nyfel

Grammatical information: f.

Meaning: `cloud, mass of clouds' (ep. poet. Il., also X., Arist.) also of cloudlike disturbances in urine a. in eye (medic.), metaph. `fine bird-net' (Ar., Call., AP).

Compounds: Compp., e.g. νεφελ-ηγερέτα `cloudgatherer', adjunct of Zeus, with voc. for nom. (Risch Sprachgesch. u. Wortbed. 394f.), ἐπι-νέφελος `clouded' (Hdt., Hp., Arist.). Compp., e.g. νεφο-ειδής `cloud-like' (Epicur.), συν-νεφής `surrounded by clouds, dark' (E., Arist.), ἐπι-νεφής `cloudy, bringing clouds' (Arist., Thphr.) with the backformations συν-νέφει, - νένοφεν (Ar., E., Arist.), ἐπι-νέφει (Arist., Thphr.) `is, makes cloudy' with ἐπίνεψις f. `cloudiness' (Arist.).

Derivatives: 1. Diminut. νεφέλιον n. (Arist., Thphr., medic.); 2. Adj. νεφελ-ώδης `cloudy' (Arist.), - ωτός `covered with clouds, consisting of clouds' (Luc.). 3. Verbs: νεφελ-όομαι (Eust.), - ίζομαι (sch.) `be(come) covered with clouds'. -- νέφος n. `cloud, mass of c.' (Il.). Derivv.: 1. Dimin. νεφύδριον (Olymp. Phil.); 2. Adj. νεφώδης `cloudlike, bringing clouds' (Arist., Str.); 3. Verb νεφόομαι, also w. ἐκ-, `become cloudy, be changed in a cloud' (Thphr., Ph.) with νέφωσις f. `cloudiness' (Ph.).

Origin: IE [Indo-European] [315, to be corrected] * nebʰ- `cloud'

Etymology: Old inherited words with exact correspondences in several languages. With νεφέλη agrees Lat. nebula (u however polyinterpretable), prob. also MWelsh. nyfel `cloud' (Loth Rev. celt. 47. 172 f.), IE * nebhelā. Also Germanic points with varying auslaut (ā- or ŏ-stem) and var. vowel to the same l-element, e.g. OWNo. njōl f. `darkness' (Germ. ō-stem = IE ā-stem), OHG nebul m. `mist' (Germ. a-stem = IE o-stem); some Celtic forms, e.g. OIr. nēl, gen. nivil m. `cloud, mist', are ambiguous. -- Beside this l-stem, which prob. not accidentally agrees with the l-stem of the words for `sun' (s. ἥλιος) and `wind' (s. ἄελλα, θύελλα), we find in the east a widespread s-stem in νέφος = Skt. nábhas- n. `cloud, mist, haze', Hitt. nepiš, OCS. nebo, gen. nebes-e `heaven' (through `cloud' \> `heaven' Brandenstein Stud. z. idg. Grundspr. 24 f.) etc., IE *nébhos n.; on the variation s: l cf. e.g. ἔτος: ἔταλον, θάρσος: θαρσα-λέος a.o. (Benveniste Origines 46 f.). -- More forms w. partly uncertain combinations in WP. 1, 131 f., Pok. 315f., W.-Hofmann s. nebula, Mayrhofer s. nábhaḥ, Vasmer s. nébo; s. also Porzig Gliederung 189f. (Not here ὄμβρος.)

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