μῆκος: Difference between revisions

{{etym

|etymtx=Grammatical information: n.<br />Meaning: [[length]] (Od.).<br />Dialectal forms: Dor. <b class="b3">μᾶκος</b> (Archyt.)<br />Compounds: Often as 2. member, e.g. <b class="b3">περι-μήκης</b>, Dor. <b class="b3">-μάκης</b> <b class="b2">very long, very high</b> (Il), with expressive enlargement <b class="b3">περιμήκ-ετος</b> <b class="b2">id.</b> (Hom., Arat.), after <b class="b3">πάχετος</b>, <b class="b3">ἀριδείκετος</b>, <b class="b3">ἀμαιμάκετος</b> a. o. (Schwyzer 501, Seiler Steigerungsformen 75).<br />Derivatives: Beside <b class="b3">μῆκος</b> the sup. <b class="b3">μήκιστος</b>, Dor. <b class="b3">μάκιστος</b> [[longest]], [[highest]], [[greatest]] (Il.) with <b class="b3">Μηκιστεύς</b> PN (Il.; Boßhardt 93 f.) beside the comp. <b class="b3">μάσσων</b>, <b class="b3">μᾶσσον</b> (θ 203 etc.; after <b class="b3">ἆσσον</b>); to <b class="b3">μακρός</b> (s.v.) after <b class="b3">ἐλάσσων</b>, <b class="b3">πάσσων</b>, <b class="b3">θάσσων</b>; besides the secondary <b class="b3">μακρό- τατος</b>, <b class="b3">-τερος</b>. -- Old denominative <b class="b3">μηκύνω</b>, Dor. <b class="b3">μακύνω</b>, rarely w. prefix, e.g. <b class="b3">ἀπο-</b>, <b class="b3">ἐπι-</b>, <b class="b2">lengten, stretch out</b> (Pi., IA.) with the rare a. late prosodic terms <b class="b3">μήκ-υνσις</b> (Sch.), <b class="b3">-υσμός</b> (Eust.) [[lengthening]], <b class="b3">-υντικός</b> <b class="b2">which can be lengthened</b> (A. D.). Further derivations, also rare a. late: <b class="b3">μηκεδανός</b> [[long]] (AP, Nonn.), for <b class="b3">μακεδνός</b> after <b class="b3">ἠπεδανός</b> a. o. (Risch $38, Specht Ursprung 199); <b class="b3">μηκ-ικός</b> <b class="b2">regarding the length</b> (Procl.), <b class="b3">-όθεν</b> <b class="b2">from afar</b> (Aesop., Paul. Aeg.), <b class="b3">-ότης</b> f. [[length]] (Gal.).<br />Origin: IE [Indo-European] [699] <b class="b2">*meh₂ḱ-os</b>, <b class="b2">mh₂ḱros</b> [[long]], [[length]].<br />Etymology: Over against <b class="b3">μῆκος</b> stands with short vowel Av. <b class="b2">masah-</b> n. [[length]], [[greatness]]; thus against <b class="b3">μήκιστος</b> Av. <b class="b2">masišta-</b>, OP <b class="b2">maθišta-</b> (like comp. <b class="b2">masyå</b>, pos. <b class="b2">mas-</b>). Also elsewhere we find short vowels, not only in inherited and with the <b class="b2">s-</b>stem alternating <b class="b2">r-</b>stem <b class="b3">μακρός</b> (s. v.), but also in Lat. [[maciēs]] [[leanness]], [[maceō]] <b class="b2">be lean</b> and in Hitt. <b class="b2">mak-l-ant-</b> [[lean]]. As full grade formation, however, <b class="b3">μῆκος</b> agrees with the great majority of old <b class="b2">s-</b>stems (s. e.g. Schwyzer 511 f.). -- WP. 2, 223- Pok. 699- W.-Hofmann s. [[macer]] ; on <b class="b3">μήκιστος</b>, <b class="b3">μάσσων</b> Schwyzer 538, Seiler Steigerungsformen 74ff. a. 21 f. So for <b class="b3">μῆκος</b> we posit <b class="b2">*meh₂k-</b>, but this does not explain Av. <b class="b2">masah-</b>, and <b class="b3">μακρός</b> only if <b class="b2">mh₂ḱ-ro-</b> would give <b class="b3">μακρο-</b>; cf. on <b class="b3">μέτρον</b>.

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