μεῖραξ: Difference between revisions

|Definition=ᾰκος, ἡ, <span class="sense"><span class="bld">A</span> [[young girl]], [[lass]] (cf. Phryn.187), <span class="bibl">Cratin.301</span>, <span class="bibl">Ar. <span class="title">Th.</span>410</span>, <span class="bibl"><span class="title">Ec.</span>611</span>, <span class="bibl"><span class="title">Pl.</span>1071</span>, <span class="bibl">1079</span>, <span class="bibl">Xenarch.4.3</span>, <span class="bibl">Men.<span class="title">Pk.</span>14</span>: used as fem. of men, [[qui muliebria patiuntur]], <span class="bibl">Cratin.55</span>, <span class="bibl">Luc.<span class="title">Sol.</span>5</span>: in later writers masc., [[boy]], [[lad]], Herod.Med. in <span class="title">Rh.Mus.</span>58.109, <span class="bibl">Aret.<span class="title">SD</span> 1.13</span>, <span class="bibl">Hld.4.19</span>. (Cf. Skt. <b class="b2">maryakás</b> 'manikin', <b class="b2">máryas</b> 'young man'.)</span>

|etymtx=Grammatical information: f.<br />Meaning: [[girl]] (Com.), late also m. [[boy]] (Aret., Hld.).<br />Compounds: <b class="b3">φιλο-μεῖραξ</b> m. f. [[loving boys]] (Ath., Paus.).<br />Derivatives: Diminut. : 1. [[μειράκιον]] n. [[youth]], [[younger man]] (Hp., Att.) with <b class="b3">μειρακι-ώδης</b> [[youthful]] (Pl., Arist.), <b class="b3">-όομαι</b> [[become adolescent]] (X., Ph., Ael.), <b class="b3">-εύομαι</b> <b class="b2">id., behave as a youth</b> (Arr., Plu., Luc.), also <b class="b3">μειρακ-εύομαι</b> (Alciphr. 2, 2). 2. [[μειρακίσκος]] m., also <b class="b3">-η</b> f. [[boy]], [[girl]] (Att.; Chantraine Form. 409). 3. [[μειρακύλλιον]] <b class="b2">id.</b> (Com.; cf. Leumann Glotta 32, 215 a. 225 = Kl. Schr. 242 u. 250).<br />Origin: IE [Indo-European] [738] <b class="b2">*meri̯o-</b> <b class="b2">young (girl or man)</b><br />Etymology: On the fem. gender cf. [[δέλφαξ]], [[πόρταξ]], [[σκύλαξ]] (also m.). We must start from a noun, perhaps <b class="b3">*μεῖρος</b> (cf. [[λίθαξ]] : [[λίθος]] a. o.), which agrees with Skt. <b class="b2">márya-</b> m. [[youth]], [[lover]], Av. <b class="b2">mairya-</b> (meaning unclear); and, with thematic <b class="b2">k-</b>suffix (independent of [[μεῖραξ]] [[pace]] Wackernagel-Debrunner II: 2, 540, Chantraine Études 160 m. A.1?), <b class="b2">marya-ká-</b> [[small man]]. The diminutive derivv. in Greek ousted the basic word. A fem. <b class="b3">*μεῖρα</b> (like [[στεῖρα]]) may be also considered. -- As remote cognates are adduced Lith. <b class="b2">mergà</b> [[girl]] and, with diff. vowel, Alb. <b class="b2">shemërë</b> f. [[by-wife]] (from <b class="b2">*sm̥-m_erī</b>), Lith. <b class="b2">martì</b> f. [[bride]], [[young woman]] (cf. <b class="b3">Βριτό-μαρτις</b>? s. v.); further still the unclear Lat. [[marītus]] [[with wife]], [[spouse]], s. W.-Hofmann s. v. Further details also in WP. 2, 281, Pok. 738f.; Fraenkel Wb. s. <b class="b2">martì</b> and <b class="b2">mergà</b>. Several hypotheses on the formation by Specht Ursprung 124, 148 a. 210.