ἀνθόλοψ
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Ancient Greek[edit]
Etymology[edit]
The origin is unknown. The word superficially resembles ᾰ̓́νθος (ánthos) + ὤψ (ṓps) and some older authorities suggested this as the etymology,[1] but there is reason to think it is instead a corruption of some other, possibly foreign, word.[2]
Pronunciation[edit]
- (5th BCE Attic) IPA(key): /an.tʰó.lops/
- (1st CE Egyptian) IPA(key): /anˈtʰo.lops/
- (4th CE Koine) IPA(key): /anˈθo.lops/
- (10th CE Byzantine) IPA(key): /anˈθo.lops/
- (15th CE Constantinopolitan) IPA(key): /anˈθo.lops/
Noun[edit]
ἀνθόλοψ • (anthólops) ? (indeclinable)
- antelope (a fierce legendary creature said to live on the banks of the Euphrates, having long serrated horns and being hard to catch)
- 2nd–4th centuries AD, Physiologus 3.1–4:[3]
- Ἔστι ζῶον, λεγόμενον ἀνθόλοψ (var. λυθίωψ). δριμύτατον ζῶον σφόδρα, ὥστε κυνηγὸν μὴ δύνασθαι αὐτᾠ ἐγγίζειν. ἔχει δὲ μακρὰ κέρατα, πρίονος μορφὴν, ὥστε πρίζειν τὰ μεγάλα δένδρα και μετέωρα.
- Ésti zôon, legómenon anthólops (var. luthíōps). drimútaton zôon sphódra, hṓste kunēgòn mḕ dúnasthai autōi engízein. ékhei dè makrà kérata, príonos morphḕn, hṓste prízein tà megála déndra kai metéōra.
- Translation by Gohar Muradyan
- There is an animal called antelope, an exceedingly alert animal; until the hunters are unable to approach it. It has long horns in the shape of a saw, so that it is able to saw very large and high trees.
- Ἔστι ζῶον, λεγόμενον ἀνθόλοψ (var. λυθίωψ). δριμύτατον ζῶον σφόδρα, ὥστε κυνηγὸν μὴ δύνασθαι αὐτᾠ ἐγγίζειν. ἔχει δὲ μακρὰ κέρατα, πρίονος μορφὴν, ὥστε πρίζειν τὰ μεγάλα δένδρα και μετέωρα.
Usage notes[edit]
In Greek and other ancient languages refers to a mythical creature, perhaps originally based on reports of the oryx.
Descendants[edit]
- Some of the descendants have mistakenly read αν- (an-) as αυ- (au-).
- → Classical Syriac: ܐܘܬܘܠܘܦܣ (/ˀwtwlwps/)
- → Medieval Latin: antalopus, anthalopus, antilops, authalopum, antaplon, aptalon, analopos
- → Old Armenian: աւթողոփոս (awtʻołopʻos)
- → Old Georgian: ავთოლოფოსი (avtoloposi)
References[edit]
- ^ James Stormonth, Etymological and pronouncing dictionary of the English language (1879), page 20: "(Gr. antholops— from anthos, beauty; ops, the eye), a beautiful creature, partly like a deer and partly like a goat."
- ^ Michel Desfayes, The Origin of English Names of European Birds and Mammals (2008), page 76: "The name antelope is borrowed from Middle Greek anthólops a fabulous animal described by Eustathius of Antioch who died in 337 (Webster). Given a Greek etymology, the word would mean “flower-shaped” a definition that certainly cannot apply to an animal. there is reason to believe that anthólops is a loan-word and a corruption of a foreign word."
- ^ Muradyan, Gohar (2005) Physiologus: The Greek and Armenian Versions with a Study of Translation Technique (Hebrew University Armenian Studies; 6)[1], Leuven – Paris – Dudley: Peeters, pages 91, 143
Further reading[edit]
- ἀνθόλοψ in Trapp, Erich, et al. (1994–2007) Lexikon zur byzantinischen Gräzität besonders des 9.-12. Jahrhunderts [the Lexicon of Byzantine Hellenism, Particularly the 9th–12th Centuries], Verlag der Österreichischen Akademie der Wissenschaften
- “antelope”, in OED Online
, Oxford, Oxfordshire: Oxford University Press, launched 2000.
Categories:
- Ancient Greek terms with unknown etymologies
- Ancient Greek compound terms
- Ancient Greek 3-syllable words
- Ancient Greek terms with IPA pronunciation
- Ancient Greek lemmas
- Ancient Greek proper nouns
- Ancient Greek paroxytone terms
- Ancient Greek unknown gender proper nouns
- Ancient Greek indeclinable proper nouns
- Ancient Greek unknown gender indeclinable proper nouns
- Ancient Greek terms with quotations
- grc:Mythological creatures