ἔλλοψ: Difference between revisions

{{etym

|etymtx=-οπος<br />Grammatical information: m.<br />Meaning: 1. poet. adj. of <b class="b3">ἰχθῦς</b> (Hes. Sc. 212), in this function also <b class="b3">ἔλλοπος</b> (Emp. 117) and <b class="b3">ἐλλός</b> (S. Aj. 1297, Ath. 277d); of <b class="b3">κούρα</b> (Theoc. Syrinx 18); 2. poet. for [[fish]] in general (Lyk.); 3. name of a great, rare and expensive fish, which is compared, and identified with, a sturgeon (Arist.); in this meaning usually written <b class="b3">ἔλοψ</b> (Epich., Archestr., Plu.), Lat. <b class="b2">(h)elops</b>; 4. name of a snake (Nic. Th. 490).<br />Derivatives: Denom. verb <b class="b3">ἐλλοπιεύω</b> [[fish]] (Theoc. 1, 42); note <b class="b3">ἐλλόπιδας</b> acc. pl. (Crat. 408 acc. to H.; <b class="b3">-οδες</b> EM 331, 53), acc. to H. a. o. = <b class="b3">τοὺς στρουθοὺς η νεοττοὺς ὄφεως</b>; unclear <b class="b3">ἀλλοπίης</b> adj. of <b class="b3">τράχουρος</b> (Numen. ap. Ath. 7, 326a).<br />Origin: PG [a word of Pre-Greek origin]<br />Etymology: The ancients explained the word either as [[dumb]] or as [[scaly]], the first with an impossible etymology. The meaning [[scaly]] is interpreted as <b class="b3">ἔλλοπος</b> < <b class="b3">*ἔν-λοπος</b>, prepositional bahuvrihi of <b class="b3">λοπός</b> [[scale]]; the shortened form <b class="b3">ἔλλοψ</b> would be after animal's names in <b class="b3">-οψ</b> (metri causa?); a second analogical shortening (cf. <b class="b3">αἶθοψ</b> : <b class="b3">αἰθός</b>) gave <b class="b3">ἐλλός</b>. Remains the single <b class="b3">λ</b> in <b class="b3">ἔλοψ</b>, Lat. <b class="b2">(h)elops</b>; as this notation seems to indicate a special fish, <b class="b3">ἔλοψ</b> could be of foreign origin. This would mean a cross of a foreign fish name with an inherited adjective - Cf. Thompson s. v. and Strömberg Fischnamen 30f. - The interchange <b class="b3">λ</b>\/<b class="b3">λλ</b> is frequent in Pre-Greek (Fur. 387); further we find <b class="b3">ο</b>\/<b class="b3">α</b> and <b class="b3">π</b>\/<b class="b3">β</b>: <b class="b3">ἀλ(λ)άβης</b> (Str. 17,2,4, Ath. 7, 312b; PTeb.), <b class="b3">ἔλαψ</b> (Gp.); interchange <b class="b3">-αβ-</b>\/<b class="b3">-οπ-</b> is well known. Fur. 107; here also <b class="b3">ἀλλοπίης</b>. So we prob. have a pre-Greek word fo a great fish. I reconstruct <b class="b2">*alya\/op\/b-</b>, see Beekes, Pre-Greek.

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