ἐποτούδιξε κατέβαλεν ἐπὶ γῆν

Grammatical information: n.

Meaning: `ground, soil' (Il.; on the inflexion Schwyzer 242 a. 515, Chantraine Gramm. hom. 1, 210f.).

Derivatives: οὑδαῖος `on or under the ground' (Lyc., Orph., AP) and several hypostases: κατ-, ὑπ-ουδ-αῖος `subterranean' (Hes.Fr. 60, h. Merc., Call. resp. Plu., Opp.), ἐπουδαῖοι ἐπιχθόνιοι H.; προσ-ουδ-ίζω, - ίσαι `to throw on the ground' (Hdt., Plu., D. C.), ἐποτούδιξε κατέβαλεν ἐπὶ γῆν II.

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

Etymology: No etymology. Semantically attractive but phonetically difficult is the connection with Arm. getin `bottom of the earth' (Scheftelowitz BB 29, 27 a. 44), perh. with Hitt. utne `land' (IE *u̯eden-o- resp. * udn-; [Götze-]Pedersen, s. Friedrich Wb. s.v.); then οὑ- ( ὀ-Ϝοδ-?) remains unexplained. Also οὑδός `threshhold' and ἔδαφος `ground, bottom' have been adduced, s. vv. w. lit. - The word may well be Pre-Greek. Is the unexplained inflection due to Pre-Greek origin?

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