Unknown, Great Dictionary of Word Origins 498.7-15
https://caesarea-maritima.org/testimonia/483
Context
The Great Dictionary of Word Origins
(Etymologicum Magnum) was the result of a major lexicographical
project by a unknown grammarian of exceptional knowledge and skill around the mid-12th
century at Constantinople. As a manual to explore the linguistic ancestry of a wide
range of words, many recherché, the Dictionary both compiles information
from earlier reference works, such as those by Stephan of Byzantium and George
Choeroboscus, and adds new observations from the author’s own learning. This passage
investigates the rare καιροσέων, an Archaic Greek word appearing only in the feminine
genitive plural, which according to context meant “tightly woven.” The author notes the
words phonetic similarity to Καισάρεια.
Text
ΚΑΙΡΟΣΕΩΝ: Οἱ μὲν, τῶν κροσσωτῶν· οἱ δὲ, ἀπὸ τῶν καιρωμάτων· οὕτως δὲ
καλεῖται καίρως καὶ καίρωμα, ἡ παραπλοκὴ τοῦ στήμονος, ἡ διαπλεκομένη ὑπὲρ τοῦ μὴ
συγχεῖσθαι αὐτόν. Καὶ τὰς ἐρίθους καιρωστίδας εἶπε Καλλίμαχος, καὶ τὸ Δηλίων ὕφασμα,
ὑδάτινον (καίρωμα). Πᾶσα λέξις ἀπὸ τῆς ΚΕ συλλαβῆς ἀρχομένη διὰ τοῦ ε ψιλοῦ γράφεται,
πλὴν τοῦ καιρὸς καὶ καινὸς, Καῖσαρ, Καισαρεὺς, Καισάρεια.1
Textual Note
Ed. Gaisford 1848Corrigenda Note
Minor corr. (spacing, spelling)Translation
KAIROSEON: Some (say it comes) from krossoton
[“fringed garments”]; others from kairomaton [“woven garments”]. Thus
the interlacing of the warp of the loom, the interweaving to prevent it from becoming
tangled, is called kairos and kairoma. And
Callimachus talks about epithous kairostides [“the woman-servants who
weave”], and the textile of the Delians, the hydatinon (kairoma)
[“the watery-transparent garment”]. Every word beginning with the syllable KE is written
with the plain epsilon, except for kairos and
kainos, Kaisar, Kaisareus,
Kaisareia
.
Translation Note
Trans. J. L. RifeDiscussion Note
The phrases quoted from Callimachus are frr. 295 and 356.Works Cited
- 1 Unknown, Etymologicon magnum; seu verius, Lexicon saepissime vocabulorum origines indagans, ex pluribus lexicis, scholiastis et grammaticis anonymi cuiusdam opera, ed. Thomas Gaisford (Oxford: E Typographeo academico, 1848), p: 498, line: 7-15.
How to Cite This Entry
Joseph L. Rife, “Unknown, Great Dictionary of Word Origins 498.7-15,” in Caesarea Maritima: A Collection of Testimonia, entry published June 30, 2023, https://caesarea-maritima.org/testimonia/483.
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Bibliography:
Joseph L. Rife, “Unknown, Great Dictionary of Word Origins 498.7-15.” In Caesarea Maritima: A Collection of Testimonia, edited by Joseph L. Rife., edited by Joseph L. Rife. Caesarea City and Port Exploration Project, 2023. Entry published June 30, 2023. https://caesarea-maritima.org/testimonia/483.About this Entry
Entry Title: Unknown, Great Dictionary of Word Origins 498.7-15
Authorial and Editorial Responsibility:
- Joseph L. Rife, general editor, Vanderbilt University
- Joseph L. Rife, editor, Caesarea Maritima: A Collection of Testimonia
- David A. Michelson, Daniel L. Schwartz, and William L. Potter, technical editor, “Unknown, Great Dictionary of Word Origins 498.7-15”
- Joseph L. Rife, entry contributor, “Unknown, Great Dictionary of Word Origins 498.7-15”
Additional Credit:
- TEI record created by Joseph L. Rife
- Testimonium translated by Joseph L. Rife
- Testimonium transcribed by Joseph L. Rife
- Testimonium identified by Joseph L. Rife
- TEI record created by Joseph L. Rife
- Testimonium translated by Joseph L. Rife
- Testimonium transcribed by Joseph L. Rife
- Testimonium identified by Joseph L. Rife