κήρ: Difference between revisions

|etymtx=κηρός<br />Grammatical information: f.<br />Meaning: [[death]], [[doom]], often personified <b class="b2">goddess or demon of death</b> (Il.), in plur. <b class="b2">types of death, accidents</b>; see Nilsson Gr. Rel. 1, 222ff., v. Wilamowitz Glaube 1, 271ff.<br />Compounds: Compp. z. B. <b class="b3">κηρεσσι-φόρητος</b> <b class="b2">by the Keres driven (into death)</b> (Q 527; Schwyzer 446, Pfister Würzb. Jb. 3, 406f.), <b class="b3">κηρι-τρεφεῖς</b> <b class="b2">brought up for death</b> ([[ἄνθρωποι]], Hes. Op. 418), <b class="b3">κηρο-τρόφος</b> <b class="b2">feeding death, deadly</b> ([[ὄφις]], Nic. Th. 192); <b class="b3">ἐπί-κηρος</b> <b class="b2">fallen to death</b> (Hp., Arist., hell.); also <b class="b3">ἀ-κήρ-ατος</b> with [[ἀκηράσιος]] and <b class="b3">ἀ-κήρ-ιος</b> [[unharmed]], s. 1. [[ἀκήρατος]] and Sommer Nominalkomp. 152 .<br />Derivatives: <b class="b3">κηρέσιον ὀλέθριον</b>, [[νοσηρόν]] H. (after [[θεσπέσιος]]); [[κηραίνω]] [[damage]], [[destroy]] (A. Supp. 999, Ph.; after [[πημαίνω]]), [[κηρόομαι]] [[be injured]] (EM).<br />Origin: PG [a word of Pre-Greek origin]<br />Etymology: A root noun, which has been derived from [[κεραΐζω]]; Sanskrit and Celtic have a root aorist (s. on [[κεραΐζω]]); so [[κήρ]] would prop. be an agent noun "the destroyer". The disyll. root however, is a problem: we would expect <b class="b3">*κηρας</b> (cf. [[γῆρας]] < <b class="b2">*ǵerh₂-s</b>). Problematic is further the long vowel [[α]] in Alc. ([[κᾶρι]] B 6 A 7) and Alcm. ([[κᾶρα]] Fr. 56; trad. [[κάραν]]), PGr. <b class="b3">*κάρ</b> (cf. <b class="b3">κάρ θάνατος</b> H.). Also <b class="b3">καριῶσαι ἀποκτεῖναι</b> and <b class="b3">ἐκαρίωσας ἀπέκτεινας</b> H. have [[α]] which will have been long (there is no evidence for short [[α]]. Then we have the old Attic saying <b class="b3">θύραζε Κᾶρες</b>, <b class="b3">οὑκ ἔτ</b>' [[Ἀνθεστήρια]]. That [[Κᾶρες]] meant [[Carians]], i.e. [[slaves]] is clearly an aetological story invented to explain the [[α]]. See also Brunel PPh. 41 (1967) 81-104.) Opposed to [[κᾶρι]], [[κᾶρα]] in Alc. and Alcm. stand [[κῆρες]] and [[κήρ]] both in Pi. Fr. 277 and in the choral songs of the tragedy. The suggestion of an ablauting paradigm [[κήρ]], <b class="b3">*καρός</b> (not retained in <b class="b3">ἐν καρὸς αἴσῃ</b>, s. [[καρός]]) with a secondary nom. <b class="b3">*κάρ</b> (Ehrlich Sprachgesch. 9f.) cannot be maintained. The conclusion is that the long [[α]] is original; the [[η]] is simply the IA development of the long [[α]] (which was spread over a larger area). The word, then, is Pre-Greek, as may be expected for such an archaic idea: there is no IE root <b class="b2">*kar-</b>. Beekes, xxx, 200x, ppp - ppp. Lee Glotta 39 (1961) 191-207 and Ramat Arch. glottol. it. 50 (1965) 137ff. derive the word from [[κείρω]], which is hardly probable.