λιταῖος

λῐτ-αῖος,

A hearing prayer, epith. of Zeus, BCH2.509 (coin of Nicaea); also in form λιδαῖος ib.24.389 (inscr. of Bithynia).

Grammatical information: v.

Meaning: `beg, pray'.

Other forms: (from *λιτ-ι̯ομαι), aor. λιτέσθαι, λίσασθαι (all mostly ep. poet. Il.), new pres. λίτομαι (h. Hom. 16, 5, Ar. in lyr., AP).

Derivatives: 1. λιταί f. pl., rare λιτή sg., `prayer' (Il., Hdt.; on the formation Porzig Satzinhalte 231 f.) with λιταῖος surn. of Zeus (Bithynia I<sup>p</sup>), λιτήσιος `praying' (Nonn.; after ἱκετήσιος. Chantraine Formation 42), λιτάζομαι `pray, beg'. 2. With ν-sufflx: λιτανός `paying' (A.) with λιταίνω `pray' (E.), λιτανεύω `id.' (Il.); λιτανεία f. `entreaty' (LXX, pap., D. H.), - ευτικός `belonging to payer' (sch.). 3. λιτῆρα θαλλόν τὸν ἱκέσιον H. 4. Verbal adj. - λιστος in comp.: τρί-, πολύ-, ἄ-λλιστος `threefold, many-, not prayed for' (Il.; on - λλ-, also in ἐ-λλίσσετο a. o., Chantraine Gramm. hom. 1, 176). - An adj. *λιτός `begging' does not exist, s. Chantraine Rev. de phil. 79, 16ff.

Origin: XX [etym. unknown]

Etymology: Unexplained. Quite uncertain hypothesis in WP. 2, 391 and W.-Hofmann s. litō (after Prellwitz, Wood KZ 45, 65, v. d. Osten-Sacken IF 33, 228 f.): λίσσομαι prop. *"touch flatteringly" to Balt. words for `touch', e.g. Lith. liẽsti, lytė́ti (s. Fraenkel Wb. s. laĩtas). (Further connection with ἀλίνω is impossible.) - Lat. LW lĭtāre `sacrifice under prosperous omina' from * litā \< λιτή ?; on the deviating meaning s. W.-Hofmann s. v.

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