εἶτα+ἀμνόν

Grammatical information: m.

Meaning: `ram' (Il.). Cf. ἀρνειός· ὁ τριετης κριός H. Also Pausanias 159 Erbse who cites Istros ἄρνα, εἶτα ἀμνόν, εἶτα ἀρνειόν, εἶτα λιπογνώμονα.

Other forms: for ἀρνηός s. below

Dialectal forms: Att. ἀρνεώς m.

Derivatives: Fem. pl. ἀρνηάδες, - άδων (Aeol., Del.³ 644, 15).

Origin: XX [etym. unknown]

Etymology: Att. ἀρνεώς shows that the form must have been *ἀρνηός, which is confirmed by ἀρνηάδες (Wackernagel Akzent 32); the form with ε in Homer had to be read long. The old connection with (Ϝ)ἀρήν was rejected by Meillet IF 5, 328f., because of the meaning and because the word had no digamma. He explained it as *ἀρσν-ηϜός, to ἄρσην, as the male animal, cf. ὄιν ἀρνειόν as opposed to θῆλυν κ 572. Rather from a verb *ἀρνευω, which is confirmed by ἀρνευτήρ (s.v.); s. Bechtel Lex. As the glosses indicate, it was a designation for a certain age (Benveniste BSL 45, 103).

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