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From the linked page: "From ὄλυμπος (olympos), a proto-Hellenic word for mountain"
It would be interesting to learn about the source of this information.
I tried to find another source giving "olympos, Proto-Hellenic/Proto-Greek for 'mountain'" on the Internet, without success.
Anyway, why should the *name* for a mountain be just "mountain"? I think that this may happen out of misunderstandings between two people with different languages, if one group assumes that the common-day word of another group is a name and starts to treat it as such, but is this seen as such a case?
It would be interesting to learn about the source of this information.
I tried to find another source giving "olympos, Proto-Hellenic/Proto-Greek for 'mountain'" on the Internet, without success.
Anyway, why should the *name* for a mountain be just "mountain"? I think that this may happen out of misunderstandings between two people with different languages, if one group assumes that the common-day word of another group is a name and starts to treat it as such, but is this seen as such a case?
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Rene, my source for the information is the Etymological Lexicon of George Babiniotis. I am afraid the book is in Greek. Professor Babiniotis's site is here: http://www.babiniotis.gr/wmt/webpages/index.php?lid=2&pid=12
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Proto-Hellenic obviously could have had loan words from non-Indoeuropean languages, and indeed, Olympos meaning mountain as a Pelasgian loan word has been suggested by Chantraine, but like much else, without convincing evidence. Since Pelasgian is merely a catch all term meaning pre-Hellenic, often in the sense of a substratum, it is difficult to turn this into a proper etymology. Theories linking it with words of Afroasiatic origin (meaning roof in this case) have also been proposed, but isolated sound similarities with broad semantic flexibility does not make convincing evidence of borrowing either: the probability of an enterprising person *not* being able to make up such theories is too low :-)
Incidentally, noting the literary link between Olympos and Ouranos, the latter having clearly possible Indoeuropean etymologies (even though the exact meaning is in question; the phonological link with Vedic varuna being quite irregular to be completely comfortable), and since it was the abode of gods, it has indeed been glossed by Salvatore Quasimodo as Italian cielo, which has been translated into English as heaven (in the sense of sky, presumably). I do not think that was intended as an etymology, but it might have led to the original question.
Incidentally, noting the literary link between Olympos and Ouranos, the latter having clearly possible Indoeuropean etymologies (even though the exact meaning is in question; the phonological link with Vedic varuna being quite irregular to be completely comfortable), and since it was the abode of gods, it has indeed been glossed by Salvatore Quasimodo as Italian cielo, which has been translated into English as heaven (in the sense of sky, presumably). I do not think that was intended as an etymology, but it might have led to the original question.
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So much info there, but it does explain why confusion abounds. Actually, you make a great point about the mis- translation, initially I thought it made sense that Olympia would mean heavenly due to the association with mount olympus being in the sky. But I see your point. Which is indeed why I asked this question, I guess there isn't a proper answer (:
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