σπλήν: Difference between revisions

{{etym

|etymtx=σπληνός<br />Grammatical information: m.<br />Meaning: [[spleen]] (IA), metaph. [[compress]] (Hp.; cf. <b class="b3">-ίον</b>), <b class="b3">αἰγὸς σπλήν</b> as plantname [[mallow]], [[cheeseweed]] (Ps.-Dsc.).<br />Compounds: As 2. member a. o. in <b class="b3">ἄ-σπλην-ον</b> n., <b class="b3">-ος</b> m. [[miltwaste]] (Dsc. a. o., because of its medic. effect against spleen; Strömberg Pfl. 86, where <b class="b3">ἀ-</b> is wrongy interpreted as prothetic, cf. Vitr. I 4, 10).<br />Derivatives: 1. <b class="b3">σπλην-ίον</b> n., <b class="b3">-ίσκον</b> n., <b class="b3">-ίσκος</b> m., <b class="b3">-άριον</b> n. [[compress]] (Hp., Dsc., Samos IVa); <b class="b3">-ίον</b> also as name of several plants (Dsc.; cf. <b class="b3">ἄσπληνον</b> ab.). 2. <b class="b3">-ίτης</b>, f. <b class="b3">-ῖτις</b> <b class="b2">belonging to the spleen, disease of the spleen</b> (Medic.; Redard 104 a. 102 f.). 3. <b class="b3">-ικός</b> <b class="b2">belonging to the spleen, splenetic</b> (Hp., hell. com. etc.), <b class="b3">-ώδης</b> <b class="b2">id.</b> (Hp.). 4. <b class="b3">-ιάω</b> <b class="b2">to be splenetic</b> (Arist. a. o.). -- Beside it <b class="b3">σπλάγχνα</b> n. pl. <b class="b2">interior organs (heart, liver, lungs, kidneys), intestines</b> (Il.), rarely and second. sg. as des. of individual organs (A., Pl., Arist.), metaph. (pl. a. sg.) "heart" = <b class="b2">mental state</b> (trag.), [[compassion]], [[commiseration]], [[charity]] (LXX, NT; coloured by Semitic). As 1. member a. o. in <b class="b3">σπλαγχνο-φάγος</b> <b class="b2">eating intestines</b> (LXX a.o.); often as 2. member, e.g. <b class="b3">εὔ-σπλαγχνος</b> <b class="b2">having healthy intestines</b> (Hp.), [[compassionate]] (LXX, NT). From it 1. <b class="b3">σπλαγχν-ίδια</b> n. pl. dimin. (Diph.). 2. <b class="b3">-ίδης</b> (UPZ 89, 3 a. 13) form a. meaning doubted; cf. Wilcken ad loc. 3. <b class="b3">-ικός</b> <b class="b2">belonging to σ.</b> (Dsc., pap.). 4. <b class="b3">-ίζομαι</b> <b class="b2">to commiserate</b> (LXX, NT); <b class="b3">-ίζω</b>, <b class="b3">-εύω</b> <b class="b2">to consume intestines</b> (Cos IVa, LXX resp. Ar. a. o.) with <b class="b3">-ισμός</b> m. (LXX); <b class="b3">-εύω</b>, <b class="b3">-εύομαι</b> <b class="b2">to predict from intestines</b> (Str.).<br />Origin: IE [Indo-European] [987] <b class="b2">*spl(e)ngh-</b> [[spleen]]<br />Etymology: On the meaning of <b class="b3">σπλήν</b> and <b class="b3">σπλάγχνα</b> Egli Heteroklisie 44 ff. (not in all respects convincing); on <b class="b3">Σπλήν</b> as PN Bechtel Namenstud. 43 ff. With <b class="b3">σπλήν</b> cf. other names of body-parts as <b class="b3">φρήν</b>, <b class="b3">ἀδήν</b>, <b class="b3">αὑχήν</b> etc., which however all inflect with ablaut (<b class="b3">φρεν-ός</b> etc. as against <b class="b3">σπλην-ός</b>). -- Several IE designtions of the spleen show in spite of great phonetic variation an clear similarity, which cannot be accidental. The basic word has because of association with other words, prob. also through taboo (Havers Sprachtabu 64, Specht Ursprung 77 n. 3) known strong changes. Thus Skt. <b class="b2">plīhán-</b> against Lat. [[liēn]] with common vocalization and stemformation but deviating anlaut; Av. <b class="b2">spǝrǝzan-</b>, also <b class="b2">n-</b>stem, but with zero grade (IE <b class="b2">l̥</b>) and initial <b class="b2">sp-</b>; the words mentioned have also IE <b class="b2">ǵh</b> before the suffix (Lat. [[liēn]] from <b class="b2">*lihēn</b>). Besides these, with stronger deviations, Arm. <b class="b2">p'aycaɫn</b>, OIr. [[selg]], Lith. <b class="b2">blužnìs</b>, S.-CSl. <b class="b2">slězena</b> etc. -- As a reconstruction in detail is impossible, only suppositions are possible. We should start from <b class="b3">*σπληχ-</b>, <b class="b3">*σπλαχ-</b> (= Av. <b class="b2">spǝrǝz-an-</b>) with <b class="b3">ν-</b>stem as [[liēn]] etc. By anticipation of the nasal we get <b class="b3">σπλα-γ-χ-ν-</b>; further <b class="b3">σπλήν</b> haplological for <b class="b3">*σπληχ-ήν</b> (after monosyll. <b class="b3">φρήν</b>) or from <b class="b3">*σπλη-γ-χ[ν</b>]-? -- More w. lit. in WP. 2, 680, Pok. 987, W.-Hofmann s. [[liēn]], Mayrhofer s. <b class="b2">plīhā́</b>, Vasmer s. <b class="b2">selezënka</b>. On <b class="b3">σπλήν</b> and <b class="b3">σπλάγχνα</b> also Egli l. c. and Schwyzer 489 w. n. 1. Older lit. also in Bq. -- Lat. LW [loanword] [[splēn]] (Engl. [[spleen]] etc.).

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