μηλολόνθη: Difference between revisions

|etymtx=Grammatical information: f.<br />Meaning: <b class="b2">beetle, gold-beetle, dung-beetle</b> (Ar. <b class="b3">Νυ</b>. 764, Arist.).<br />Other forms: also <b class="b3">μηλολάνθη</b> (Poll.), <b class="b3">μηλάνθη</b> (Herod.)<br />Compounds: <b class="b3">χρυσο-μηλολόνθιον</b> (Ar. V. 1341)<br />Derivatives: <b class="b3">μηλολόνθιον</b> (sch. Ar. V. 1332)<br />Origin: GR [a formation built with Greek elements]<br />Etymology: <b class="b3">μῆλον ὀλόνθιον</b>, prop. "fig-sheep", from <b class="b3">μῆλον</b> and <b class="b3">ὄλονθος</b> [[wild fig]], because many beetles are parasitic of figs and other plants; formation like <b class="b3">ἱππο-πόταμος</b> (for <b class="b3">ἵππος ποτάμιος</b>). After <b class="b3">ἄνθος</b> folketymologically reshaped into <b class="b3">μηλολάνθη</b>; from there after <b class="b3">οἰνάνθη</b> a. o. <b class="b3">μηλάνθη</b>.-- Strömberg Wortstudien 5 ff. with extensive treatment and several parallels from diverse languages.