ἀπὸ τοῦ διακρατεῖσθαι τοὺς ὀβελίσκους ἐπὶ τούτων

Grammatical information: m. pl.

Meaning: `stone or metal blocks on both sides of the altar on which the spits rested' (I 214, Eup., Att. inscr.; Chapouthier Rev. Ét. anc. 43, 12ff.); also `support of a pavement' (Lebadea).

Other forms: κραδαυταί Att. inscr. (Solmsen KZ42, 221ff.).

Derivatives: κρατευτήρια pl. `id.' (Poll. 6, 89; after the nom. instr. in - τήριον).

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

Etymology: The connection of Fick KZ 22, 230 with κράτος, κρατύς and τελευτή leads nowhere; cf. Aristarchus: ἀπὸ τοῦ διακρατεῖσθαι τοὺς ὀβελίσκους ἐπὶ τούτων ( τῶν βάσεων) κειμένους. Also an assumed verb κρατεύω = κρατύνω `make fest' (?) does not help. The rare by-form κραδευταί (Att. inscr.; cf. Solmsen KZ 42, 221 ff.) cannot be explained as folketymological transformation after κραδάω; the other way round does not give a solution either. Fur. 181 concludes rightly to a loan, with δ \/ τ, esp. as βασκευταί is also clearly a foreign loan.

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