Δελφίς. Un'ipotesi sul significato originario

Autori

  • Andrea Nuti

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.13130/1972-9901/10279

Abstract

The current etymology of δελφίς connects it to δελφύς ‘womb; uterus’ and ἀδελφός ‘(co-uterinus) brother’, thus interpreting this name as ‘(sea animal) provided with a uterus’. The characterization of the dolphin as a sea-mammal, however, appears to belong to a scientific classification that emerges relatively late, with Aristotle. In the light of a wide series of comparanda among many IE languages (Old Irish, Latin, Germanic, Sanskrit etc.), I argue that the primary meaning of the IE root involved (*gʷelbh-) was ‘lip’ and that this denomination of the dolphin originally referred to its “long-lipped” snout (likewise several names of the swine, e.g. δέλφαξ), which coherently fits in with the frame of archaic, and also IE, folk-taxonomies.

 

KEYWORDS: Greek, dolphin, etymology, meaning, folk-taxonomy

Dowloads

Pubblicato

2018-07-04

Fascicolo

Sezione

Articoli