Socrates: The word seems to forestall his recent discovery, that the moon receives her light from the sun.
Hermogenes: Why do you say so?
Socrates: The two words σέλας (brightness) and φῶς (light) have much the same meaning?
Hermogenes: Yes.
Socrates: This light about the moon is always new (νέον) and always old (ἔνον), if the disciples of Anaxagoras say truly. For the sun in his revolution always adds new light, and there is the old light of the previous month.
Hermogenes: Very true.
Socrates: The moon is not unfrequently called σελανὰία.
Hermogenes: True.
Socrates: And as she has a light which is always old and always new (ἔνον νέον ἀεὶ) she may very properly have the name σελαενονεοάεια; and this when hammered into shape becomes σελανὰία.
Hermogenes: A real dithyrambic sort of name that, Socrates. But what do you say of the month and the stars?
Socrates: Μεὶς (month) is called from μειοῦσθαι (to lessen), because suffering diminution; the name of ἄστρα (stars) seems to be derived from ἀστραπὴ, which is an improvement on ἀναστρωπὴ, signifying the upsetting of the eyes (ἀναστρέφειν ὧπα).
Hermogenes: What do you say of πῦρ (fire) and ὕδωρ (water)?
Socrates: I am at a loss how to explain πῦρ; either the muse of Euthyphro has deserted me, or there is some very great difficulty in the word. Please, however, to note the contrivance which I adopt whenever I am in a difficulty of this sort.
Hermogenes: What is it?
Socrates: I will tell you; but I should like to know first whether you can tell me what is the meaning of the πῦρ?
Hermogenes: Indeed I cannot.
Socrates: Shall I tell you what I suspect to be the true explanation of this and several other words?—My belief is that they are of foreign origin. For the Hellenes, especially those who were under the dominion of the barbarians, often borrowed from them.
Hermogenes: What is the inference?
Socrates: Why, you know that anyone who seeks to demonstrate the fitness of these names according to the Hellenic language, and not according to the language from which the words are derived, is rather likely to be at fault.
Hermogenes: Yes, certainly.
Socrates: Well then, consider whether this πῦρ is not foreign; for the word is not easily brought into relation with the Hellenic tongue, and the Phrygians may be observed to have the same word slightly changed, just as they have ὕδωρ (water) and κύνες (dogs), and many other words.
Hermogenes: That is true.
Socrates: Any violent interpretations of the words should be avoided; for something to say about them may easily be found. And thus I get rid of πῦρ and ὕδωρ. Ἀὴρ (air), Hermogenes, may be explained as the element which raises (αἴρει) things from the earth, or as ever flowing (ἀεὶ ῥεῖ), or because the flux of the air is wind, and the poets call the winds “air-blasts,” (ἀῆται); he who uses the term may mean, so to speak, air-flux (ἀητόρρουν), in the sense of wind-flux (πνευματόρρουν); and because this moving wind may be expressed by either term he employs the word air (ἀὴρ = ἀήτης ῥέω). Αἰθὴρ (aether) I should interpret as ἀειθεήρ; this may be correctly said, because this element is always running in a flux about the air (ἀεὶ θεῖ περὶ τὸν ἀέρα ῥέων). The meaning of the word γῆ (earth) comes out better when in the form of γαῖα, for the earth may be truly called “mother” (γαῖα, γεννήτειρα), as in the language of Homer (Odyssey IX 118; XIII 160) γεγάασι means γεγεννῆσθαι.
Hermogenes: Good.
Socrates: What shall we take next?