ptoh₂-k-

Grammatical information: v.

Meaning: `to duck (for fright)'; aor. 1. rarely trans. `to frighten, to drive away' ([Ξ 40], Thgn.), (ΙΑ.; Schwyzer 716).

Other forms: also πτώσσω (ep. poet. Il.), Aeol. πτάζω (Alc.?), fut. πτήξω (Att.), aor. 1. πτῆξαι (Il.), Dor. πτᾶξαι (Pi. a.o.), aor. 2. ptc. κατα-πτᾰκών (A. Eu. 252), perf. ἔπτηχα (Att. etc.), ἔπτηκα (LXX [v. l. - χα], late); also ep. forms ptc. perf. πεπτηώς (Β 312, ξ 354 a.o.), aor. 3. du. κατα-πτήτην (Θ 136).

Compounds: Also w. prefix, esp. κατα- and ὑπο-.

Derivatives: πτῆξις f. `fright' (LXX) and the expressive enlargement πτωσκάζω `to duck, to have fear' (Δ 372) after the close ἀλυσκάζω (: ἀλύσκω, ἀλύσσω), ἠλασκάζω; perh. from *πτώσκω; the v. l. πτωκάζω after πτώξ. Cf. Schwyzer 708, Chantraine Rev. de phil. 57, 125, Gramm. hom. 1, 338.

Origin: IE [Indo-European](X) [825] * pteh₂-k- `duck (away), shy'

Etymology: The presents πτήσσω (with πτῆξαι etc.), πτώσσω go back on *πτᾱκ-ι̯ω, *πτωκ-ι̯ω (\< * ptoh₂k-; Aeol. πτάζω is an innovation; Schwyzer 715); to this the zero grade πτᾰκ-ών. In nominal function we find these stems in πτώξ and (acc.) πτάκ-α; s. vv., also πτωχός. The formantic character of the velar appears from ep. πε-πτη-ώς, κατα-πτή-την, which form at the same time a bridge to πέ-πτω-κα, πτῶ-σις (s. πίπτω) and to πτᾰ́-σθαι (s. πέτομαι). Semant. this combination ('fall, sink down' \> `squat') seems not to provide a serious difficulty (diff. Chantraine Gramm. hom. 1, 428). A further cognate is πτοέω, s. v. -- If the comparison with Arm. t`ak`-čim, t`ak`-eay `hide oneself' (Pedersen KZ 39, 342 f. w. n.) is correct, the velar enlargement is inherited. On Arm. s. Clackson 1994, 169f. -- WP. 2, 19f., Pok. 825; older lit. in Bq. -- So an IE * pteh₂-k-, with * ptoh₂-k-, is perhaps not impossible; but Hackstein ( Glotta 70, 1992) 136-165 rejects a root of this shape, and it is indeed remarkable. Note futher πτωχός and πτοέω, which are also rather strange. Photius gives πτεκάς πτάξ.

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