ὀμφαλός
Word
Validation
Word-form
Word-lemma
Etymon-lemma
Transliteration (Word)
English translation (word)
Transliteration (Etymon)
English translation (etymon)
Century
Source
Ref.
Ed.
Quotation
Φάλος γάρ ἐστι μικρὸς ὀμφαλός, οὗ ἐκδεῖται ὁ λόφος. Οἱ δὲ περὶ Ἀπίωνα καὶ Ἡρόδωρον οὕτω φασί· φάλοι, ὀμφαλοὶ ἀσπίσι μικραῖς παραπλήσιοι, καὶ κεῖνται κατὰ τὸ μέτωπον, ὑπερέχοντες τῶν ὀφρύων, ἀποσκιάζοντες τὴν τοῦ ἡλίου αὐγήν
Translation (En)
The phalos "horn of the helmet" is a small umbo (omphalos) to which the crest is attached. But the school of Apion and Herodorus say that phaloi are small umbos (omphaloi), similar to small shields, and that they are situated on the forehead, above the brows, shading the eyes from the sunlight
Parallels
A and bT Schol. Il. 10.258b (ἄφαλον: ὁ φάλος ὀμφαλός ἐστι μικρὸς ἀσπίδι μικρᾷ παραπλήσιος. κεῖται δὲ κατὰ τὸ μέτωπον ὑπερέχων τῶν ὀφρύων, ἀποσκιάζων τὴν αὐγὴν τοῦ ἡλίου); Geneva Schol. Il. 10.258 (idem); T Schol. Il. 10.259 (φάλος δέ ἐστι μικρὸς ὀμφαλός, οὗ δεῖται ὁ λόφος); Scholia in Aeschylum (vetera), Sept. 384l (φάλος δέ ἐστι μικρὸς ὀμφαλὸς οὗ ἐκδεῖται ὁ λόφος· τινὲς δὲ φάλοι ὀμφαλοί φασιν ἀσπίσι μικραῖς παραπλήσιοι καὶ κεῖνται κατὰ τὸ μέτωπον ὑπερέχοντες τῶν ὀφρύων καὶ ἀποσκιάζοντες τὴν τοῦ ἡλίου αὐγήν)
Comment
Derivational etymology starting from the metaphorical meaning of ὀμφαλός "navel" as referring to the umbo, the circular protruding piece at the center of a shield. The loss of the initial syllable ὀμ- is assumed to be a pathos (a formal alteration without incidence on the meaning of the word). Apion's explanation differs from the usual understanding of the word by assuming a different function, namely, that this piece of the helmet is added in order to protect the eyes, and therefore is not situated on the top of the helmet but above the brows. However, both explanations derive φάλος from ὀμφαλός