κεράμβυξ
τίς γὰρ ἁδονᾶς ἄτερ θνατῶν βίος ποθεινὸς ἢ ποία τυραννίς; τᾶς ἄτερ οὐδὲ θεῶν ζηλωτὸς αἰών → What human life is desirable without pleasure, or what lordly power? Without it not even the life of the gods is enviable.
English (LSJ)
υκος, ὁ,
A longicorn beetle, cerambyx, which feeds on dead wood, Nic.Fr.39, Hsch.
German (Pape)
[Seite 1419] υκος, ὁ, ein Käfer (κάραβος) mit langen Hörnern (κέρας), Feuerschröter, Hesych. Vgl. Ant. Lib. 22.
Greek (Liddell-Scott)
κεράμβυξ: -υκος, ὁ, εἶδος κανθάρου φέροντος κεραίας ἢ κέρατα καὶ τρεφομένου ἐκ ξηροῦ ξύλου, Νικ. παρ’ Ἀντ. Λιβερ. 22, Ἡσύχ. (πιθ. ἐκ τοῦ κάραβος, μετ’ ἀναφορᾶς πρὸς τὸ κέρας).
Greek Monolingual
ο (Α κεράμβυξ, -υκος)
γένος εντόμων που σύμφωνα με τη σημερινή ταξινόμηση ανήκει στην οικογένεια κεραμβυκίδες.
[ΕΤΥΜΟΛ. < κέρας με διπλό εκφραστικό επίθημα -(α)μβ-υξ < -(α)μβ-ος (πρβλ. σήρ-αμβος, κόλυ-μβος) + -υξ (πρβλ. βόμβ-υξ, δοίδ-υξ)].
Frisk Etymological English
-υκος
Grammatical information: m.
Meaning: longicorn beetle, Hornschröter (Nic. Fr. 39, H.; on the meaning Goossens L'Ant. Class. 17, 263ff.).
Origin: PG [a word of Pre-Greek origin]
Etymology: Cf. σήραμβος, κόλυμβος, κόρυμβος a. o. (Chantraine Formation 261), and βόμβυξ, ὄρτυξ etc. (ib. 383 and 397). Another formation is κεράμβηλον, glossed by H. a. o. with κάνθαρος; cf. πέτηλος, κίβδηλος a. o. - The form cannot be derived from κέρας horn. If they have prenasalization, as seems probable, it is a Pre-Greek word. We know that -ηλ(ο)- is a Pre-Greek suffix. Also the suffix -υκ- is Pre-Greek. Fur. (passim) compares κάραβος, καρά(μ)βιος and καραβίδες, as well as *σκαραβαῖος, all beetles; the form κερα- may have been adapted to κέρας. It is surprising that th etymology with κέρας is so long retained and that the Pre-Greek character has not been observed.
