λυχν-έλαιον

λυχν-έλαιον, τό,

A lamp-oil, Alex.Trall.1.1.

λυχν-έλαιον, τό, Lampenöl

Grammatical information: m.,

Meaning: `(portable) light, lamp' (τ 34), also as fishname (Str., H., as lat. lucerna ; after its lighting organs, evt after the exterior form, Strömberg Fischnamen 55f.).

Other forms: pl. also τὰ λύχνα, to which sg. λύχνον (cf. Schwyzer-Debrunner 37, Sommer Nominalkomp. 88)

Compounds: Several compp., e.g. λυχνοῦχος m. `lamp-stander, lighter' (com.), also as 2. member as in θερμό-λυχνον = λυχν-έλαιον `lamp-oil' (Att. inscr.).

Derivatives: 1. Diminut.: λυχνάριον (pap.), λυχνίσκος fishname (Luc.; cf. above). 2. name of a lighter: λυχνεῖον (com., Arist., hell. inscr.) with λυχνείδιον (-ί̄διον), λυχνίον, - ιον (Antiph., Theoc., Luc.), also `lamp' (pap.), λυχνία, - έα, - εία (hell.; Scheller Oxytonierung 44 f.). 3. name of the ruby that emits light: λυχνίας λίθος (Pl. Com.), λυχνίτης (Str.), also name of Parian marble, as lamps were made of it (Varro ap. Plin.; s. Redard 56 a. 244 n. 13), λυχνεύς (Callix., H.), also `lighter' (Ath.; Boßhardt 63), λύχνις m. (D. P., Orph. L.), λυχνίς f. (Luc..; cf. 4). 4. plantname: λυχνίς f. `rose campion, Lychnis coronaria' (Thphr., Dsc.; because of the purpur-red colour, Strömberg Pflanzennamen 49), λυχνῖτις f. `candlewick, Verbascum' (Plin., pap., Dsc.), because the leaves were used as wick (Strömberg 106, Redard 73; cf. s. θρύον). 5. Other substant.: λυχνεών, - ῶνος m. `place to keep lamps' (Luc. VH 1, 29), λύχνωμα `lint' (sch. Ar. Ach. 1175, = λαμπάδιον), with nominal basis (Chantraine Formation 187). 6. Adjectives: λυχν-αῖος (Procl.), also - ιαῖος (S. E., Gal.) `belonging to a lamp', - ώδης `lamp-like' (Heph. Astr.). 7. Verb: λυχνεύω `lighten someb.' (Areth. in Apok.).

Origin: IE [Indo-European] [688f] *leuk-sn-ā `moon, stars' etc.

Etymology: Beside λύχνος from *λύκ-σν-ος we have with full grade Av. raox-šn-a- `light, gleaming', OPr. lauxnos pl. `stars', Lat. lūna = Praen. Losna, OCS luna `moon', MIr. luan `light, moon', IE * louk-sn- or * leuk-sn-; the deviating zero grade in λύχνος may be related with the diminished strength of the ου- diphthong in Greek (cf. Schwyzer 347). The words mentioned are all transformations of an old noun with suffixal - sn- from the verb for `lighten, gleam', which is in Greek represented by λεύσσω; s. v. for further relatives (Hitt. luk-zi etc.). As intermediate form served prob. an s-stem (Av. raočah n. `light' from IE * leukos-, Lat. lūmen from * leuks-men- etc.). Quite uncertain is λουνόν λαμπρόν H.; hypotheses by v. Blumenthal Hesychst. 34 and Specht Ursprung 187. On the sn-suffix cf. esp. the synonymous Skt. jyót-sn-ā f. `moonlight'. - A zero grade noun *λυκ- (= Skt. rúc- f. `light') appears in the hypostasis ἀμφι-λύκ-η adjunct of the night H 433 `morning tilight', also as subst. `(morning)twilight' (A. R., Opp.; Bechtel Lex. s. v., also Leumann Hom. Wörter 53); after it also in λυκ-αυγής `lighting in the morning' (Luc.), λυκ-ό-φως, - ωτος n. `twilight' (Ael., H. s. λυκοειδέος, sch.); s. also λυκάβας, also λύσσα. - Schwyzer 489 (on the formation), WP. 2, 408ff., Pok. 687ff., W.-Hofmann s. lūna, Vasmer s. luná I; everywhere more forms a. lit.

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