μέγας: Difference between revisions

|etymtx=Grammatical information: adj.<br />Meaning: [[great]], [[big]],<br />Other forms: <b class="b3">μεγάλη</b>, <b class="b3">μέγα</b><br />Dialectal forms: Myc. [[mezo]]<br />Compounds: Comp. <b class="b3">μέζων</b>, Att. <b class="b3">μείζων</b> (after <b class="b3">κρείττων</b>, <b class="b3">ἀμείνων</b> a. o.; cf. Schwyzer 538), sup. <b class="b3">μέγιστος</b> (Il.); cf. Seiler Steigerungsformen 63. Compp., e.g. <b class="b3">μεγά-θυμος</b> <b class="b2">with great mind</b> (Hom.), <b class="b3">μεγαλ-ήτωρ</b> [[magnanimous]] (Il.; Sommer Nominalkomp. 135), <b class="b3">μεγαλό-φρων</b> [[magnanimous]] (Att.; Hom. <b class="b3">μέγα φρονέων</b>, cf. Leumann Hom. Wörter 119f.), <b class="b3">μεγιστό-τιμος</b> <b class="b2">with highest honour</b> (A.).<br />Derivatives: 1. From <b class="b3">μεγα-</b>: <b class="b3">μέγεθος</b> (cf. <b class="b3">πλῆ-θος</b>; <b class="b3">-ε-</b> vowelassim. ? Schwyzer 255), Hdt. <b class="b3">μέγαθος</b>, n. [[greatness]], [[sublimity]] (Il.) with <b class="b3">μεγεθ-ικός</b> [[quantitative]] (Arist.-Comm.), <b class="b3">-ύνω</b> [[magnify]], pass. <b class="b2">become exalted</b> (after <b class="b3">μεγαλύνω</b>, late), <b class="b3">-όομαι</b> = <b class="b3">μεγαλύνομαι</b> (medic., S. E.); PN <b class="b3">Μέγης</b> with patron. <b class="b3">Μεγάδης</b> (Il.). 2. From <b class="b3">μεγαλο-</b> : <b class="b3">μεγαλ-εῖος</b> <b class="b2">grand(iose)</b> (Pl., X., Plb.; after <b class="b3">ἀνδρεῖος</b> enlarged) with <b class="b3">-ειότης</b> [[highness]], [[majesty]] (LXX); <b class="b3">μεγάλ-ωμα</b> n. [[greatness]], [[power]] (LXX; direct from <b class="b3">μεγαλο-</b>, cf. Chantraine Form. 187; diff. Georgacas Glotta 36, 169), <b class="b3">-ωσύνη</b> <b class="b2">id.</b> (LXX, Aristeas; <b class="b3">-ω-</b> analog., Schwyzer 529), <b class="b3">-ωστί</b> adv. [[magnificently]] (Schwyzer 624, Chantraine Gramm. hom. 1, 250). 3. From <b class="b3">μέγιστος</b> : <b class="b3">μεγιστᾶνες</b> m. pl. (rarely <b class="b3">-άν</b> sg.) <b class="b2">great lords, magnates</b> (Men., LXX, NT; after the PN in <b class="b3">-ᾶνες</b>, Björck Alpha impurum 55, 278ff.; diff. Schaeder in Schwyzer 521 n. 5), PN <b class="b3">Μεγιστ-ώ</b> f. (Emp. [personification], pap.), <b class="b3">-ίας</b>, <b class="b3">-εύς</b> (Boßhardt 92); <b class="b3">μεγιστεύω</b> <b class="b2">be(come) very great</b> (App.).<br />Origin: IE [Indo-European] [708] <b class="b2">*meǵh₂-</b><br />Etymology: With <b class="b3">μέγα</b>, <b class="b3">μέγας</b> agrees Arm. [[mec]] [[great]], instr. <b class="b2">meca-w</b>, (<b class="b2">a-</b>stem); also Skt. <b class="b2">máhi</b> n. [[great]] (with h from <b class="b2">-gh₂-</b>; cf. below) can be equated as IE <b class="b2">*mégh₂-</b>. In Germanic the word lives on in OWNo. <b class="b2">mjǫk</b> [[very]], PGm. <b class="b2">*meḱu</b>, with secondary <b class="b2">-u</b> after <b class="b2">*felu</b>, Goth. [[filu]] [[many]] (s. <b class="b3">πολύς</b>). A reshaping after the <b class="b2">i-</b>stems shows Hitt. <b class="b2">me-ik-ki</b> n. [[very]], <b class="b2">-iš</b> [[great]]. Here also the Illyr. PN <b class="b2">Mag-aplinus</b> (Krahe IF 57, 117 f.). -- The final <b class="b3">-α</b> from <b class="b2">-h₂</b> is the zero grade of <b class="b2">-ā</b> in Skt. <b class="b2">mahā-</b> [[great]] (as 1. member), <b class="b2">mahā-nt-</b> <b class="b2">id.</b>; the effect of a laryngeal (<b class="b2">h₂</b>) after g was aspiration in Skt (with [[gh]] > h . As innovations to <b class="b3">μέγα</b>, <b class="b3">μέγας</b>, <b class="b3">-αν</b> are immediately understandable; the other forms have an <b class="b2">l-</b>enlargement which makes the inflexion easier, which is found in Germanic, e.g. Goth. [[mikils]] [[grat]] (PGm. <b class="b2">*mekilaz</b>) and in the synonymous Lith. <b class="b2">dìdelis</b> [[grat]] (from <b class="b2">dìdis</b> <b class="b2">id.</b>). Against the assumption of a common origin (Brugmann, Osthoff, Schulze a. o.) Walde(-P.) 2, 257, who rather assumes independent innovations (after <b class="b3">χθαμαλός</b> resp. from <b class="b2">*mikins</b>; rather then with Thurneysen KZ 48, 61 after [[leitils]] [[small]]). -- Further forms, for Greek uninteresting, in WP. 2, 257ff., Pok. 708f., W.-Hofmann s. [[magnus]]. Cf. <b class="b3">ἀγα-</b>. On <b class="b3">μεγαίρω</b> s. v.