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Κόρχορος · blue pimpernel (κ 2133) · 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 κ2133

κ2129helmeted-man
κ2130lark
κ2131chorus-leader
κ2132is crested
κ2133blue pimpernel
κ2134Kossas, Cossas
κ2135-hundred
κ2136sieve-fashion, sieve-style
κ2137leather off-cut

Suda/Κ kappa/κ2133

← Previous entry,κ2132 Next entry,κ2134 →

Κόρχορος

blue pimpernel

Translated by Nick Nicholas5 Nov 2008Vetting: high4 revisions

botany
comedy
daily life
definition
ethics
food
+2
- proverbs
- zoology

3 notes · 52 words

Translation

A worthless wild herb.¹ Hence the proverb "and a blue pimpernel among herbs". ² Some render the korchoros as a certain fish, like the dolphin-fish,³ and as a cheap dish. But the proverb is spoken of the unworthy and base, who lay claim to an honour greater than what they are due.

Greek original · Adler’s text

Κόρχορος· ἄγριον λάχανον εὐτελές. διὸ καὶ ἡ παροιμία· καὶ κόρχορος ἐν λαχάνοις. ἔνιοι ἰχθὺν ποιὸν τὸν κόρχορον ἀποδιδόασιν, ὡς τὸν ἵππουρον, καὶ ὡς εὐτελὲς ἔδεσμα. λέγεται δὲ ἐπὶ τῶν ἀναξίων ἡ παροιμία καὶ ταπεινῶν, μεταποιουμένων δὲ τιμῆς ἢ καθ' ἑαυτοὺς μείζονος.

Betacode

*ko/rxoros: a)/grion la/xanon eu)tele/s. dio\ kai\ h( paroimi/a: kai\ ko/rxoros e)n laxa/nois. e)/nioi i)xqu\n poio\n to\n ko/rxoron a)podido/asin, w(s to\n i(/ppouron, kai\ w(s eu)tele\s e)/desma. le/getai de\ e)pi\ tw=n a)naci/wn h( paroimi/a kai\ tapeinw=n, metapoioume/nwn de\ timh=s h)\ kaq' e(autou\s mei/zonos.

Notes (3)

Same entry in Photius, Lexicon kappa996 Theodoridis; similar ones elsewhere (see Th.'s references, and notes below).
1Also glossed in Hesychius kappa3736 (s.v. ko/rxoron) as "a wild herb". We know this is the blue pimpernel through Dioscurides Pedanius, De Materia Medica 2.178, where it is used as an alternative name for a)nagalli\s h( kuanh=, Anagallis caerulea. ↩
2Zenobius 4.57, Diogenianus 5.36a (repeated in Apostolius 9.100); scholia on Aristophanes, Wasps 239a, 239b (web address 1); scholia on Nicander, Theriaca 626a; often in the variant ko/rkoros. Mangled in kappa 1404 as a reference to galleys (ke/rkouros).
LSJ s.v. ko/rxoros suggests the equivalent "a tailor among kings". Zenobius gives the wording used by the Suda: "the Peloponnesians call 'blue pimpernel' a certain wild herb, of the worthless sort; hence the proverb." Diogenianus actually explains it: "[proverb] concerning those who are worthless, but think of themselves as great. For the blue pimpernel is a kind of worthless plant." ↩
3Better known now as mahi-mahi: Coryphaena hippurus. This interpretation of the word comes from the scholia to Aristophanes, Wasps 239a (see above): "against Lycophron, who said the korkoros is a little fish; but he is deceived, as Eratosthenes says, for it a wild and worthless herb". The word is not present in our attested corpus of Lycophron. Hesychius (above) also glosses the word as "fat".

External resources

Web address 1 perseus.tufts.edu

Linked from1 entry

κ1404Κέρκουροςkerkouros, light galleyA kind of ship. Light galleys and light pirate craft and cock-boats [are] kinds of boats. And [there is] a proverb: "and a light galley [sc. belongs] among herbs". A herb [is] something wild, worthless, hence the…

Neighbouring entries

κ2131Κορυφαῖοςchorus-leader κ2132Κορυφοῦταιis crested κ2133Κόρχοροςblue pimpernel κ2134ΚόσσαςKossas, Cossas κ2135Κόσσια-hundred

Revision history4 revisions · last 2 May 2016

2 May 2016coding — David Whitehead
13 Mar 2013tweaking — David Whitehead
6 Nov 2008more keywords; tweaks and cosmetics — David Whitehead
6 Nov 2008cosmetics, link, more keywords — Catharine Roth
5 Nov 2008Translated — Nick Nicholas

Cite this entry

Suda On Line, s.v. Κόρχορος (Adler number kappa 2133), trans. Nick Nicholas, 5 Nov 2008. https://www.cs.uky.edu/~raphael/sol/sol-entries/kappa/2133

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 ↗