μειδ-ιάω

Grammatical information: v.

Meaning: `smile', in Hom. only ptc. - ιόων, - ιόωσα, later also inf. - ιᾶν (Pl.) and indic. forms (e.g. μειδιᾳ̃ Theoc.); aor. μειδ-ιᾶσαι (Sapph., Pl., Plb., Plu.), - ῆσαι (Il.),

Compounds: Also with prefix like ἐπι-, ὑπο-. Also φιλο-(μ)μειδής (from - σμ-; s. below) `friendly smiling', esp. of Aphrodite (Il.), as if from μεῖδος γέλως H., but perh. directly from the verb ; s. below. On Hes. Th. 200 see Risch, Festgabe Howald, 1947, 76 and Strunk Glotta 38(1960) 70 but also Dornseiff, Ant. Class. 6(1937)247, and Heubeck, Beitr. Namenforschung 16(1965)204-6; s. DELG.

Derivatives: μείδημα n. `smiling' (Hes.), - ίαμα `id.' (Luc., Plu.), ( ἐπι-) μειδίασις (Plu.), - ίασμα (H.), - ιασμός (Poll., Sch.), τὸ μειδιαστικόν `cheerfulness' (sch.); μειδ-ά̄μων `smiling' (Hymn. Is.).

Origin: IE [Indo-European] [967] * smei- `laught, smile'

Etymology: The relation between these forms is not clear. The present μειδ-ιάω, with the aor. μειδιᾶσαι, is perh. an epic transformation, perh. starting from ptc. pres. (Schwyzer 727, Chantraine Gramm. hom. 1, 359); the aorist μειδ-ῆσαι may contain an η-enlargement. From a verb can also derive φιλο-(μ)μειδής (Schwyzer 513) with μεῖδος as basisc word concluded from it. But the reversed way is also possible: from μεῖδος partly φιλο-(μ)μειδής, partly as denominative μειδῆσαι and (transformed) μειδ-ιάω. -- In any case all forms have a δ-element, which is secondary as we see when we compare the forms of other languages: Skt. smáyate, -ti `smile', Toch. B smi-mane, A smi-māṃ ptc. midd. `smiling', OCS smějǫ sę, smijati sę `laugh', Latv. smeju, smiêt `laugh (at)' with the Balt. iterative smaidît, with smaĩda `laughing' (so independent of μειδ-; but see DELG). Whether the Greek δ fist arose in a noun or in a verb, cannot be distinguished, as indicated above (cf. Schwyzer 508 f. and 702 f.). -- More forms, e.g. Lat. mīrus, Engl. smile, in WP. 2, 686f., Pok. 967, W.-Hofmann s. mīrus, Vasmer s. smejúsь.

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