δύω

Word

Validation

No

Last modification

Fri, 04/05/2024 - 22:55

Word-form

δύη

Transliteration (Word)

duē

English translation (word)

misery, hardship

Transliteration (Etymon)

duō

English translation (etymon)

to dive

Author

Apion

Century

1 AD

Source

Apollonius Soph.

Ref.

Lexicon homericum, p. 60

Ed.

I. Bekker, Apollonii Sophistae lexicon Homericum, Berlin: Reimer, 1833 (repr. Hildesheim: Olms, 1967)

Quotation

δύη κακοπάθεια· “ἦ γάρ με δύη ἔχει πολλή.” ὁ δὲ Ἀπίων κάκωσις, ἀπὸ τοῦ εἰσδύνειν τὰ κακά.

Translation (En)

Duē "misery", suffering. ‘ē gar me duē ekhei pollē’ "for I am prey to a cruel misery". But Apion says it means "damage", from eisdunein "to dive into" hardship.

Comment

Derivational etymology, the most obvious one from the formal point of view, as it does not require any formal change. δύη "misery" comes from δύω / δύνω "to dive into". The semantic relationship is rather shaky, though.

Parallels

Eustathius, Comm. Od., vol. 2, p. 165 (τοιοῦτον γὰρ ἡ δύη, γινομένη κατὰ μὲν Πλούταρχον ἀπὸ τοῦ δύο ἀριθμοῦ, ἐπεὶ δυάζει, πῶς τὴν στοιχειακὴν καθ’ ὑγείαν ἑνότητα τὸ κακοπαθὲς καὶ διαλύει τὴν ἕνωσιν διὰ τῆς φθορᾶς, ἄλλως δὲ κοινῶς παρὰ τὸ δύω ῥῆμα· ἐξ οὗ καὶ ἡ ὀδύνη, δύη τις οὖσα φύσει καὶ αὐτὴ κατὰ τὸ ἀπλεόναστον, εἰ καὶ ἄλλως ἐκ τοῦ δύω κατὰ πλεονασμὸν γίνεται δύνη καὶ ὀδύνη ἡ κατὰ βάθος δύνουσα)

Modern etymology

The connection with δαίω "to burn" (Beekes, EDG) is probably incorrect. See Le Feuvre (forthcoming)

Persistence in Modern Greek

No

Entry By

Le Feuvre