ἀ-κήρ-ατος

Grammatical information: f.

Meaning: `death, doom', often personified `goddess or demon of death' (Il.), in plur. `types of death, accidents'; see Nilsson Gr. Rel. 1, 222ff., v. Wilamowitz Glaube 1, 271ff.

Compounds: Compp. z. B. κηρεσσι-φόρητος `by the Keres driven (into death)' (Q 527; Schwyzer 446, Pfister Würzb. Jb. 3, 406f.), κηρι-τρεφεῖς `brought up for death' ( ἄνθρωποι, Hes. Op. 418), κηρο-τρόφος `feeding death, deadly' ( ὄφις, Nic. Th. 192); ἐπί-κηρος `fallen to death' (Hp., Arist., hell.); also ἀ-κήρ-ατος with ἀκηράσιος and ἀ-κήρ-ιος `unharmed', s. 1. ἀκήρατος and Sommer Nominalkomp. 152.

Derivatives: κηρέσιον ὀλέθριον, νοσηρόν H. (after θεσπέσιος); κηραίνω `damage, destroy' (A. Supp. 999, Ph.; after πημαίνω), κηρόομαι `be injured' (EM).

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

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 *κηρας (cf. γῆρας \< *ǵērh₂-s). Problematic is further the long vowel α in Alc. ( κᾶρι B 6 A 7) and Alcm. ( κᾶρα Fr. 56; trad. κάραν), PGr. *κά̄ρ (cf. κάρ θάνατος H.). Also καριῶσαι ἀποκτεῖναι and ἐκαρίωσας ἀπέκτεινας H. have α which will have been long (there is no evidence for short α. Then we have the old Attic saying θύραζε Κᾶρες, οὑκ ἔτ' Άνθεστήρια. 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, *κᾰρός (not retained in ἐν καρὸς αἴσῃ, s. καρός) with a secondary nom. *κά̄ρ (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 *kār-. 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.

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Grammatical information: f.

Meaning: `death, doom', often personified `goddess or demon of death' (Il.), in plur. `types of death, accidents'; see Nilsson Gr. Rel. 1, 222ff., v. Wilamowitz Glaube 1, 271ff.

Compounds: Compp. z. B. κηρεσσι-φόρητος `by the Keres driven (into death)' (Q 527; Schwyzer 446, Pfister Würzb. Jb. 3, 406f.), κηρι-τρεφεῖς `brought up for death' ( ἄνθρωποι, Hes. Op. 418), κηρο-τρόφος `feeding death, deadly' ( ὄφις, Nic. Th. 192); ἐπί-κηρος `fallen to death' (Hp., Arist., hell.); also ἀ-κήρ-ατος with ἀκηράσιος and ἀ-κήρ-ιος `unharmed', s. 1. ἀκήρατος and Sommer Nominalkomp. 152.

Derivatives: κηρέσιον ὀλέθριον, νοσηρόν H. (after θεσπέσιος); κηραίνω `damage, destroy' (A. Supp. 999, Ph.; after πημαίνω), κηρόομαι `be injured' (EM).

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

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 *κηρας (cf. γῆρας \< *ǵērh₂-s). Problematic is further the long vowel α in Alc. ( κᾶρι B 6 A 7) and Alcm. ( κᾶρα Fr. 56; trad. κάραν), PGr. *κά̄ρ (cf. κάρ θάνατος H.). Also καριῶσαι ἀποκτεῖναι and ἐκαρίωσας ἀπέκτεινας H. have α which will have been long (there is no evidence for short α. Then we have the old Attic saying θύραζε Κᾶρες, οὑκ ἔτ' Άνθεστήρια. 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, *κᾰρός (not retained in ἐν καρὸς αἴσῃ, s. καρός) with a secondary nom. *κά̄ρ (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 *kār-. 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.

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κήρ-ωμα, ατος, τό,

A = κηρωτή, wax-salve, cerate, Hp.Acut.(Sp.) 15,33 (both pl.), Orib.Fr.63 (pl.).

2 layer of mud or clay forming the floor of the wrestling-ring in the times of the Empire, Lat. ceroma, locus exercitii utilis.. aequali et molli ceromate stratus, Cael.Aur.Salut.Praec.35 (ed.V.Rose Anecd.Gr.2.199), cf. Plu.2.638c, Plin.HN35.168, Mart.4.19.5, al.; a ceromate nos haphe excepit, out of the mud into the dust, Sen.Ep.57.1: metaph. for the wrestling-ring or wrestling,

ἐν παλαίστραις καὶ κηρώμασι Plu.2.790f

, cf. Plin.HN35.5.

3 waxed tablet or board, IG7.413.59 (S. C. de Orop.).