βοή + τραχύς
Word
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Word-lemma
Transliteration (Word)
English translation (word)
Transliteration (Etymon)
English translation (etymon)
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Ed.
Quotation
Βάτραχος, παρὰ τὸ βοὴν τραχεῖαν ἔχειν. βοάτραχος, καὶ βάτραχος
Translation (En)
Frog (batrakhos) is from the fact that it has a rough (trakheian) cry (boēn), whence *boatrakhos and batrakhos
Parallels
Etym. Genuinum, beta p. 64 (Βάτραχος· παρὰ τὸ βοὴν τραχεῖαν ἔχειν βοάτραχός τις ὤν. ἔστι δὲ πεποιημένη ἡ λέξις); Etym. Gudianum, beta p. 264 (Βάτραχος· παρὰ τὸ βοὴν τραχεῖαν ἔχειν· βοάτραχός τις ὤν); Etym. Magnum, Kallierges p. 191 (idem); Ps.-Zonaras, Lexicon, beta p. 371 (idem); Joannes Mauropus, Etymologica nominum 394 (Βοὴ τραχεῖα βατράχων, ὤτων βάρος); Scholia in Theocritum 7, 41b (ὁ μὲν βάτραχος τραχύφωνός ἐστιν, ὅθεν καὶ ὠνόμασται βοάτραχός τις ὤν, ὁ τῇ βοῇ τραχύς· τῶν δὲ ἀκρίδων εἰσί τινες, αἳ συρίζουσιν ἐναρμόνιον); ibid., 41c (βάτραχος δέ: τῶν μὲν βατράχων τραχεῖα ἡ φωνὴ ὡς ἀπὸ τῆς ἐτυμολογίας, τῶν δὲ τεττίγων ἐναρμόνιος)
Comment
Compositional etymology. The compound would be a possessive compound, although no possessive compound in Greek has the structure N-Adj (but Greek grammarians were not aware of that). The difference between the long [ā] of τρᾱχύς and the short [ă] of βάτρᾰχος was not considered a problem, as this alternation between a long and a short vowel is a common one. The etymology is descriptive and refers to a characteristic feature of the animal.