ήματα τὰ σιδήρια

σφῡρ-ήματα· τὰ σιδήρια, ὅτι οὐ χεῖται, Hsch.

Grammatical information: f.

Meaning: `hammer, beetle' (γ 434, Hes. Op. 425, Hdt., A., com., Arist.), metaph. `strip of earth between two furrows' (Poll. 7, 145), as surface-measure (Daulis II^p), = τῆς σπορίμου γῆς τὸ μέτρον with ὁμό-σφυρος = ὁμόχωρος H.; name of a fish H. (cf. σφύραινα below).

Compounds: Compp., e.g. σφυρ-ήλατος `wrought with the hammer, of wrought labour, sound' (Hdt., Pi., A., Pl. etc.) with - έω (Ph.).

Derivatives: Demin. σφυρ-ίον n. (hell.), σφύρ-αινα f. name of a fish, bicuda (Stratt., Arist. etc.), after the form of the body (Strömberg 35); - ηδόν `hammer-like' (Philostr.); - ωσις f. `the hammering, forging' (Didyma II^a), = δίάροσις H., - ήματα τὰ σιδήρια, ὅτι οὐ χεῖται H.

Origin: XX [etym. unknown]

Etymology: As zero grade formation beside σφαῖρα σφῦρα belongs prob. like σφυρόν (s. v.) to σπαίρω a. cogn. [impossible because of the σφ-]. As in the case of σφαῖρα, σπεῖρα, μοῖρα a.o. the formal proceß remains unclear; PGr. *σφύρ-ι̯α beside σφυρ-όν can be understood both as primary deriv. "the beating, bumping" and as secondary deriv. "beating, bumping apparatus, (hand)hammer, stamper". On an older word for `stone hammer' s. ἄκμων. Cf. also τύκος.

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