σύρφος

σύρφος· θηρίδιον μικρόν, ὁποῖον ἐμπίς (cf. σέρφος ?), Hsch.

Grammatical information: m.

Meaning: des. of a `small winged insect, gnat, winged ant' (Ar. a.o.);

Other forms: also σύρφος θηρίδιον μικρόν, ὁποῖον ἐμπίς H. (υ-vow. onomatop. as in surren, Lat. susurrus a. o.?); σέριφος m., - ίφη f. `kind of locust' (Zen., Suid.), - ιφον n. = ἀψίνθιον θαλάσσιον (Dsc., Gal.).

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

Etymology: To the animal-names in - φος, - ιφος ( ἔλαφος, ἔριφος a. o.) Schwyzer 495, Chantraine Form. 263, Specht Ursprung 266. Unexplained. Wrong v. Bradke ZDMG 40, 352 a. o. (also Güntert Kalypso 235ff. with new arguments), s. Bq; not better Venmans Mnem. 58, 71 (s. Specht l.c. n. 8, Kretschmer Glotta 21, 181). On the island-name Σέριφος s. Bürcher P. -W. 2, 2, 1729. -- The variation points to a Pre-Greek word, Furnée 384. One would assume for σέρφος\/ σέριφος a form *ser^ybh-os (and even *sar^ybh-os); but σύρφος seems hard to combine with this: one expects here rather * sarʷbh-os; must two words be separated?

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σέρφος, ὁ, a small winged insect, prob. a kind of

A gnat or winged ant, Ar.V. 352 (ubi v. Sch.), Av.82, 569, Nicopho 1, dub. in Phld. Mort.34: prov., ἔνεστι κἀν μύρμηκι κἀν σέρφῳ χολή 'even the gnat has its sting', Sch.Ar.Av.82, V. 352, cf. AP10.49 (Pall.):—written [full] συρφός in Hsch.

Grammatical information: v.

Meaning: `to draw, to trail, to drag, to pull, to ravish, to sweep'(IA.).

Other forms: Aor. σῦραι, pass. σῠρῆναι (late), fut. συρῶ (LXX), perf. σέσυρμαι, - κα (hell. a. late).

Compounds: Very often w. prefix in diff. shades of meaning, e.g. δια- (also `to hackle, to mock'), ἐπι- (also `to be, treat neglectful etc.'), κατα-, παρα-. As 1. member in σύργαστρος (s.v.)?

Derivatives: 1. σύρμα ( ἀπό-, ἐπί-, παρά-, περί-) n. `train-dress, sweepings, dragging movement' (Ion., X., hell. a. late) with συρμα-τῖτις κόπρος `manure-heap consisting of sweepings' (Thphr.; Redard 109), - τικη φωνή `drawn-out accent' (VII<sup>p</sup>), - τὶς στρατιά ἡ τὰ συμψήγματα καὶ φρύγανα σύρουσα καὶ συλλέγουσα H. 2. συρμός ( ἐπι-, περι-, ὑπο-) m. `grinding, dragging, pulling movement' (of a wind, a gulf, a meteor, a snake a.o.; Arist. etc), `the vomiting' (Nic.); δια- σύρω `the pulling apart, to bemock' (hell. a. late); from this συρ-μάδες f. pl. `snowdrifts' (late), - μαία, Ion. - μαίη f. `vomitive, radish' (Ion., Ar. etc.), also name of a Lacon. priestrank (inscr., H.), with - μαΐζω `to take a vomitive', -μαϊσμός m. (Hdt., medic.), - μίον λάχανόν τι σελίνῳ ἐοικός H., - μιστήρ ξυλο-πώλης H. 3. συρμή f. `trailing tail of a snake' (sch.). -- 4. σύρ-της m. `towing-rope' (Man., H.), - τῶν gen. pl. (nom. sg. - της or - τός) name of a dance (Akraiphia I<sup>p</sup>), διασύρ-της m. `slanderer' (Ptol.), δια-, ἐκ-συρτικός (hell. a. late). 5. ἀνασυρτ-όλις f. `lewd woman' (Hippon.; cf. οἰφόλις and Chantraine Form. 237 f.). 6. Prob. also Σύρτις f. name of a sea-gulf on the northcoast of Africa with sandy shores and dangerous breakers (Hdt. etc.) as "the pulling one" (cf. v. Wilamowitz on Tim. Pers. 99); metaph. `destruction' (Tim. Pers. 99, H.). 7. σύρσις f. ( διά- σύρω) `the drawing of a plough' (late). -- With φ -enlargement: 8. σύρφη φρύγανα H. 9. συρφ-ετός m. `sweepings, filth' (Hes., Call., Plu. a.o.), `rabble' (Pl. a.o.) with - ετώδης `vulgar' (Plb., Luc. a.o.); cf. νιφετός a.o. (Chantraine Form. 300, Schwyzer 501). 10. -ᾱξ m. `rabble' (Ar. V. 673 [anap.], Luc.), popular-hypocoristic formation. -- On σύρφος s. σέρφος. Cf. ἀσυρής.

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

Etymology: Prob. to σαίρω `sweep' (s. v. w. lit.), but without certain cognates outside Greek. With σύρφ-η, - ετός, - αξ one compares a Germ. word for `sweep, turn (sweep turning), wipe off' in Goth. af-, bi-swairban ' εξαλεῖψαι, ἐκμάξαι', OHG swerban `drive quickly to and fro, whirl, wipe off' etc., to which also Celt., e.g. Welsh chwerfu `whirl, turn around' (Persson Stud. 55, WP. 2, 529f., Pok. 1050f. w. lit.). The semant. certainly possible connection presents the same phonetic problem as σέλας, σῦς etc. (s. vv.). In auslaut agrees σύρφη, prob. not accidentally, to the synonymous κάρφη; so formally influenced by it? An old variation bh: m in σύρ-φη: συρ-μός (Specht Ursprung 269) does not help; but it would show Pre-Greek origin -- The connection with σαίρω, both from *tu̯r̥- is hardly convincing.

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