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An Excerpt from Plato's The Cratylus
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[410a]
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~: Pyr ~ Aither :~
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[410a] Socrates: Well, this word pur [pyr] is probably foreign; for it is difficult to connect it with
the Greek language, and besides, the Phrygians have the same word, only slightly altered. The same
is the case with hudôr [hydor] (water), kuôn [kyon] (dog), and many other words.
Hermogenes: Yes, that is true.
Socrates: So we must not propose forced explanations of these words, though something might be said about them.
I therefore set aside pur and aêr because it raises (airei) things from the earth, or because it is always flowing
(aei rhei), or because wind arises from its flow? The poets call the winds aêtas, "blasts." Perhaps the poet means
to say "air-flow" (aêtorroun), as he might say "wind-flow" (pneumatorroun). The word aithêr (ether) I understand
in this way: because it always runs and flows about the air (aei thei peri ton aera rheon), it may properly be
called aeitheêra.
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The entry given below is from: Henry George Liddell. Robert Scott. A Greek-English Lexicon.
ἀήτης , ου, ὁ, (ἄω, ἄημι)
A. blast, gale, ἀνέμοιο, Ζεφύροιο, ἀνέμων ἀῆται, Il.15.626, Od.4.567, Hes.Op.621: abs., wind,
Tim.Pers.117, Theoc. 2.38.—Poet. word, “οἱ ποιηταὶ τὰ πνεύματα ἀήτας καλοῦσι” Pl.Cra. 410b.
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THE_BOOK_THE_CRATYLUS
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