ματαίωμα

ματαίωμα, ατος, τό (s. μάταιος) emptiness, worthlessness τὰ μ. τοῦ αἰῶνος τούτου the worthless things of this age Hm 9:4; Hs 5, 3, 6.—DELG s.v. μάτη.

Grammatical information: f.

Meaning: roughly `fault, folly' (Stesich., A., S.), also ματίη `id.' (κ 79, A. R.), metr. useful transformation (Porzig Satzinhalte 204 a. 70, Scheller Oxyronierung 39 w. n. 1). -- μάτην adv. `idly, vainly, without reason' (h. Cer.).

Derivatives: 1. μάταιος `idly, empty, foolish, rash' (IA.) with ματαιό-της (hell.), - σύνη (Polem. Phgn.) `idleness etc.' and the denominatives: a) ( ἀπο-) ματαΐζω (Hdt., J.), ματᾳζω (A., S.; on the phonetics etc. Schwyzer 265 a. 736) `talk nonsense, act foolishly', also - αιάζω `id.' (hell.); b) ματαιόομαι, - όω `render to puposelessness, act foolishly' (LXX, NT) with ματαίωμα (Hermas). -- 2. ματάω, aor. ματῆσαι `do in vain, miss, be useless' (Il.).

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

Etymology: The difficulty, to define exactly the original meaning of the verbal noun μά-τη (on its formation Fraenkel Nom. sg. 2, 115) and the fossilized acc. μάτην which originated from there (Schwyzer 621), makes searching for a convincing etymology almost impossible. The connection with some Slavic words, e.g. Pol. mat-am, mat-ać `swindel, turn, lie, deceive', Sbcr. mat-am, - ati `allure, attract' (Bq, WP. 2, 219f., Pok. 693 with Prellwitz and Zubatý) has clearly a minimal value; cf. Vasmer Wb. s. matošítь, where the Slavic words are estimated differently. S. also on μηνύω. Different proposals in Bq. - Fur. 88 n. 476 reminds that words for stupid, foolish are often Pre-Greek (also 242, 339; cf. ματταβος ὁ μωρός Η.; also words in - αιος are often Pre-Greek.

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