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Κιβδηλία · adulteration, dishonesty (κ 1573) · Suda

Letters

Α Β Γ Δ Ε Ζ Η Θ Ι Κ Λ Μ Ν Ξ Ο Π Ρ Σ Τ Υ Φ Χ Ψ Ω

Near κ1573

κ1569kephon
κ1570kechos
κ1571Kianoi, Kianans, Cianans
κ1572kibalos
κ1573adulteration, dishonesty
κ1574looking like adulterated [gold], looking jaundiced
κ1575counterfeit, adulterated
κ1576bag, pouch, wallet
κ1577kibos

Suda/Κ kappa/κ1573

← Previous entry,κ1572 Next entry,κ1574 →

Κιβδηλία

adulteration, dishonesty

Translated by Nick Nicholas19 Nov 2008Vetting: high5 revisions

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3 notes · 41 words

Translation

[Meaning] paring(s) from money/silver. That is, wickedness and envy. But at the same time because coins are debased¹ -- from what is handed over by [the] Kians.² Aristophanes in Birds [writes]: "you have taken away much of the dishonesty of life."³

Greek original · Adler’s text

Κιβδηλία· ὁ ἐκ τοῦ ἀργύρου ῥύπος. τουτέστι μοχθηρία καὶ ζηλοτυπία. ἅμα δὲ ὅτι τὰ νομίσματα κιβδηλεύεται, παρὰ τὸ ὑπὸ Κίοις δεδομένον. Ἀριστοφάνης Ὄρνισι· πολλὴν ἀφεῖλες τοῦ βίου κιβδηλίαν.

Betacode

*kibdhli/a: o( e)k tou= a)rgu/rou r(u/pos. toute/sti moxqhri/a kai\ zhlotupi/a. a(/ma de\ o(/ti ta\ nomi/smata kibdhleu/etai, para\ to\ u(po\  *ki/ois dedome/non. *)aristofa/nhs *)/ornisi: pollh\n a)fei=les tou= bi/ou kibdhli/an.

Notes (3)

The gloss is taken from the scholia to Aristophanes, Birds 158; see further below.
cf. generally kappa 1574, kappa 1575.
1The senses are all connected: debasing coinage can involve shaving off some of its silver content; debasing coinage is in turn the action of someone wicked (though not obviously envious) --- hence the metaphorical use of the term in Aristophanes, noted below. ↩
2A distortion of the folk etymology given in the scholia to Birds: "but also [note] that coins are called adulterated (ki/bdhla), because they are manifested by [the] Chians (*xi/wn dedhlh=sqai)". (sic, i.e. the Suda gets the geography as well as the verb wrong.) The scholia and several other sources, claiming a folk etymology for ki/bdhla as xi/bdhla, allude to an incident of either Chians disfiguring Athenian coins to invalidate them, or vice versa (Tzetzes' scholia on Aristophanes, Frogs 721; scholia on Gregory of Nazianzus, Against Julian PG 36.1212d; Etymologicum Magnum s.v. ki/bdhlon). See discussion in Figueira (1998:161-163). Chios was allied with Athens, and the anecdote is hard to situate, but Figuera finds it of interest as it suggests that currency from Chios was accepted as valid in Athens (and could only be invalidated if it was already valid). Also alluded to in kappa 1575. ↩
3Aristophanes, Birds 158 --- by mentioning the fact that Cloudcuckooland has no money.

References

Figueira, Thomas J. 1998. The Power of Money: Coinage and Politics in the Athenian Empire. U. Pennsylvania Press.

Linked from2 entries

κ1237Κεκιβδήλευταιis adulterated, has been adulterated[Meaning he/she/it] is discredited, judged unfavourably, rejected after scrutiny, corrupted.
κ1575Κίβδηλονcounterfeit, adulteratedThis is what they used to call a coin that is base or invalid, and forged. In the eleventh [book] of Laws [sc. Plato writes]: "let the slave take away for himself the counterfeit article." And the Pisidian [writes]: "in…

Neighbouring entries

κ1571ΚιανοίKianoi, Kianans, Cianans κ1572Κίβαλοςkibalos κ1573Κιβδηλίαadulteration, dishonesty κ1574Κιβδηλιῶντεςlooking like adulterated [gold], looking jaundiced κ1575Κίβδηλονcounterfeit, adulterated

Revision history5 revisions · last 1 May 2016

1 May 2016more keywords — David Whitehead
22 Feb 2013tweaks and cosmetics — David Whitehead
19 Nov 2008more typos, found by NN — Catharine Roth
19 Nov 2008typo — Catharine Roth
19 Nov 2008more keywords; tweaks and cosmetics — David Whitehead
19 Nov 2008Translated — Nick Nicholas

Cite this entry

Suda On Line, s.v. Κιβδηλία (Adler number kappa 1573), trans. Nick Nicholas, 19 Nov 2008. https://www.cs.uky.edu/~raphael/sol/sol-entries/kappa/1573

Translation by Nick Nicholas for Suda On Line, revised by David Whitehead, Catharine Roth, licensed CC BY-NC-SA 4.0. Shown unchanged, under the same licence, non-commercially. Original on SOL ↗