Ἄνασσα is of course not separated from ἄναξ, but is assumed to derive not from the masculine noun, but from the denominative verb ἀνάσσω, with which it shares the geminate [ss]. The alleged reason is that if it were derived from ἄναξ as Φοίνισσα is from Φοῖνιξ, it should be an ethnonym: that is, the obviously correct morphological derivation ἄναξ / ἄνασσα is rejected for semantic reasons (the word is not an ethnonym). This is not unusual, as Greek etymologists very often mix two different criteria in their explanations, here morphology and semantics. Parallels are given to back this derivation pattern: the word ἕλισσα is abstracted from the Homeric compound ἀμφιέλισσα, and νύσσα is probably not related with νύσσω.