apuke

Grammatical information: f. m.

Meaning: `woman's diadem; horse's bit; rim of a wheel' (Il.)

Dialectal forms: Myc. apuke \/ ampukei\/ in a context of horses' harnesses, anapuke \/ anampukes\/ of ἡνίαι, apukowoko \/ ampuk-worgos\/.

Compounds: χρυσ-άμπυξ `with golden bit' (Il.).

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

Etymology: Generally considered as a root noun with ἀμ- = ἀνα- and - πυξ, to πύκα `thickly, solidly', πυκνός, and cognate with Av. pusā (IE *puḱā) `diadem'; Lidén Symb. phil. Danielsson 148ff.; Benveniste BSL 34, CR. 41 (with further Iranian forms, and as loans Toch. psuk `wreath' and Arm. psak `wreath, diadem etc.'). - However, Szemerényi, Gnomon 43, 1972, 655 points out that ἀνά would not fit the meaning; we would rather expect *ἀμφι-πυκ-. As this form would hardly give ἀμπυκ-, the etymology becomes doubtful. Already the notion `thick, solid' seems not fitting. Fur. 317 rejects the etym. because he connects the root with πτύσσω, but this cannot be considered certain. Szemerényi also doubts the connection with Iranian: "If really connected with Iranian pus-..." The etym. always struck me as unconvincing. A word like `ornament' is easily borrowed. If we analyse the word as ἀμπ-υκ-, we have a typical substr. suffix (Beekes in Bammesberger-Venneman 2003).

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