πτύσσω

Word

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Sat, 05/20/2023 - 14:52

Word-form

πύξ

Transliteration (Word)

pux

English translation (word)

with the fist

Transliteration (Etymon)

ptussō

English translation (etymon)

to fold

Author

Philoxenus

Century

1 BC

Reference

586

Edition

C. Theodoridis, Die Fragmente des Grammatikers Philoxenos [Sammlung griechischer und lateinischer Grammatiker (SGLG) 2. Berlin: De Gruyter, 1976]

Source

Orion

Ref.

Etymologicum, pi, p.133

Ed.

F.W. Sturz, Orionis Thebani etymologicon, Leipzig: Weigel, 1820

Quotation

πύξ· παρὰ τὸ πτύσσω ῥῆμα, οὗ μέλλων πτύξω, ἀποβολῇ τοῦ ω πτύξ, καὶ ἀποβολῇ τοῦ τ πύξ· παρὰ τὸ πτύσσειν τοὺς δακτύλους ἐν τῷ πλήττειν.

Translation (En)

Pux "with the fist": from the verb ptussō "to fold", whose future is ptuxō. With omission of [ō], ptux, and with omission of [t], pux. Because one folds the fingers while striking.

Comment

Derivational etymology taking the future as its starting point, from which the noun is back-formes. It implies only one formal change, the loss of [t]. The semantic relationship between lemma and etymon is rather loose: πτύσσω is never used with χείρ or δάκτυλος as its object (except in Sophocles, OC 1611 πτῦξας ἐπ᾽ αὐταῖς χεῖρας), but this does not seem to be an objection for Philoxenus. The same etymology is provided for πυγμή (see πυγμή / πτύσσω)

