οἰωνευτής

Grammatical information: m.

Meaning: `bird of prey, which is observed by the soothsayer' (Il.), `prognosticating bird, omen' (Il., also in prose).

Other forms: ὀϊωνός Trypho; also Alcm. 60 B 6?).

Compounds: As 1. member a.o. in οἰωνο-πόλος m. `interpreter of birds' (Il., Pi., A. in lyr.; D. H. = augur).

Derivatives: οἰωνίζομαι, rarely w. prefix as μετ-, ἐξ-, `to observe the prognosticating bird or the auspices, to deem an omen, to tell fortunes' (X, D., hell.) with οἰων-ιστής m. `bird-interpreter, augur' (Il., Hes. Sc., D. H.), - ιστικός `belonging to the bird- interpreter or to soothsaying' (Pl., Arist.), - ισμα n. `omen' (E., LXX), - ισμός m. `id.' (LXX, Plu.), - ιστήριον n. `omen' (X. Ap. 12; prob. after τεκμήριον), `place for observing birds, augurale' (D.H.); οἰωνευτής = οἰωνιστής (pap., as if from *οἰωνεύω; cf. Kalbfleisch RhM 94, 96).

Origin: IE [Indo-European]X [probably] [86] *h₂eu̯is `bird'

Etymology: Explanation debated. Because of the equally built υἱωνός (: υἱύς υἱός) prob. best from a nominal basis; therefore already by Benfey (s. Curtius 391) connected with the IE word for `bird' in Lat. avis, Skt. vi-ṣ a.o. (and αἰετός), with ὀ- for a- in avis a. o. explained by Schulze Kl. Schr. 662 and J. Schmidt KZ 32, 374 as vowelassimilation. By others together with οἶμα, οἶστρος, ὀιστός (s. vv. w. lit., also οἴομαι) connected with a verb `put in vehement motion' with οἰ- either from οἰσ- (e.g. Brugmann IF 17, 487f.) or from ὀ-ισ- (Brugmann IF 29, 233f.). Further lit. in Bq; s. also Belardi Doxa 3, 215 f. and Schmeja IF 68, 35 f. (who connects ᾠόν). - One might reconstruct *h₂ou-i-ōn.

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