οἰστρ-ήεις

οἰστρ-ήεις, εσσα, εν,

A stinging to madness, Opp.C.2.423, Nonn.D.5.328.

II [voice] Pass., stung to madness, ib.21.188, al.

Grammatical information: m.

Meaning: `gadfly, Tabanus bovinus' (χ 300, A., Arist.), also of a water-insect and a bird (Arist. perh. Sylvia trochilus; cf. Whitfield ClassRev. 69, 12f.), `sting, prick' (S., E.), `rage, madness, fierce desire' (Hdt., Pl., S., E.).

Compounds: Compp., e.g. οἰστρο-πλήξ, - γος `stung by a gadly, driven by anger' (trag., of Io, also of the Bacchantes).

Derivatives: οἰστρ-ώδης `enraged' (Pl., Epicur.), - ήεις `full of sting, stinging, stung' (Opp., Nonn.; cf. Schwyzer 527), - ηδόν `with rage' (Opp.); οἰστρ-άω (on the formation Schwyzer 731), also - έω (Theoc., Luc., Jul.), - ῆσαι (trag., Pl., Arist.), also with ἀν-, ἐξ-, παρ-, δι-, `to rouse; to rage, to roar' with οἴστρ-ημα n. `sting' (S., AP), ( παρ-)-ησις f. `rage, passion' ( Corp. Herm., PMag. Par.); backformation πάροιστρος `enraged, mad' (Simp.).

Origin: IE [Indo-European] [209] * h(₁)eis- `bring in movement' ; or * h₃eis-?

Etymology: In the barytonesis agreeing with κέστρος, χύτρος a. o. (cf. Schwyzer 531 f.) οἶσ-τρος must orig. be a nom. instr. or -- what amounts to the same thing -- a nom. agentis. If, as seems probable, cognate with οἶμα (\< *οἶσ-μα) and like this derived from a verb `put in vehement movement, urge, irritate', the word meant originally "urger, irritator". The actual meanings `gadfly', `sting', `anger' can therefor go hand in hand (cf. v.Wilamowitz Glaube 1, 273); the changing meaning was still favoured by the myth of Io. -- An identical formation, except for the gender, is Lith. aistrà f. `vehement passion'; further cognates s. οἶμα; cf. also ὀϊστός w. lit. -- Diff. F. Hartmann KZ 54, 289 w. n. 1: to οἶδος, οἰδέω, OHG eittar `poison' etc. as `who causes an ulcer'; to be rejected. S. also Gil Fernandez Nombres de insectos 157. -- In ἰστυάζει ὀργίζεται H. Fick KZ 43, 136 wanted to find a parallel zero grade τυ-derivation *ἰσ-τύ-ς.

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