Parallels

Philoxenus, fr. 482b = Hellad. Chrest. apud Phot. Bibl. 532 a 36 (...καὶ ἀπὸ τοῦ πτύξω δὲ πτὺξ καὶ ἀποβολῇ τοῦ τ πύξ...); Philoxenus, fr. 587 (πυτίζειν· παρὰ τὸ πτύω πτυτίζω ἐστὶν παράγωγον καὶ ἀποβολῇ τοῦ τ πυτίζω, ὡς παρὰ τὸ πτύσσω πτύξω πτὺξ καὶ ἀποβολῇ τοῦ τ πύξ); Epimerismi Homerici ordine alphabetico traditi, pi 80 (πύξ (Γ 237): ἐπίρρημα ποιότητος. γίνεται ἐκ τοῦ πτύσσω, τὸ σφαλίζω, πτύξω καὶ πτύξ καὶ ἀποβολῇ τοῦ τ {καὶ τοῦ ω} πύξ· κατακλείοντες γὰρ τοὺς δακτύλους ἐν τῇ πυγμομαχίᾳ ἐπάλαιον); Epimerismi Homerici ordine alphabetico traditi, pi 144 (...παρὰ τὸ πτύσσω πτύξω πτύξ καὶ ἀποβολῇ τοῦ τ πύξ...) ; Etym. Gudianum, pi, p. 487 (Πὺξ, ἐπίῤῥημα ποιότητος, γίνεται ἐκ τοῦ πτύσσω τὸ ἀσφαλίζω, ὁ μέλλων πτύξω καὶ πτὺξ, καὶ ἀποβολῇ τοῦ τ καὶ τοῦ ω, πύξ); Etym. Gudianum Additamenta, alpha, p. 180 (...ὡς μίγω> μίξω μίξ καὶ ἐπιμίξ, ὀκλάζω ὀκλάξω ⟦ὀκλάξ, πτύσσω πτύξω πτύξ πύξ, ἐπίρρημα ποιό⟧τητος); Eustathius, Comm. Il. vol. 4, 808, 1-3 (Τὸ δὲ πύξ ἀπὸ τοῦ πτύσσω πτύξω ἀποβολῇ τοῦ ω γίνεται. πτύσσοντες γὰρ τοὺς τῆς χειρὸς δακτύλους καὶ οὕτω στρυφνοῦντες εἰς πύκνωσιν οἱ πυγμάχοι ἀθλοῦσιν, εἰς γρόνθον συστρέφοντες, ὅπερ κόνδυλόν φασιν οἱ σοφοί) ; Etym. Magnum, Kallierges, p. 695, 54 (Πύξ: "Πὺξ ἀγαθόν." Ἔστιν ἐπίρρημα ποιότητος. Γίνεται παρὰ τὸ πτύσσω πτύξω, τὸ ἀσφαλίζω, ἀποβολῇ τοῦ ω καὶ τοῦ τ, πύξ· παρὰ τὸ πτύσσειν τοὺς δακτύλους ἐν τῷ πλήττειν· κατακλείοντες γὰρ τοὺς δακτύλους ἐν τῇ πυγμομαχίᾳ ἐπάλαιον. Ἡσίοδος, "οἷον δ’ ἐμάχοντο  // πύξ τε καὶ ἑλκηδήν." Ἔστι δὲ καὶ πυγμὴ εἶδος ἀγῶνος, παρὰ τὸ πτύσσειν· κλείοντες γὰρ τοὺς δακτύλους πλήσσομεν); Ps.-Zonaras, Lexicon, pi, p. 1599, 23 (Πυτίζειν. παρὰ τὸ πτύω πτυτίζω ἐστὶ παράγωγον, καὶ ἀποβολῇ τοῦ τ πυτίζω. ὡς παρὰ τὸ πτύσσω, πτύξω, πτὺξ καὶ ἀποβολῇ τοῦ τ πύξ. τινὲς δὲ παρὰ τὸ φυσῶ, φυσίζω, καὶ ἐναλλαγῇ τῶν στοιχείων πυτίζω); ibid., pi, p. 1599, 29 (Πύκα. συνετῶς, ἐπιμελῶς, πυκνῶς. παρὰ τὸ πτύσω πτύκα· τὸ δὲ πτύσσω οὐδὲν ἄλλο ἐστὶν ἢ τὸ ἐπιπίπτειν ἕτερον ἑτέρῳ· καὶ ἀποβολῇ τοῦ τ πύκα. τὸ δὲ πτύσω, πτύξω, πτὺξ καὶ πὺξ ἐπὶ τῆς πυγμῆς, διὰ τὸ πτύσσειν τοὺς δακτύλους ἐν τῷ πυκτεύειν); Commentaria in Dionysii Thracis artem grammaticam, p. 276, 1 (οἷον πύξ, ἐπειδὴ πτύξαντες τὴν χεῖρα πλήττομεν· γεγένηται δὲ οὕτως· πτύσσω πτύξω πτύξ, καὶ ἐλλείψει τοῦ τ πύξ); ibid., p. 276, 20 (καὶ τὸ πύξ ἀπὸ τοῦ πτύσσω, τὸ γὰρ πτύσσειν καὶ ἀσφαλίζειν τοὺς δακτύλους καὶ τούτοις πλήττειν εἴρηται πύξ, ἐκ μεταφορᾶς τῶν πυκτῶν <τῶν> οὕτω κατ’ ἀλλήλων φερομένων); ibid., p. 562, 27 (καὶ τὸ πύξ ἀπὸ τοῦ πτύσσω, τὸ γὰρ πτύσσειν καὶ ἀσφαλίζειν τοὺς δακτύλους πλήττειν τε τούτοις εἴρηται πύξ)

Modern etymology

Cognate with Lat. pugnus "fist" (whence pugnare "to fight"), pugil "fist-fighter", and probably pungo "to sting" (Beekes, EDG)

Persistence in Modern Greek

Survives in MG in the frozen phrase πυξ λαξ. The derivative πυγμή is also preserved, as a learned word

Entry By

Arthur de Tocqueville