πυκτ-εύω

πυκτ-εύω, [dialect] Boeot. [pref] πουκτ-,

A box, spar, X.Lac.4.6, D.4.40;

οὕτω πυκτεύω ὡς οὐκ ἀέρα δέρων 1 Ep.Cor.9.26

;

π. καὶ παγκρατιάζειν Pl.Grg. 456d

;

περὶ τεοῦς Ἑρμᾶς ποτ' Ἄρευα π. Corinn.11

; ἐς σὸν κρᾶτα π. strike with the fist on the head, E.Cyc. 229: generally, fight,

ξιφήρη π. Hld.10.31

; of gladiators, Rev.Arch.30(1929).24 ([place name] Gortyn):—[voice] Med.,

πεπύκτευται αὐτόν Philostr.Im.2.19

.

Grammatical information: f.

Meaning: `fist, fist-fight' (Il.); as measure of length = `the distance from the elbow to the knuckles', 18 δάκτυλοι (Thphr., Poll.).

Derivatives: πυγμαῖος `as large as a π., dwarf-like' (Hdt., Arist.), nom. pl. "the fistlings", n. of a fable-tale people of dwarves, which was diff. localised (Γ 6, Hecat. etc.); πυγμ-ικός `belonging to fist-fight' (An. Ox.). Shortname Πυγμᾶς m. (Chantraine Études 18). -- On Πυγμαλίων, prob. popular correction of a foreign word, s. Ruijgh L'élém. ach. 136. -- πυγών, όνος m. measure of length = `the distance from the elbow to the first finger-joint', 20 δάκτυλοι (Hdt., X.); from this πυγούσιος `one π. long' (κ 517 = λ 25, Arat.), prob. analog. (Risch 115); a *πυγοντ- (cf. Schwyzer 526) is not credible; regular πυγον-ιαῖος `id.' (Hp., Thphr. a.o.). -- πύκτης m. `fist-fighter' (Xenoph., Pi., Att.) with πυκτ-ικός `belonging to fist-fight(ers), brave in fist-fight' (Att.), - οσύνη f. `skilfulness in fist-fight' (Xenoph.; Wyss - σύνη 31), - εύω `to be a fist-fighter, to have a fist-fight' (Att., Boeot.) with - ευσις, - ευτής (Gloss.), - εῖον (Suid.); also with analog. λ-enlargement - αλεύω (Sophr.), - αλίζω (Anacr.) `id.'. -- πύξ adv. `with the fist, in a fist-fight' (esp. ep. poet. Il.); from it πυγ-μάχος m. `fist-fighter', - μαχέω, - μαχία, - ίη (ep. poet. Hom.), univerbation from πὺξ μάχεσθαι; cf. Georgacas Glotta 36, 180.

Origin: IE [Indo-European](X) [828] *puḱ-, puǵ- `sting'

Etymology: The above words are all built on an element πυγ-, which function may have been both verbal or nominal. To πυγ-μή cf. in the first instance primary formations like παλάμη (s.v.), στιγ-μή, δραχ-μή, but also the ambivalente ἀκ-μή and he purely nominal ἅλ-μη. Of πυγ-ών remind ἀγκ-ών, λαγ-ών, the first perh. verbal, the last prob. nominal (s. on λαγαίω). Also πύκ-της can be taken both primary and secondarily; for πύξ nominal origin seems most probable (s. Schwyzer 620); cf. still πύξ πυγμή H. -- A corresponding l-deriv. is seen in Lat. pug-il m. `fistfighter', an n-formation in pug-nus m. `fist' (to which pugnāre, pugna; to be connected formally with πυγ-ών?). So we arrive at a Lat.-Gr. pug- `fist'. By Fick, Walde a.o. (s. Bq, WP. 2, 15 and W.-Hofmann s. pugil) this group is further connected with pu-n-g-ō, pu-pug-ī `sting', for which we would have to assume a specialisation of `sting' to `sting with clenched fist and knuckles stretched out forward' = 'box'; so pug- `fist' as suffixless nom. ag. prop. * "the stinger, the boxer"? The (orig.) meaning `sting' can still be seen in Lat. pūgiō `dagger', thus, with final tenuis, in πεύκη a. cogn. (s.v.). -- An original meaning `sting' is rather surprising but Lat. pugio seems a good argument; πεύκη may be unrelated.

Page in Frisk: 2,619-620