obrzym

Grammatical information: adj.

Meaning: `strong, mighty' (Il.).

Other forms: (also ὄμβριμος with anticipation of the nasal; cf. Schwyzer 257 and below).

Compounds: As 1. member e.g. in ὀβριμο-πάτρη f. surname of Athena a.o. `having a mighty father'; on the formation Sommer Nominalkomp. 144 f. w. lit.

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

Etymology: With ὄβριμος one compares since long (Curtius 532 f. etc.) some words without initial ὀ- and with long stemvowel: βριμός μέγας, χαλεπός H., βριμάομαι ' χαλεπαίνω', Βριμώ f. surname of Hekate and Persephone a.o. (s. βρίμη), with further βρίθω, βριαρός. The shortness of the ι in ὄβριμος could have been taken from ἄλκιμος and other nearly synonymous adj., but the ὀ- gives serious problems: neither a prefix (Brugmann Grundr.² II: 2, 817) nor a prothetic vowel (Meillet BSL 27, 129ff.) gives a solution; cf. Austin Lang. 17, 87. To be rejected Arbenz 24f. with Fay ClassRev. 11, 89 (to ὄμβρος); a not convincing Slavic combination (Pol. olbrzym `giant' from older obrzym) by Machek Zeitschr. für Slavistik 1 (1956) 38. -- Older lit. in Bq. - The variation ὀβρι-\/ βρι- is prob. Pre-Greek (Furnée 246 etc.).

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