ἄχυρα

Frisk Etymological English

Grammatical information: n. pl.
Meaning: chaff (Com.).
Other forms: rarely sg. -ον; collective sing. ἀχυρός or ἄχυρος m. chaff-heap. ἄχορα· τὰ πίτυρα chaff). ἔνιοι δε κρανίον H.
Compounds: ἀχυροθήκη (X.)
Derivatives: ἀχυρώδης (Arist.), ἀχύρινος (Plu.) etc.; ἀχυρών, -ῶνος m. storehouse for chaff (Delos). Verb ἀχυρόω mix with chaff etc. (Arist.). - Remarkable, ἀχυρμιαί f. Pl. chaff-heap (Ε 502, AP 9, 384, 15; also NGr., s. Scheller Oxytonierung 4ff., 85ff.; cf. also Fraenkel Glotta 32, 18); the same formation in ἀχύρμιος (Arat. 1097, of ἄμητος), or from ἀχυρμιαι?; doubtful ἀχυρμός (Ar. V. 1310; conj. by Dindorf for ἀχυρός); a form in -ιά from a noun in -μος. The form in -αί is probably an old locative; Dürbeck MSS 37, 1978, 39 - 57.
Origin: PG [a word of Pre-Greek origin]
Etymology: Agrees in form and meaning with ἄχνη. Further unclear; to ἄχωρ (q. v.)? Not an old r : n-stem, which would have -υν-). Improbable Petersson KZ 47, 267f. Clearly identical with ἄχορα, a gloss not mentioned in the literature. It shows that the word is Pre-Greek (Fur. 362). This explains the relation to ἄχνη: Pre-Greek has often a suffix with -ν-(η) beside the more frequent -VC-suffixes; -υρ- is well known. Wrong therefore vW. (copulative ἁ- and χέω; the combination is improbable).