μάρτυς: Difference between revisions

{{etym

|etymtx=Grammatical information: m. f.<br />Meaning: [[witness]] (Il.; on the spread etc. E. Kretschmer Glotta 18, 92 f., on the use in Homer Nenci Par. del Pass. 13, 221ff.) <b class="b2">martyr, (blood-witness)</b> (christ. lit.; s. Bauer Gr.-dt. Wb. s.v.).<br />Other forms: Aeol. (Hdn. Gr.) a. Dor. <b class="b3">μάρτυρ</b>, Cret. Epid. <b class="b3">μαῖτυς</b> (<b class="b3">-ρς</b>), <b class="b3">-ρος</b>, acc. also <b class="b3">μάρτυν</b> (Simon.), dat. pl. <b class="b3">μάρτυσι</b> (<b class="b3">-ρσι</b> Hippon.?); ep., also NWGr. <b class="b3">μάρτυρος</b>.<br />Compounds: Compp., e.g. <b class="b3">μαρτυρο-ποιέομαι</b> <b class="b2">call as witness</b> (inscr., pap.), <b class="b3">ψευδό-μαρτυς</b> <b class="b2">false witness</b> (Pl.; Risch IF 59, 257 f.), <b class="b3">ἐπί-μαρτυς</b> [[witness]] (Ar., Call., A. R.), prob. backformation from <b class="b3">ἐπι-μαρτύρομαι</b>, <b class="b3">-ρέω</b>; on supposed <b class="b3">ἐπιμάρτυρος</b> (for <b class="b3">ἔπι μάρτυρος</b>) see Leumann Hom. Wörter 71.<br />Derivatives: <b class="b3">μαρτυρία</b> (λ 325; cf. below on <b class="b3">μαρτυρέω</b>), <b class="b3">μαρτύριον</b> (IA) [[testimony]], [[evidence]]. Denominatives: 1. <b class="b3">μαρτύρομαι</b>, also wiht prefix, e.g. <b class="b3">δια-</b>, <b class="b3">ἐπι-</b>, <b class="b2">call as witness</b> (IA); 2. <b class="b3">μαρτυρέω</b>, often w. prefix, e.g. <b class="b3">ἀντι-</b>, <b class="b3">ἐκ-</b>, <b class="b3">ἐπι-</b>, <b class="b3">δια-</b>, <b class="b3">κατα-</b>, <b class="b3">συν-</b>, <b class="b2">testify, bear witness</b> (Alc., Pi., IA) with <b class="b3">μαρτύρημα</b> (E.), (<b class="b3">ἀντι-</b>, <b class="b3">κατα-)-μαρτύρησις</b> (Epicur., pap.) [[testimony]], also (<b class="b3">δια-</b>, <b class="b3">ἐκ-</b>, <b class="b3">ἐπι-</b>, <b class="b3">συμ-</b>) <b class="b3">μαρτυρία</b> <b class="b2">id.</b> (cf. above and Scheller Oxytonierung 34f. w. n. 4).<br />Origin: PG [a word of Pre-Greek origin]<br />Etymology: The basis may be a verbal noun <b class="b3">*μάρ-τυ-</b> [[testimony]], seen in <b class="b3">μάρ-τυς</b>, <b class="b3">-τυν</b>, <b class="b3">-τυσι</b>; cf. below. The change from abstract [[testimony]] to appellative [[witness]] is attested more often, e.g. Fr. <b class="b2">témoin</b> < Lat. [[testimonium]], Engl. [[witness]] orig. [[testimony]], then [[witness]]. The suffix <b class="b3">ρο-</b> gave the personal, prob. orig. adjectival <b class="b3">μάρτυ-ρος</b>. A compromise with <b class="b3">μάρτυς</b> gave perhaps the consonantstem <b class="b3">μάρτυρ-</b>; note esp. the gen. pl. <b class="b3">μαρτύρων</b> (<b class="b3">ἐναντίον μαρτύρων</b> etc.), which can be both from the <b class="b2">o-</b>stem and from the consonantstem; further see Egli Heteroklisie 117ff. Dissimilation occurred in <b class="b3">μαῖτυ(ρ)ς</b> (< <b class="b3">*μάρτυρ-ς</b>); <b class="b3">μάρτυσι</b> and <b class="b3">μάρτυς</b> can be explained in the same way (Schwyzer 260); cf. above. - As zero grade <b class="b3">τυ-</b>derivation <b class="b3">μάρτυς</b> may belong to a verb for [[remember]], which may be found in Skt. <b class="b2">smárati</b> and which may have other derivatives in Greek, e.g. <b class="b3">μέριμνα</b> (s. v.); proper meaning *'remembrance'. -- Not with Thieme Studien 55 (with criticism of the traditional interpretation): from <b class="b2">*mr̥t-tur</b> prop. <b class="b2">seizing death</b> (?), cf. Leumann Gnomon 25, 191. - But this cannot explain the vocalism, so rather a loand from Pre-Greek (Fur. 296). The speculations above, which start from an IE origin, must be rejected.

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