναι· ἐκκρεμὴς γάρ ἐστιν ἐν ἀρχῇ πρὸ τῆς ἀποτομῆς. Εἴρηται δὲ μεταφορικῶς καὶ ἐπὶ ζυγοῦ καὶ ἀσπίδος, καὶ ἐπὶ ἄλλων τινῶν); Ps.-Zonaras, Lexicon, omicron, p. 1447 (Ὀμφαλός. κυρίως ἐπὶ τοῦ ἡμετέρου σώματος κατὰ τὸ μέσον εἴρηται. παρὰ τὸ ὀμπνεῖν, ὅ ἐστιν ἀναπνεῖν, γίνεται ὀμπναλὸς καὶ ὀμφαλὸς κατὰ τροπὴν τοῦ π εἰς φ, καὶ ἀποβολῇ τοῦ ν. ὀμφαλός ἐστι, δι’ οὗ τὸ ἔμβρυον ἀναπνεῖ· τὸ γὰρ βρέφος κατὰ γαστρὸς ὂν παρὰ αὐτὸν εἰλεῖται καὶ ἀναπνεῖ καὶ τρέφεται. ἢ παρὰ τὸ φαλῷ ἐοικέναι· ἐκκρεμὴς γάρ ἐστιν ἐν ἀρχῇ πρὸ τῆς ἀποτομῆς)
Comment
Compositional etymology, partly elliptic. The real etymon ἀμφὶ-εἰλέω is replaced by περὶ-εἰλέω, which shows that the compiler no longer understood the etymology — even worse in the Ps.-Zonaras where περί is hanged into παρά. The real etymology "is rolled around" refers to ὀμφαλός as the umbilical cord, not as the navel. The metonymy consisting in referring the predecessor of the navel instead of the navel is identical with that found in other etymologies (see ὀμφαλός / φάλλος). Form the formal point of view, the etymology requires a formal change of the initial vowel ἀμφ- > ὀμφ-, and another one in the verb εἰλέω to provide -αλ-.