διφθέρα: Difference between revisions

|Definition=ἡ,<br><span class="bld">A</span> [[prepare]]d [[hide]], [[piece]] of [[leather]], Hdt.1.194; ἐκ διφθερέων πεποιημέναι κυνέαι Id.7.77; [[διφθέραι]], opp. [[δέρρεις]] (hides), Th.2.75; of a [[drum]], Hero Aut.20.4; esp. as writing-material, τὰς βύβλους διφθέρας καλέουσι ἀπὸ τοῦ παλαιοῦ οἱ Ἴωνες Hdt.5.58; διφθέραι μελαγγραφεῖς E.Fr.627; διφθέραι βασιλικαί, of [[Persian]] [[record]]s, Ctes. ap. D.S.2.32; διφθέραι ἱεραί, at Carthage, Plu.2.942c; χαλκαῖ διφθέραι, ib. 297a, cf. Sch.Il.1.175: [[proverb|prov.]], [[ἀρχαιότερα τῆς διφθέρας λέγεις]] = you [[speak]] things [[old]]er than the [[leather]] [[scroll]] Diogenian.3.2; used for bindings, διφθέρας περιβάλλειν (sc. [[βιβλίοις]]) Luc.Ind.16.<br><span class="bld">II</span> anything made of [[leather]], [[leathern]] [[jerkin]], Ar.Nu.72, Pl.Cri.53d, SIG 1259.6 (iv B. C.), Men.Epit.12, Luc. Tim.6,38, Arr.An.7.9.2, etc.; properly, of [[goatskin]], opp. [[μηλωτή]], Ammon.Diff.p.44 V.<br><span class="bld">2</span> [[wallet]], [[bag]], X.An.5.2.12, Lib.Or.58.5.<br><span class="bld">3</span> pl., [[skins used as tents]], X.An. 1.5.10, Phylarch.41 J.

|etymtx=Grammatical information: f.<br />Meaning: [[prepared skin]], [[hide]], [[leather]], also leather objects (Ion.-Att.);<br />Dialectal forms: Myc. [[diptera]] ([[diptera₃]]) [[leather]] /[[diphthera]]/; [[dipteraporo]] /[[diphthera-phoros]]?/<br />Derivatives: Diminut. [[διφθέριον]] (Theognost.); [[διφθερίς]] = [[διφθέρα]] (AP); [[διφθέρωμα]] <b class="b2">id.</b> (Thd.;); [[διφθερίας]] <b class="b2">man in leathern jerkin, landmann etc.</b> (Com.; Chantraine 93); f. [[διφθερῖτις]] (Poll.; Redard Les noms grecs en <b class="b3">-της</b> 114); [[διφθεράριος]] [[pergamentmaker]] (Edict. Diocl. Asin.); [[διφθέρινος]] <b class="b2">made of δ., leathern</b> (X.). - Denomin. [[διφθερόομαι]] [[be dressed in hides]] (Str.). Note <b class="b3">διψάρα δέλτος</b>, <b class="b3">οἱ δε διφθέρα</b> H. (cf Schwyzer 326).<br />Origin: PG [a word of Pre-Greek origin]<br />Etymology: To [[δέφω]], [[δέψω]] (de Saussure MSL 7, 91). [[ε]]/[[ι]] is frequent in Pre-Greek (there was no phoneme [[e]]). [[δίψαρα]] shows typical Pre-Greek variation. Fur. 308, 326. - On Iranian LW [loanword] from [[διφθέρα]], i.e. NPers. [[daftar]] [[office]], s. Bailey, Trans. Phil. Soc. 1933, 50. From here Lat. [[littera]], perhaps via Etruscan (cf. <b class="b3">διφθεραλοιφός γραμματοδιδάσκαλος παρὰ Κυπρίοις Η</b>.)

|mdlsjtxt=[[διφθέρα]], ἡ, <i>n</i> <i>n</i> [[δέφω]]<br /><b class="num">I.</b> a [[prepared]] [[hide]], tanned [[skin]], [[piece]] of [[leather]], Hdt.; opp. to [[δέρρις]] (an [[undressed]] [[hide]]), Thuc.:— διφθέραι were used for [[writing]]-[[material]] in [[ancient]] times, [[before]] [[papyrus]] came in, Hdt.<br /><b class="num">II.</b> a [[leathern]] [[garment]] [[such]] as peasants wore, Ar., Plat.<br /><b class="num">2.</b> a [[wallet]], bag, Xen.<br /><b class="num">3.</b> in plural skins used as tents, Xen.