νῆστις

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No

Last modification

Sat, 03/16/2024 - 11:45

Word-form

ἄνηστις

Transliteration (Word)

anēstis

English translation (word)

fasting

Transliteration (Etymon)

nēstis

English translation (etymon)

fasting

Author

Phrynichus Attic

Century

2 AD

Source

idem

Ref.

Praeparatio sophistica, fr. 265

Ed.

J. de Borries, Phrynichi sophistae praeparatio sophistica, Leipzig: Teubner, 1911

Quotation

ἄσταχυς: ἄσταχυς καὶ ἀσταφὶς καὶ ὅλως τὸ πλεονάζειν τῷ α ἐν ἀρχῇ τῶν τοιούτων ὀνομάτων Ἀττικόν ἐστιν. Ὅμηρος (B, 148) ‘ἐπὶ τ’ ἠμύει ἀσταχύεσσιν’. Κρατῖνος <ὁμοίως τῷ ἄνηστις ἀντὶ τοῦ νῆστις πλεονασμῷ τοῦ α κέχρηται λέγων> ‘φοιτᾷς ἐπὶ δεῖπνον ἄνηστις’ (fr. 45).

Translation (En)

Astakhus "ear of corn": astakhus, and astaphis "dried grapes", and generally speaking the addition of /a/ at the beginning of such words is an Attic feature. Homer "and it was falling onto the ears of corn" (astakhuessi). Cratinus similarly uses anēstis "fasting" instead of nēstis "fasting", with addition of /a/, saying "phoitas epi deipnon anēstis" ("you come to dinner starving")

Comment

Derivational etymology, deriving the form from a synonymous word, and assuming that the added /a/ is a mere pathos, that is, a formal modification that has no consequence on meaning.

Parallels

Herodian, Peri pathôn, ap. Etym. Genuinum, alpha 863 (Ἄνηστις· ὁ ἄσιτος· Κρατῖνος ἐν Διονυσαλεξάνδρῳ (fr. 47)· ‘φοιτᾷς ἐπὶ δεῖπνον ἄνηστις’· καὶ Αἰσχύλος ἐν Φινεῖ (fr. 258 a)· ‘ἄνηστις δ’ οὐκ ἀποστατεῖ γόος’· παρὰ τὸ ἔδω ἐστός, παρώνυμον ἔστις, ὡς πιστός πίστις, καὶ κατὰ σύνθεσιν ἄνεστις καὶ ἄνηστις, ἢ παρὰ τὸ νῆστις ἄνηστις, ὁ ἐστερημένος σιτίων. οὕτως Ἡρωδιανὸς Περὶ παθῶν (fr. novum)); Athenaeus, Deipn. 2,27 Kaibel (ὅτι τὸ ἄνηστις ἡ νῆστις πλεονασμῷ τοῦ α, ὡς στάχυς ἄσταχυς, παρὰ Κρατίνῳ κεῖται (I 26 K)· ‘οὐ γάρ τοι σύ γε πρῶτος <ἄκλητος> φοιτᾷς ἐπὶ δεῖπνον ἄνηστις’); Hesychius, Lexicon, alpha 5098 (ἄνηστις· ἀντὶ τοῦ νῆστις, προσκειμένου τοῦ α, ὡς ἀσταφίς); Photius, Lexicon, alpha 1940 (Ἄνηστις· †ἡ† νῆστις. Κρατῖνος Διονυσαλεξάνδρῳ (fr. 45 K.)· „ἰοὺ γὰρ σύ γε πρῶτον ἄκλητος φοιτᾷς ἐπὶ δεῖπνον ἄνηστις“); Lexica Segueriana, Collectio verborum utilium e differentibus rhetoribus et sapientibus multis, alpha 96 (ἄνηστις: ἡ νῆστις παρὰ Κρατίνῳ ἐν Διονυσαλεξάνδρῳ· ‘ἰοὺ γάρ, σύ γε πρῶτος ἄκλητος / φοιτᾷς ἐπὶ δεῖπνον ἄνηστις’); Suda, alpha 2443 (Ἄνηστις: ὁ γεγευσμένος. καὶ Ἄνηστις, ἡ νῆστις παρὰ Κρατίνῳ ἐν Διονυσαλεξάνδρῳ. ἰοὺ γὰρ σύ γε πρῶτος ἄκλητος φοιτᾷς ἐπὶ δεῖπνον ἄνηστις); Etym. Gudianum Additamenta, alpha, p. 145 (Ἄνηστις· ὁ ἄσιτος. παρὰ τὸ ἔδω ἐστός, παρώνυμον ἔστις, ὡς πιστός πίστις, καὶ κατὰ σύνθεσιν ἄνεστις καὶ ἄνηστις· <ἢ παρὰ τὸ νῆστις ἄνηστις>, τῆς στερήσεως μηδὲν πλέον σημαινούσης, ὡς ἐν τῷ ἄσταφις. καὶ εἰς τὸ Νῆστις); Eustathius, Comm. Il., vol. 3, p. 514 (οὕτω δὲ πλεονασμὸς τοῦ α ἐστὶ καὶ ἐν τῷ ἄσταχυς, στάχυς γὰρ τὸ κοινόν, καὶ ἐν τῷ ἀσταφίς, σταφὶς γὰρ τὸ ἀπλεόναστον, ἡ ἄλλως καὶ ὀσταφίς. ὅμοιον καὶ τὸ ἀπαμείρεται ἀντὶ τοῦ μερίζει, ἀπὸ τοῦ μείρω, καὶ τὸ ἄνηστις ἐκ τοῦ νῆστις, ὡς παρὰ Κρατίνῳ, καθὰ γράφει Ἀθήναιος «οὐ γάρ τοι σύ γε πρῶτος φοιτᾷς ἐπὶ δεῖπνον ἄνηστις»); Etym. Symeonis, vol. 1, p. 54 (ἄνηστις· παρὰ τὸ νῆστις ἄνηστις, ὁ ἐστερημένος τῶν σιτίων)

Modern etymology

Ἄνηστις is a recharacterized form of νῆστις, with the regular form of the privative prefix ἀν- before a vowel, as ἀνώνυμος next to the older νώνυμνος

Persistence in Modern Greek

No

Entry By

Le Feuvre