ἀθρήνη

Grammatical information: f.

Meaning: `hornet' (D. S.)

Other forms: ἀνθρήνη f. `bee, wasp' (Ar.); ἀνθηδών f. `bee' (Damocr. ap. Gal.)

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

Etymology: No doubt a substatum word. Beside ἀνθρηδών, ἀνθρήνη we find τενθρηδών f. (Arist.), τενθρήνη (Nik.); τενθρήνιον (Arist.). There are several forms which lack the first nasal: τεθρηνιώδης (Hp.), ἀθρήνη (Suidas etc.) and without red. or ἀ-, θρήνη, (Eust.), θρηνώδης (Democr. ap. Ael.); Winter Proth. Vok. 45. Cf. further θρῶναξ κηφήν. Λάκωνες H. (I know of no other cases with η\/ω). Note also πεμφρηδών f. `a wasp' (Nic.). So we have a root θρη\/ ων- with prothetic vowel or reduplication (cf. κεκρύφαλος, Σίσυφος) and prenasalization; Kuiper FS Kretschmer 221f. For ν\/δ cf. perhaps φληναφάω - φληδῶντα. Πεμφρηδών may show that the word had a labio-velar (Beekes Glotta 73, 1995\/6, 12f.). - There is no ground to assume that τενθρήνη, τενθρηδών are dissimilated from *τερθρ-. Relation with ἀθήρ, ἀνθέριξ is therefore improbable. Not to θρέομαι, θόρυβος. - τεθρηδών πρωρεύς H. rather a joking formation of the sailors' language after the animal names in - ηδών (Chantr. Form. 360f.). A difficult problem is the relation to Germanic and Balto-Slavic words: OS dren, drāno (Germ. Drohne), Lith. trãnas; s. Kuiper l.c. 222.

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