hummingtop

n. bromtol, speelgoed dat opgedraaid wordt en daarna gaat ronddraaien als het losgelaten wordt op de grond

Grammatical information: v.

Meaning: `to go about, to wander, to roam around, to act at random' (hell. a. late).

Other forms: only pres. except ῥεμφθῆναι ῥέμβεσθαι H.

Compounds: Rarely w. ἀπο- a.o.

Derivatives: ῥεμβώδη-'walking about, aimless, idle' (Plb., Plu.), to which as backformation ῥέμβος m. `wandering about' (Plu., Aret.), adj. ῥεμβός (late), f. - άς (LXX as v. l.). Enlargements: ῥεμβ-εύω ( κατα- ῥέμβομαι) = ῥέμβομαι, - ασμός m. `roaming' (LXX; *-άζομαι). -- With ablaut ῥόμβος, also ῥύμβος (acc. to gramm. Att.) m. `circular movement, top, hummingtop, magic wheel, tambourine' (Pi., Critias, E.), geom. `rhombus' (Arist., Euc. a.o.; on the meaning Gow JHSt. 54, 1ff., Mugler Dict. géom. s.v.), also n. of a flatfish, `turbot' v.t. (Ath. a.o.; Strömberg Fischn. 38, Thompson Fishes s.v.); ῥομβο-ειδής `rhombus-like, rhomboidic' (Hp., Euc. etc.). From it 1. dimin. ῥυμβ-ίον n. `little top' (sch.); 2. ῥομβ-ωτός `having the form of a rhombus' (hell. a. late); 3. - ηδόν `in the way of a rh.' (Man.); 4. - έω ( ῥυ-) `to go in circles' (Pl. a.o.) with - ητής m. `top' (Orph.), ἐπι- ῥέμβομαι `to whirl like a hummingtop' (Sapph.); - όομαι `to be turned into a rh.' (Hero). Also ῥυμβ-όνες f. pl. `wrigglings' of a snake (A. R.; cf. ἀγκ-όνες a.o.), - ονάω ( ῥεμβ-) `to sway, to hurl away' (Phld., Ael.; after σφενδονάω).

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

Etymology: ῥόμβος already in Pi., proves also for the much later attested primary ῥέμβομαι an early date. The byform ῥύμβος reminds of cases like ῥοφέω: ῥυφέω (cf. Schwyzer 351 f.); note also ῥυβόν ἐπικαμ-πές (EM, Hdn. Gr.). -- With ῥέμβομαι one might compare Germ., MLG wrimpen `contract (one's face), rümpfen' (Persson Beitr. 1, 498). An IE *u̯remb- seems nevertheless doubtful, first because of the deviating meanings, second because we have to reckon with several kinds of rhiming formations (s. lit. in Persson l.c. and WP. 1, 276). At least as uncertain is the comparison with Lith. reñgtis `bow, buck' (de Saussure MSL 8, 443 n.) a.o. (s. Lidén Ein balt.-slav. Anlautges. 14 f.). Together with ῥάμφος, ῥέμφος, ῥάμνος, ῥάβδος, ῥέπω, ῥέμβομαι forms a rather motley heap, in which one finds a root u̯er- enlarged with a labial (β, φ, π) with the most flexible meaning `turn'; beside the labials one finds also velar and dental enlargements, s. WP. 1, 270ff., Pok. 1152ff. (after Persson Beitr. 1, 497ff.). -- The forms with ῥυμβ-, ῥυβ- seem to point to a Pre-Greek word.

Page in Frisk: 2,648-649

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1. pot. (= trzmiel) bumblebee; opić się czymś jak bąk drink one's fill; zbijać bąki fiddle-faddle.

2. pot. (= puszczenie wiatru) fart; puścić bąka fart; let out l. let fly a fart; pass wind l. gas.

3. ent. (= giez) horsefly ( Tabanus bovinus).

4. orn. bittern ( Botaurus stellaris); krzyczeć jak bąk bump.

Gen. i Acc. -a

1. ( zabawka) (peg) top, hummingtop; puszczać, nakręcać bąka spin a top; kręcić się jak bąk spin around.

2. żegl. dinghy.

pl. -i żart. ( o małym dziecku) tot.

1  hummingtop