πρόσωπον: Difference between revisions

{{etym

|etymtx=Grammatical information: n.<br />Meaning: <b class="b2">face, countenance, mask, role, person</b> (Il.).<br />Other forms: ep. pl. also <b class="b3">-πατα</b> (cf. below).<br />Compounds: Rarely as 1. member, e.g. <b class="b3">προσωπο-λήπτης</b> m. <b class="b2">who respects persons, who is partial</b> with <b class="b3">-ληπτέω</b>, <b class="b3">-ληψία</b> (NT). Very often as 2. member, mostly late., e.g. <b class="b3">μικρο-πρόσωπος</b> <b class="b2">small-faced</b> (Arist.).<br />Derivatives: Dimin. <b class="b3">προσωπ-ίδιον</b> (Ar.), <b class="b3">-εῖον</b> (<b class="b3">-ιον</b>) n. [[mask]] (Thphr., LXX), the plantname <b class="b3">-ιον</b>, <b class="b3">-ίς</b>, <b class="b3">-ιάς</b>, <b class="b3">-ῖτις</b> (Dsc. a.o.; prob. after the form of the flower; Strömberg Pfl.namen 47), <b class="b3">-οῦττα</b> f. <b class="b2">face-shaped vessel</b>, "face-urn" (Polem. Hist., Poll.).<br />Origin: IE [Indo-European] [775] <b class="b2">*h₃ekʷ-</b> [[see]]<br />Etymology: Like [[μέτωπον]] [[forehead]] (s.v.) <b class="b3">πρόσωπον</b> is also prop. a hypostasis, i.e. from <b class="b3">*προτι-ωπ-ον</b>, prop. "what is opposite the eyes, the sight (of the partner)"; cf. Schwyzer-Debrunner 517 n. 1. Thus also e.g. Goth. <b class="b2">and-augi</b> n., also OE <b class="b2">and-wlit-a</b> m., OHG <b class="b2">ant-lizz-i</b> n. [[face]], [[Antlitz]] (Goth. [[wlits]] [[aspect]], [[shape]]). Slightly diff. Sommer Nominalkomp. 115 n.1 (with deviating interpretation of the prefix): <b class="b2">the part of the head, that lies over against the eyes, on the side of the eyes</b>. Through connection with ep. <b class="b3">προτι-όσσομαι</b>, <b class="b3">προσ-όψομαι</b> <b class="b2">look at</b>, <b class="b3">ὄπωπα</b> etc. <b class="b3">πρόσωπον</b> could also be (re)interpreted as verbal noun (cf. [[Angesicht]]). -- With <b class="b3">πρόσωπον</b> agrees almost exactly Skt. <b class="b2">prátīkam</b> n. [[face]], [[appearance]] from <b class="b2">práti</b> = <b class="b3">πρότι</b> and a zero grade form of the IE word for [[see]], [[look]] (s. 2. <b class="b3">ὄψ</b> and [[ὄπωπα]]), <b class="b2">*proti-h₃kʷ-</b> (cf. on <b class="b3">ὀπιπεύω</b>); so <b class="b3">πρόσωπον</b> from an older formation elucidated after (<b class="b3">ἐν)ὦπα</b> etc. (Schwyzer 426 n. 4)? Quite uncertain Toch. A [[pratsak]], B [[pratsāko]] [[breast]] (A [[ak]], B [[ek]] [[eye]]). On the IE expressions for [[face]] s. Malten Die Sprache des menschlichen Antlitzes im frühen Griechentum (Berlin 1961) 1ff. -- The ep. plural <b class="b3">προσώπ-ατα</b>, <b class="b3">-ασι</b> can easily be explained as an enlargement favoured by the metre (Schwyzer 515 n. 3); the assumption of an old <b class="b2">n(t</b>)-stem (Chantraine Gramm. hom. 1, 213 as alternative) is improbable. -- Further details w. lit. in WP. 1, 170, also Mayrhofer s. <b class="b2">prátīkam</b>.

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