μέστακα την μεμασημένην τροφήν

μέστακα· τὴν μεμασημένην τροφήν, Hsch.; cf. μάσταξ.

Grammatical information: f.

Meaning: `mouth, mouthfull, morsel' (I 324), also metaph. `locust' (S. Fr. 716, Nic.; after Clitarch. ap. EM 216, 9 Ambraciotic), because of its voracity (cf. Strömberg Wortstudien 17 f.).

Derivatives: μαστάζω `chew' (Nic. Th. 918), συμ μάσταξ ( Hippiatr.), with expressive byforms: 1. μασταρύζω (v. l. - ίζω) `chew fervently, without uttering a word' (of an old man, Ar. Ach. 689); cf. μασταρίζειν μαστιχᾶσθαι. καὶ τρέμειν. η σφοδρῶς η κακῶς μασᾶσθαι H., μαστηρύζειν τὸ κακῶς μασᾶσθαι Phot.; formation like κελαρύζω, βατταρίζω etc. 2. μαστιχάω, only ptc. dat. sg. μαστιχόωντι (Hes. Sc. c389, verse-end) `from anger chew violently' = `grind the teeth, foam' (of a boar), μαστιχᾶσθαι H. s. μασταρίζειν (s. above; example ?); backformation μαστίχη f. `the resin of the mastixtree' (Com. Adesp., Thphr.) with μαστίχ-ινος (Dsc.), - ηρά f. `plaster from mastich' (Aet.; after ἐλαιηρός etc.; Chantraine Form. 232 f.).

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

Etymology: Both μάσταξ and μαστάζω, which must not belong to each other directly, go back on a τ-derivation beside the yot-present μασάομαι (from *μαθ-ι̯-?), μασ-τ- (from *μαθ-τ-?), of which the function remains unknown. With μαστάζω cf. βαστάζω, κλαστάζω (: κλά[σ]-ω) a. o. (Schwyzer 706); with the popular μάσταξ e.g. πόρταξ (: πόρτις), μύλαξ (: μύλος); on this Chantraine Form. 377ff. The in the vowel deviating μέστακα την μεμασημένην τροφήν H. has certainly no (IE) old full grade * menth-to- (since Froehde BB 7, 330), but is just folketymologically re-shaped after μεστός ('mouthfull'). So if we start from μαθ-, the word is prob. of Pre-Greek origin.

See also: -- Weiteres s. μασάομαι.

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