δεσπόζω
Word
Validation
Word-form
Word-lemma
Etymon-lemma
Transliteration (Word)
English translation (word)
Transliteration (Etymon)
English translation (etymon)
Century
Source
Ref.
Ed.
Quotation
Δέσποινα. παρὰ τὸ δεσπόζω δεσπόζαινα, καὶ συγκοπῇ τοῦ ζα, δέσποινα. οὕτως Ἡρακλείδης ὁ Ποντικός
Translation (En)
Despoina "mistress". From despozō "to be the master", *despozaina, and by syncope of za-, despoina. Tis is what Heraclides Ponticus says.
Parallels
Etym. Magnum, Kallierges, p. 258 (Δέσποινα: Σύνθετον, δεοποιὰ, ἡ δέος ποιοῦσα. Ἀπὸ τοῦ δεοποιὸς ἀρσενικοῦ κατὰ συγκοπὴν δέσποινα, ὡς θεόφατον, θέσφατον· πλεονασμῷ τοῦ ν. Ἢ ὥσπερ ἀπὸ τοῦ ἀρύτω γίνεται ἀρύταινα, καὶ βαίνω, ἀμφίσβαινα, οὕτω καὶ παρὰ τὸ δεσπόζω, γίνεται δεσπόζαινα· καὶ ἄρσει τοῦ ΖΑ, καὶ συναιρέσει τοῦ ο καὶ ι εἰς τὴν ΟΙ δίφθογγον, δέσποινα· οὐ γὰρ παραλήγεται ἀπὸ τοῦ ὁ δεσπότης ἀρσενικοῦ· ἐπεὶ ὤφειλεν εἶναι τὸ θηλυκὸν δεσπότις, καὶ οὐ δέσποινα); Etym. Symeonis, delta 144 (Δέσποινα· ὥσπερ ἀπὸ τοῦ ἀρύτω γίνεται ἀρύταινα καὶ βαίνω ἀμφίσβαινα, οὕτως καὶ παρὰ τὸ δεσπόζω γίνεται δεσπόζαινα, καὶ ἐν συγκοπῇ τῆς ζα καὶ ἐν συναιρέσει τοῦ ο καὶ ι εἰς τὴν οι δίφθογγον δέσποινα· οὐ γὰρ ἐσχημάτισται ἀπὸ τοῦ δεσπότης ἀρσενικοῦ ἐπεὶ ἡ δεσπότης εἶχεν εἶναι); Ps.-Zonaras, Lexicon, delta, p. 481 (Δέσποινα. ὥσπερ ἀπὸ τοῦ ἀρύτω γίνεται ἀρύταινα, καὶ τὸ βαίνω ἀμφίβαινα, οὕτως καὶ παρὰ τὸ δεσπόζω δεσπόζαινα, καὶ κατὰ συγκοπὴν τοῦ ζα καὶ συναίρεσιν τοῦ ο καὶ ι εἰς τὴν οι δίφθογγον, δέσποινα. [οὐ γὰρ παρεσχημάτισται ἀπὸ τοῦ δεσπότης ἀρσενικῶς, ἐπεὶ δεσπότης ἔμελλεν εἶναι καὶ οὐ δέσποινα. δέσποινα δὲ σύνθετον δεοποία, ἡ δέος ἐμποιοῦσα, ἀπὸ τοῦ δεοποιὸς ἀρσενικῶς· καὶ κατὰ συγκοπὴν δέσποινα.] ὡς θεόσφατος θέσφατος. καὶ πλεονασμῷ τοῦ ν δέσποινα)
Comment
Derivational functional etymology. Heraclides assumes a feminine derivative built with the well-known suffix -αινα, found in several names of female animals (λέαινα, λύκαινα, ὕαινα), and then a syncope. It is interesting to note that he does not make any difference between a nominal base (λέων, λύκος) and a verb like δεσπόζω: from verbs no feminine in -αινα was ever derived. The Byzantine Etymologica provide parallels for such a derivation of words in -αινα from verbs. The obvious etymology would derive it from the masculine δεσπότης: this etymology is rejected in the Et. Magnum, on formal criteria, because the feminine of δεσπότης should be *δεσπότις rather than δέσποινα. The etymology is semantically unproblematic, since the etymon and the lemma are two derivatives of one and the same base.