μέτρον: Difference between revisions

{{etym

|etymtx=Grammatical information: n.<br />Meaning: <b class="b2">measure, the right, full measure, goal, length, size, syllable- or verse-measure</b> (Il.).<br />Compounds: Many compp., e.g. <b class="b3">σύμμετρος</b> <b class="b2">with the same measure, maesured, becoming, symmetrical</b> with <b class="b3">συμμετρ-ία</b> [[harmony]], [[symmetry]] a. o. (IA.); <b class="b3">περί-μετρος</b> <b class="b2">exceeding (the measure)</b> (Od.); but <b class="b3">περί-μετρον</b> (Hdt., Arist.), <b class="b3">-ος</b> (sc. <b class="b3">γραμμή</b>) f. [[circumference]], [[extent]] after <b class="b3">περίοδος</b> a. o. with verbal association (<b class="b3">περι-μετρέω</b> Luc.), s. Risch IF 59, 252.<br />Derivatives: Adj. 1. <b class="b3">μέτριος</b> [[moderate]], [[suitable]] (Hes.) with <b class="b3">μετρι-ότης</b> [[moderation]] (IA.), <b class="b3">-οσύνη</b> [[poverty]] (pap. VIp), <b class="b3">-ακός</b> [[moderate]] (pap. VIp), <b class="b3">-άζω</b> <b class="b2">be moderate</b> (Att. hell.) with <b class="b3">-ασμός</b> (Suid.); <b class="b3">μετριεύεται</b> H. s. <b class="b3">λαγαρίτ-τεται</b>. 2. <b class="b3">μετρικός</b> <b class="b2">metrical, acc. to measure</b> (Arist.). 3. Adv. <b class="b3">μετρηδόν</b> <b class="b2">in metrical form</b> (Nonn.). 4. Verb: <b class="b3">μετρέω</b>, very often with prefix, e.g. <b class="b3">ἀνα-</b>, <b class="b3">δια-</b>, <b class="b3">ἐπι-</b>, <b class="b3">ἐκ-</b>, <b class="b3">ἀπο-</b>, <b class="b3">συν-</b>, <b class="b2">measure, measure (off), estimate etc.</b> (Hom.); from this (often with prefix) <b class="b3">μέτρ-ησις</b> [[measurement]] (IA.)., <b class="b3">-ημα</b> [[measure]] (E., hell.), <b class="b3">-ητής</b> m. "measurer", name of a measure, [[metretes]] (Att.; Fraenkel Nom. ag. 1, 233), <b class="b3">-ητίς</b> f. <b class="b2">id.</b> (Amorgos IVa), <b class="b3">-ητιαῖος</b> <b class="b2">sticking to a μ.</b> (Karyanda), <b class="b3">-ητικός</b> <b class="b2">regarding measurement</b> (Pl.). As 2. member in several verbal cornpp., e.g. <b class="b3">γεω-μέτρης</b> m. <b class="b2">land-, fieldmeasurer, geometrist</b> (Pl., X.) with <b class="b3">γεωμετρ-ία</b>, Ion. <b class="b3">-ίη</b> (Hdt., Ar.; also compound of <b class="b3">γῆν μετρεῖν</b>?), <b class="b3">-ικός</b> (Democr., Pl.), <b class="b3">-έω</b> (Att.), <b class="b3">βου-μέτρης</b> "cowmeasurer" = <b class="b3">ὁ ἐπι θυσιῶν τεταγμένος παρὰ Αἰτωλοῖς</b> H.; cf. E. Kretschmer Glotta 18, 86. -- Backformations like <b class="b3">διάμετρος</b> (sc. <b class="b3">γραμμή</b>) f. <b class="b2">diameter, diagonal etc.</b> (Pl., Arist.), <b class="b3">ἐπίμετρον</b> [[excess]], [[addition]] (hell.).<br />Origin: IE [Indo-European] [703] <b class="b2">*meh₁-</b> [[measure]]<br />Etymology: Beside <b class="b3">μέτρον</b> we have with the same suffix but diff. ablaut <b class="b3">μήτρα</b> f. <b class="b2">landmeasure etc.</b> (Cilicia), <b class="b3">ἐρεσι-μήτρην την γεωμετρίαν</b> H. (s. <b class="b3">ἔρα</b>), which agrees exactly with Skt. <b class="b2">mā́trā</b> f. [[measure]] and goes back on an athematic present, Skt. <b class="b2">mā́-ti</b> [[measure]] (< IE <b class="b2">*meh₁-ti</b>). The shortness of the <b class="b3">ε</b> in <b class="b3">μέτρον</b> as opposed to Skt. <b class="b2">mā́tram</b> n. <b class="b2">id.</b> finds however no agreement outside Greek; one might think of a thematic vowel after zero grade root <b class="b3">μ-έ-τρον</b> (Brugmann, e.g. Grundr.2 II: 1, 342); a reduced grade of IE <b class="b2">*meh₁--</b> (as <b class="b3">θέ-(σις</b>) from <b class="b3">θη-</b>) is difficult: it would require <b class="b2">*mh₁tr-</b> to become (*)<b class="b3">μετρ-</b> and not rather <b class="b2">*m̥h₁tr-</b> > <b class="b3">μητρ-</b>; in the latter case Prakr. [[mettam]] n. [[measure]] from Skt. <b class="b2">*mitram</b> (innovated after <b class="b2">mi-ta-</b>?) would give a direct parallel (note that <b class="b2">mh₁etr-</b> might rather have givem <b class="b2">*m̥h₁etr-</b> > <b class="b3">*αμετρ-</b>); the question has not been solved yet, Beekes Laryngeals 183. I now think that at the beginning of the word the <b class="b2">*m-</b> could have remained consonantal. A derivation IE <b class="b2">*méd-tro-m</b> from <b class="b2">*med-</b> [[measure]] (not here <b class="b3">μέδιμνος</b>, s.v., with de Saussure MSL 6, 246ff.) would have given <b class="b3">*μέστρον</b>. -- An other derivation of the same verb is [[μῆτις]], s. v.

}}