τὸ γὰρ ἀμολγὸν ἐπὶ τοῦ ἀκμαίου τίθεται

Grammatical information: m., (adj.)

Meaning: `darkness'. Only (ἐν) νυκτὸς ἀμολγῳ̃ (Il. Λ 173, Ο 324, Χ 28, 317, 4 841). As adj. (prob. a secondary, learned development), E. Fr. 104 ἀμολγὸν νύκτα Εὑριπίδης Άλκμήνῃ ζοφερὰν καὶ σκοτεινήν. οἱ δε μέρος τῆς νυκτὸς καθ' ὅ ἀμέλγουσιν.

Other forms: ὀμολγῳ̃ ζόφῳ Η. (ms. ὁμολογῶ)

Derivatives: ἀμολγαῖος: μάζα ἀμολγαίη Hes. Op. 590 (s. below), ἀμολγαῖον μαστὸν ἀνασχόμενος AP 7, 657 (Leon.). ἀμολγάζει μεσημβρίζει H.

Origin: XX [etym. unknown]

Etymology: The meaning was already lost in antiquity. If a verbal noun of ἀμέλγω, ἀμολγός is `the milking' (oxytonesis then secondary). The expression μάζα ἀμολγαίη in Hesiod is interpreted by Proklos and in EM s. μάζα as ἀκμαία: τὸ γὰρ ἀμολγὸν ἐπὶ τοῦ ἀκμαίου τίθεται. Thus also Eustathios on Ο 324: Άχαιοὶ δε κατὰ τοὺς γλωσσογράφους ἀμολγὸν την ἀκμήν φασι. But this meaning may have been derived from the text (Leumann Hom. Wörter 274). Nilsson Primitive Timereckoning 35f. took it as the time of milking at the beginning of the night. DELG thinks this interpretation more probable than that as `fullness'. Extensive lit. in DELG and Frisk III, e.g. Kretschmer Glotta 22, 262f.; 11, 108; 13, 166f.; Wahrmann Glotta 13, 98ff.; Leumann Hom. Wörter 164; Bolling AJPh. 78, 1958, 165-172; Szemerényi, Gnomon 43, 1971, 654. In my view (ε.) ν. α. simply means `in the darkness of the night', in Λ and Ο of beasts of prey attacking `in (the protection of) the darkness of the night', in Χ of stars being visible in the darkness. The latter excludes an indication of time, and shows that it must be a clear night, so that a connection with `milk(ing)' is excluded. It may be confirmed by the glosses ζόφῳ and ζοφερὰν καὶ σκοτεινήν. - If ὁμολογω point to *ὀμολγός, and if the ὀ- is not simply due to assimilation, the alternation ἀ\/ὀ- would point to a substr. word.

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