ἀδαχ-εῖ

Grammatical information: adv.

Meaning: `with the teeth, to clench ones teeth' ( ὀδὰξ ἐν χείλεσι φύντες α 381 = σ 410 = υ 268; also Com., e.g. Ar. V. 164 διατρώξομαι τοίνυν ὀδὰξ τὸ δίκτυον); perh. in diff. meanings at three places of the Il. (e.g. Λ 749 ὀδὰξ ἕλον οὖδας; cf Χ 17, Β 418), cf. below.

Derivatives: Beside it three verbs: 1. ὀδακ-τάζω (Call., A. R.), - τίζω (D. H.) `to bite, to gnaw' (cf. λακτίζω: λάξ); ἀδακτῶ κνήθομαι H. 2. ὀδάξ-ομαι, -ω, - άομαι (- έομαι), - άω, also ἀδάξομαι, - άομαι, fut. - ήσομαι, perf. ptc. ὠδαγμένος (S.), aor. ὠδάξατο (AP); ὠδάγμην ἐκνησάμην H. `to scratch oneself, to be itching, to be scratchy, to itch, to scratch, to gnaw'; ὀδάξει τοῖς ὀδοῦσι δάκνει H.; ὀδαγμός (ἀ-, S. Tr. 770), ὀδαξ-ησμός (Hp., Ph., Plu.) `itch', - ητικός (Poll.), - ώδης (Aret.) `scratchy, to cause itch'. -- 3. ἀδαχεῖ `scratches, itches' (Ar. Fr. 410), ἀδαχᾳ̃ κνᾳ̃, κνήθει κεφαλήν, ψηλαφᾳ̃ H.

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

Etymology: Both ὀδακ-τάζω, - τίζω and ὀδάξει in H. can be derived from ὀδάξ `with the teeth'. But the earlier and better attested ὀδάξ-ομαι, - άομαι as well as ἀδαχ-εῖ, -ᾳ̃ deviate considerably in meaning. As for the oldest attestations of ὀδάξ (Il.) a meaning `with the teeth' is not directly evident (but it seems possible), Bechtel Lex. wants to render ὀδάξ in these places after ὀδάξομαι with `itching, scratching'; agreeing Wackernagel Unt. 157, WP. 1, 791, Hofmann Et. Wb. The later meaning `with the teeth' would have arisen from a folketymological connection with ὀδών and δάκνω. (The connection suggested by Bechtel (after Fick) with Germ., e.g. Os. bi-tengi `nahe an einen rührend' a.o. is not convincing however; cf. WP. l.c.) -- Whether ὀδάξ, if orig. `biting together, with the teeth' (on -ξ cf. λάξ w. lit.), started from ὀδών in connection with δάκνω or, the other way round, from δάκνω in connection with ὀδών, can hardly be decided; cf. beside the lit. in Bq and Bechtel also Güntert Reimwortbildungen 153, Winter Prothet. Vokal 22. Bechtel Lex. and Schwyzer-Debrunner 491 assume a prefix ὀ-, not very convincingly. The forms with ἀ- may rest on vowelassimilation (Schmidt KZ 32, 391 f.); the aspiration in ἀδαχ-ᾳ̃, - εῖ must not be explained as analogical (Schmidt l.c.; rejected by Bechtel). Cf. s.v. ἀδαγμός. So we can conclude that the orig. reading was ἀδαγ-; as the word was less well known, it was at one time replaced by ὀδ-.

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Grammatical information: m.

Meaning: κνησμός H.

Other forms: Also S. Tr. 770 acc. to Phot. (codd. ὀδαγμός).

Derivatives: Cf. ἀδακτῶ κνήθομαι, ἀδαξῆσαι κνῆσαι, ἀδαχᾳ̃ κνᾳ̃, κνήθει κεφαλήν. ψηλαφᾳ̃ H.

Origin: PG [a word of Pre-Greek origin] [287]

Etymology: The explanation through assimilation from ὀδα- is due to the desire to reduce everything to Indo-European or Greek. The ἀ- is too strong, while one would expect restoration or maintenance of ὀ- if it was original. Rather ἀδαχ- is original, and unexplained. There is no reason to connect `scratch' with `tooth'. See on ὀδάξ.

See also: ὀδάξ

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