κερ-στομος

Grammatical information: v.

Meaning: `taunt, insult, mock, ridicule' (almost only poetic, Il.).

Other forms: aor. (rare) κερτομῆσαι.

Compounds: also with ἐπι-; φιλο-κέρτομος `loving mockery' (χ 287, Theoc., APl.);

Derivatives: Also κέρτομος `insulting, slandering' (pöet. Hes. Op. 788) with κερτομίαι pl. `mockery, slander' (Hom.; diff. Porzig Satzinhalte 207f.); also with ιο-suffix κερτόμιος `id.' (Hom., S. in lyr.), κερτόμησις (S. Ph. 1236). From ἐπικερτομέω: ἐπικερτόμ-ημα (Demetr.), - ησις (Hdn.) and as back-formation ἐπικέρτομος (Q. S.).

Origin: PG [a word of Pre-Greek origin]

Etymology: Expressive word of unknown origin. Acc. to Prellwitz Wb. s. v. univerbation of κείρειν and τέμνειν (cf. the formations in Schwyzer 645; s. also on λοιδορέω); similar, but in detail unclear, Radermacher Festschrift Kretschmer 149ff. Brugmann IF 15, 97f. assumes *κέρ-στομος `having a mocking mouth' (cf. ἐΰ-στομος) also from κείρειν (s. also Benveniste Origines 68 and on σκερβόλλω). Acc. to others (cf. W.-Hofmann s. carinō) the group of κάρνη was also involved in the formation of the 1. element. Diff. again Pisani Ist. Lomb. 77, 583. - Whether κέρτομος was the basis of κερτομέω seems doubtful; it was rather a backformation (cf. Risch 181). - Fur. 349 reminds of καρτομιστής χλευαστής H. (`mocker'). The variant vocalism shows Pre-Greek origin. The root has been connected with Lat. carināre, and the words cited under κάρνη. Schrijver, Larr. in Latin, 429 is no doubt right to connect the group σκερβόλλω, - βολέω, κερβόλλουσα `insult, mock, slander', which is again connected with ( σ)κέραφος, σχέραφος. All these words are clearly Pre-Greek (thus also Schrijver). The second elements are unknown; are they compounds? Fur. 349 n. 46 suggest σ comparison with Hitt. kartimmii̯a `be angry', kartimnu `get angry', though the meaning is not exactly the same. (Wrong therefore Perpillou RPh. LXXV (2001)145f.)

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κερτόμιος ( [suff] κερτόμεος EM102.46), ον,

A mocking, taunting,

κερτομίοις ἐπέεσσιν πειρηθῆναι Od.24.240

;

Δία Κρονίδην ἐρεθίζειν Il.5.419

; simply

κερτομίοισι Δία προσηύδα 1.539

, cf. Od.9.474;

κ. ὀργαῖς S.Ant. 956

(lyr.); ἐν κ. γλώσσαις ib. 962 (lyr.). (Perh. for ([etym.] ς) κερ-στομος, cf. σκέραφος, κέραφος.)