ξίρις
Τί ὕπνος; Καμάτων ἀνάπαυσις, ἰατρῶν κατόρθωμα, δεδεμένων λύσις, ἀγρυπνούντων σοφία, νοσούντων εὐχή, θανάτου εἰκών, ταλαιπωρούντων ἐπιθυμία, πάσης πνοῆς ἡσυχία, πλουσίων ἐπιτήδευμα, πενήτων ἀδολεσχία, καθημερινὴ μελέτη. → What is sleep? Rest from toil, the success of physicians, the release of those who are bound, the wisdom of the wakeful, what sick men pray for, an image of death, the desire of those who toil in hardship, the rest of all the spirit, a principal occupation of the rich, the idle chatter of poor men, a daily object of concern.
Frisk Etymological English
Grammatical information: f.
Meaning: Iris foetidissima (Thphr.)
Other forms: Also ξιρίς (Dsc. 4, 22); and σῖρις or σίρις (EM. 209, 35). ξυρίς (Dsc., Plin. Gal.); ξειρίς (Ar., Hesych.).
Origin: PG [a word of Pre-Greek origin]
Etymology: Frisk doubts (s.v. ξυρ-) which is the original form (ξιρ- or ξυρ-); DELG thinks that ξυρ- could be due to folketymology (referring to Stömberg, Pflanzennamen 44); the form σιρις suggests that ξιρ- is the oldest form. The variants point to Pre-Greek.
