δέος + ποιέω
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Quotation
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
Translation (En)
Despoina "mistress". Compound, *deopoia, the one producing (poiousa) fear (deos). From the masculine *deopoios, by syncope despoina, as *theophaton, thesphaton "divine", by addition of /n/. Or, as from arutō "to draw water" comes arutaina "cup" and from bainō "to walk" amphisbaina (name of a snake), so from despozō "to be the master" comes *despozaina, and by elimination of the -za- and contraction of the /o/ and /I/ into the diphthong /oi/, despoina. As a matter of fact, it is not derived from the masculine despotēs, for the feminine should be *despotis, not despoina.
Parallels
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
Compositional etymology transposed from the etymology of the masculine δεσπότης (see δεσπότης / δέος + ποιέω)