πόλις μερόπων ἀνθώπων

Grammatical information: pl.

Meaning: adjunct of ἄνθρωποι (Hom.), βροτοί (Β 285), after these of λαοί (A. Supp. 90 [lyr.]) and, as subst., = ἄνθρωποι (trag., hell. a. late poets); also = οἱ ἄφρονες ὑπὸ Εὑβοέων ( Gloss. Oxy. 1802, 48). Further as peoplesname (Pi.) und as name of a bird (Arist., Plu.); cf. below.

Compounds: μεροπο-σπόρος `procreating men' (Man.).

Derivatives: μεροπήϊος `human' (Man., Opp.).

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

Etymology: Meaning, and so origin unknown. Several hypotheses, with diff. IE connections: `who has a thinking aspect' (to μέρμερος a. cogn.; Bechtel Lex. s.v.); `who has the appearance of a mortal' (to βροτός, morior etc.; Bréal MSL 13, 105); `who looks on death' (Runes IF 52, 216f.); `with luminous face' (to μαρμαίρω, Lat. merus; Tucker Class Quart. 16, 102, Ribezzo RIGI 11,238); `with brilliant eyes' (Carnoy, Beitr. z. Namenforsch. 7, 121; thus in the name of the constellation Μερόπη, on which Scherer 123 [rhime beside Άστερόπη], and in Μέροψ); `der Geifer' = `robber'. resp. `who understands' (to μάρπτω; Fick KZ 20, 172); speaking `articulated' (" διὰ τὸ μεμερισμένην ἔχειν την ὄπα, ἤγουν την φωνήν" H.). Still diff. Chantraine Mél. Cumont 121ff.: code for γηγενής `earthborn' after the bird μέροψ `bee-eater', who puts his eggs in holes in the earth; against this Leumann Hom. Wörter 214 n. 8; s. also BSL p. XIV (discussionreport). The bird was rather called after the Μέροπες who live in holes of the earth on Kos. -- On the animal- and peoples-names in - οψ (- ωψ) like δρύοψ, Δρύοπες, πάρνοψ, Δόλοπες etc. Schwyzer 426 w. n. 4, Chantraine Form. 259. Koller, Glotta 46(1968)14-26 who starts from hAp. 4 with the formula πόλις μερόπων ἀνθώπων, said of Kos; it would have meant `a city of mortal men'. Further Ramat, Acad. Toscana La Colombaria 1960, 131 - 157, and Riv. fil. cl.1962, 150. Cf. ἀέροψ; the relation between this word and Μέροψ is unclear (Fur. 246). - As the suffix is probably non-IE., so will be the whole word; i.e. prob. Pre-Greek

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