νηπ-ύτιος

Grammatical information: adj.

Meaning: `still unmündig, young, weak, childish, unwise, foolish' (Il.).

Compounds: As 1. member a.o. in νηπιό-φρων `childish being, thoughtless' (Str.).

Derivatives: νηπιέη f. `childishness, childish behaviour, thoughtlessness' (Hom.) with Aeol. - έη for - ίη, prob. after ἠνορέη (Leumann Hom. Wörter 110 A. 72, Chantraine Gramm. hom. 1, 83, Porzig Satzinhalte 206); after it νηπίεος = νήπιος (Opp.); νηπιότης f. `childishness' (Pl., Arist.); νηπιάζω `be childish' (Hp. Ep., Erinn., 1 Ep. Kor. 14, 20 u.a.). -- Expressive enlargements: 1. νηπίαχος `id.' (Il.; Chantraine Form. 403) with - αχεύω `be childish, play childrens plays' (X 502, verse-end; metr. conditioned, Chantraine Gramm. hom. 1, 95 a. 368), - άχω `id.' (A. R., Mosch., Opp.), prob. after στενάχω, ἰάχω; s. also Schwyzer 722f. -- 2. νηπύτιος `id.' (Il., Ar. Nu. 868, Orph.) mit - ίη (A. R.), - ιεύομαι (AP); cf. below.

Origin: XX [etym. unknown]

Etymology: Unexplained. Unconvincing attempts by Osthoff MU 4, 66f. a. 86f. (s. Bq and WP. 2, 13) and Specht KZ 56, 122f.: to ἀνηπελίη ἀσθένεια H., ὀλιγηπελέων (s.v.) etc. (agreeing Fraenkel, e.g. Gnomon 21, 39; doubts by Kretschmer Glotta 20, 253); in νηπ-ύτιος Specht sees a correspondence with the Lith. diminutive suffix - utis (e.g. maž-ùtis `small'). Not better Lacroix Mél. Desrousseaux 261ff.: from ν(ε)- `not' and ἔπιος; Pisani Arch. glottol. it. 31, 49ff.: from ν(ε)- and *ἄπιος (to Lat. apiscor etc.) [Note that Greek has no certain instances of νε-'.

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