ὠτὶ ἀκουστόν

Grammatical information: n.

Meaning: `ear'; metaph. `handle'(Il.; IA).

Other forms: ὦς (Theoc., hell.). Gen. ὠτός, nom. acc. pl. ὦτα etc. (IA.), οὔατος, - ατα etc., with n. a. sg. οὖας (Simon.); besides ἆτα (cod. ἄτα) ὦτα. Ταραντῖνοι H.; prob. also sg. αὖς (Paul. Fest. 100, 4; Wackernagel IF 45, 312ff. = Kl. Schr. 2, 1252ff.); further details on the inflexion in Schwyzer 520.

Dialectal forms: Myc. anowoto; also anowe like ἀμφ-ώης `with two ears or handles' (Theoc.; ἄμφ-ωτος Od.).

Compounds: Compp., e.g. ὠτ-ακουστέω `to eavesdrop, to listen, to attend' (Hdt., X., D., Plb.), compound of ὠτὶ ἀκουστόν (opposite ἀν-ηκουστέω: οὑκ ἀκουστόν; cf. ἀμνηστέω and Schwyzer 726; not correct Fraenkel Nom. ag. 2, 68), with ὠτακουστής m. `eavesdropper, listener' (Arist.); ἀν-ούατος `without ears, without handles' (Theoc.), ἄ-ωτος `id.' (Philet., Plu.); μυόσ-ωτ-ον ( μύ-ωτον) n., - ίς f. "mouse-ear" (the plant) `madwort, Asperugo', from μυὸς ὦτα `id.' (Dsc.; Strömberg Pfl.namen 42). On λαγώς s. v.

Derivatives: ὠτ-ίον n. `handle, ear' (Theopomp. Com., LXX, NT), - άριον n. `id.' (com. IV^a); οὑατ-όεις `with ears, handles' (Simon., Call.; also in Hom. a. Hes. for ὠτώεις to be reconstructed; Wackernagel Unt. 168f.), ὠτ-ικός `belonging to the ear' (Gal., Dsc.). Also ὠτ-ίς, - ίδος f. `bustard' (X., Arist.; after the cheek-plumes or the tuft?; Thompson Birds s.v.); besides ὦτ-ος m. `eared owl' (Arist.; after the ear-plumes). -- On ἐνῴδιον, ἐνώτιον s. v.

Origin: IE [Indo-European] [785] *h₂(e\/o)us- `ear'.

Etymology: The pair οὖς, ὦς (cf. βοῦς, βῶς) can be derived from IE * ōus; Lat. aur-is, aus-cultō a.o. contain an e-grade (* h₂eus-), which may also be found in ἆτα from *αὔσ-ατα; s. also on ἀάνθα. To be noted old Att. ΟΣ, which seems to point to a contraction; one wanted to construct (since J. Schmidt Pluralbild. 407) a basis * ous-os, for which a support was seen in OCS ucho n. `ear', gen. ušes-e ; but it is also possible to read ὦς (after ὠτός etc.). The other forms can without problem be derived from IE * ōus-n-tos etc. with diff. phonetic developments, s. the extensive treatment in Schwyzer 520 a. 348, WP. 1,18 w. rich lit. The in οὔ-α-τος incorporated n-enlargement is also found in Arm. un-kn (with -kn after akn `eye'; so not comparable with ὠκίδες ἐνώτια H.) and in Germ., e.g. Goth. auso, ausin-s. -- From the further forms are especially notable the old duals Av. uš-i (IE * h₂us-ī, with zero grade); OCS uš-ī (IE * h₂us-ī ). Further details from diff. languages w. rich lit. in WP. (s. ab.), Pok. 785, W.-Hofmann and Ernout-Meillet s. auris, Vasmer s. úcho; older lit. also in Bq. -- (See also παρειαί, παρήϊον; not here ἀκούω, ἀκροάομαι.)

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