μικρός: Difference between revisions

{{etym

|etymtx=Grammatical information: adj.<br />Meaning: [[small]], [[short]], [[little]]; on the meaning and use (beside <b class="b3">ὀλίγος</b>) in poetry Moorhouse Class. Quart. 41, 31 ff. (E 801, γ 296, Trag., Att.);<br />Other forms: also <b class="b3">σμικρός</b> (P 757, Hes. Op. 361, Ion., trag., Att.), <b class="b3">μικκός</b> (Dor. Boeot.), <b class="b3">μικός</b> (Att. inscr. IVa, Trag. Adesp. 31, pap.).<br />Compounds: Very often as 1. member, esp. in scient. and techn. language.<br />Derivatives: Diminut. and hypocor.: <b class="b3">μικύλος</b> (Mosch. 1, 13); <b class="b3">μικύ-θινον τὸ μικρόν καὶ νήπιον</b> H.; <b class="b3">*μικκιχος</b> (cf. <b class="b3">ὁσσίχος</b> a.o. Chantraine Form. 404) in Lac. <b class="b3">μικκιχιδδόμενος</b> <b class="b2">under age</b> (inscr.; from <b class="b3">*μικκιχίζομαι</b>; cf. Schwyzer 331); cf. also the PN below. Abstract: (<b class="b3">σ)μικρότης</b> f. [[trigle]], [[insignificance]] (Anaxag., Pl.). Denomin.: (<b class="b3">σ)μικρύνω</b>, also with prefix, esp. <b class="b3">κατα-</b>, [[diminish]], [[reduce]], [[degrade]] (Demetr. Eloc., LXX); <b class="b3">κατασμικρίζω</b> <b class="b2">id.</b> (Arist., Phld.), <b class="b3">σμικρίζεσθαι διαττᾶσθαι</b> H.; <b class="b3">ἀποσμικρόω</b> <b class="b2">id.</b> (Tim. Lex.). -- PN, e.g. <b class="b3">Σμικρίνης</b> m. "niggard" (Men.; as <b class="b3">Αἰσχίνης</b> etc.), <b class="b3">Μίκων</b>, <b class="b3">Μικίων</b>, <b class="b3">Μίκυθος</b>, <b class="b3">-ίων</b>, <b class="b3">Σμικυθίων</b> (Leumann Hom. Wörter 155 A. 129, Schulze Kl. Schr. 671).<br />Origin: PG [a word of Pre-Greek origin]<br />Etymology: On <b class="b3">σμικρος</b> (older) and <b class="b3">μικρός</b> with unexplained initial change Schwyzer 310f.; the <b class="b3">ρ-</b>suffix may come from the opposite <b class="b3">μακρός</b> (cf. Güntert Reimwortbildungen 160); diff. Bloomfield Lang. 1, 94: <b class="b3">μικ-ρό-ς</b>: <b class="b3">μικ-υ-θός</b> old [[ro]] : <b class="b2">u-</b>variation[improbable, s. below]. Through expressive gemination arose <b class="b3">μικκός</b>, and to this, with normal simplification of the <b class="b3">κ</b>, <b class="b3">μικός</b>. -- Without agreement outside Greek. One can compare on the one hand Lat. [[mīca]] <b class="b2">crumb, corn, a little</b> (might stand for <b class="b2">*smīk-ā</b> ), on the other hand Germ. words for [[small]] with IE <b class="b2">ē-</b>vowel, e.g. OHG [[smāhi]] [[small]], [[little]], [[low]] with [[smāhen]] [[reduce]], NHG [[schmähen]]; one might bring together these forms under IE [[smē]][[[i]]]<b class="b2">k-</b> : <b class="b2">smīk-</b>. Further there are adj. for [[graceful]], [[elegant]] with IE [[g]], e.g. OE [[smicre]] [[elegant]], [[nice]], Lith. <b class="b2">su-smìžęs</b> [[small]], [[crippled]]. The varying form is with a word of this meaning not surprising; on the symbolic character of the [[i]] (against <b class="b3">α</b> in <b class="b3">μακρός</b>) Sieberer Sprache 2, 118 n. 73 (p. 119).-- The connection with the comparativ <b class="b3">μείων</b>, with the <b class="b3">κ</b> taken from the opposite <b class="b3">μακρός</b> (Seiler Steigerungsformen 115), fails because of the clearly older <b class="b3">σμικρός</b>, which cannot be combined with <b class="b3">μείων</b> (to Skt. <b class="b2">minā́ti</b> [[reduce]] etc.). -- More material WP. 2, 685f., Pok. 966f., W.-Hofmann s. [[mīca]]. - The varying initial points rather to a Pre-Greek word.

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