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"[Greek: Aiôn]," ITS DERIVATION.
As the old postulate respecting the etymology of this important word, from
[Greek: aeiôn], however superficial, is too attractive to be surrendered,
even in the present day, by some respectable authorities, the judgment of
your classical correspondents is requested, as to the accuracy of the more
philosophical origin of the term which has been adopted by commentators of
unquestionable erudition and undisputed eminence.
The rule by which those distinguished scholars, Lennep and Scheidius,
determine the etymology of [Greek: Aiôn], is as follows:
"Nomina in [Greek: ôn] desinentia, formata ab aliis nominibus,
_collectiva_ sunt, sive _copiam_ earum rerum, quæ _primitivo_
designantur notant--ut sunt [Greek: dendrôn], a [Greek: dendron],
arboretum; [Greek: Elaiôn], olivetum, ab [Greek: Elaion]; [Greek:
Rhodôn], rosetum, a [Greek: rhodon] (also the nouns [Greek: ankôn,
agôn, akremôn, bonbôn, paiôn, ploutôn, pôgôn, chitôn]).--Nempe formata
videntur hæc nomina in [Greek: ôn], a genitivis pluralibus
substantivorum. Genitivus singularis horum nominum, in [Greek: ônos],
contractione sua, hanc originem satis videtur demonstrare."
In immediate reference to the word [Greek: Aiôn], they say:
"[Greek: Aiôn], Ævum, Æternitas. Nomen ex eo genere, quod natura sua
_collectionem_ et _multitudinem_ rerum notat; ut patet ex terminatione
[Greek: ôn]. Quemadmodum in voce [Greek: aei], vidimus eam esse
translatam eximie ad significationem _temporis_, ab illa flandi,
spirandive, quæ est in origine [Greek: aô]; sic in nostro [Greek: Aiôn]
eadem translationis ratio locum habet; ut adeo quasi _temporum
collectionem_, vel _multitudinem_ significet. A qua denuo
significatione propriâ profectæ sunt eæ, quibus vel _ævum_, vel
_æternitatem_, vel _hominis ætatem_ descripsere veteres. Formata (vox)
est a nomine inusitato [Greek: Aios], vel [Greek: Aïos], quod ab
[Greek: aïs], cujus naturam, in voce [Greek: aei], expossi. Cæterum, a
Græco nostro [Greek: Aiôn], interposito digammate Æolico, ortum, est
[Greek: Aiwôn], et hinc Lat. ævum."
As then it is impossible to place [Greek: Aiôn], whose genitive is [Greek:
Aiônos], in the same category with the derivatives from [Greek: ôn], the
participle present of [Greek: Eimi], whose genitive is [Greek: ontos]; and
as, secondly, this derivation places the word out of the range of the
collective nouns so declined, which are derived from other nouns, as this
appears to be, can the real etymology of the word [Greek: Aiôn], and its
derivatives, remain any longer a matter of question and debate?