σφήκη

σφῆκος, εος, τό, acc. pl. σφήκη, perh.

A strings (of figs), PCair.Zen. 99.3, 544.3 (iii B.C.).

Grammatical information: m.

Meaning: `wasp' (Il.).

Other forms: Dor. (Theoc.) -ᾱκός m.

Derivatives: I. σφηκ-ιά f. `wasp-nest' (S., E., Ar., LXX a.o.; Scheller Oxytonierung 68). 2. - ίον n. `comb in a wasp's nest' (Arist., Thphr. a.o.); ἐπι-σφήκ-ιον n. meaning unknown (Delos III^a). 3. - ίσκος m. `pointed wood, rafter etc.' (Ar., Arist., inscr. a.o.). 4. - ίας m. `id.' (Pherecr.), also name of a verse (Ps.-Plu.; cf. σφηκικός, σφηκώδης). 5. - ειον n. `wasp-like insect' (Nic.). 6. - εια f. old name of the island Cyprus (Lyc., H.). 7. - ικός `wasp-like', name of a verse (Eust.), - ώδης `id.' (Ar. a.o.), also name of a verse (sch.). 8. - ισμός εἶδος αὑλή-σεως, εἰρημένον ἀπὸ τῆς ἐμφερείας τῶν βομ\<β\>ῶν H. (: *σφη-κίζω). 9. - ίωσις κηρία σφηκῶν H. (: σφηκ-ίον, *-ιόω). 10. Unclear σφηκός = σφηκώδης (S. Fr. 29), σφήξ λόφου τὸ ἄκρον τοῦ λόφου κτλ. H.; σφήκη n. pl. meaning unknown (pap. III<sup>a</sup>). II. Usual denom. - όομαι, - όω, often w. prefix, e.g. ἀπο-, δια-, ἐπι-, `to be contracted, bound in the middle, esp. to contract, to bind' (P52, Ar., hell. a. late epic, late prose) with - ωμα n. `point of a helmet' (S., Ar.), `cord, cable' (pap. III^a etc.).

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

Etymology: On the formation cf. μύρμηξ, σκώληξ (s. vv.). Unexplained. Tempting, but morpholog. difficult is the comparison with σφήν (Solmsen Wortforsch. 129 w. n. 1, Grošelj Živa Ant. 4, 176). Other proposal: to σφάκελος referring to the constricted body (Persson Beitr. 1, 396 n. 1 asking); to ψήν `gall-insect', ψῆν `rub' (Hofmann Et. Wb. with Specht Ursprung 45); on the supposed metathesis etc. Hiersche Ten. aspiratae 189 f. On the certainly wrong combination with Lat. vespa a. cogn. (since Pott) s. Curtius 382 a. Bq; thus Georgiev Word 3, 77 ff. Older attempts (w. lit.) in Bq. -- Furnée 393 compares ψήν and concludes that the word is Pre-Greek; the conclusion is certainly right.

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