ἀμφίς + βάζω
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Transliteration (Etymon)
English translation (etymon)
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Quotation
Ἀμφισβητεῖν· τὸ ζητεῖν, πλεονασμῷ τοῦ β· ἔστι γὰρ ἀμφισητεῖν. ἢ παρὰ τὸ ἀμφίς καὶ τὸ βάζειν, ἵνα σημαίνῃ τὸ ἀμφιλογεῖν. πολλάκις δὲ πλεονάζει τὸ β ὡς ἐν τῷ ἄδηρον ἄβδηρον, ἄ⟦β⟧δηρος γάρ τίς ἐστι, καὶ σίδαι σίβδαι. καὶ οὕτως μὲν ὁ Μεθόδιος· ὁ δὲ Ζηνόβιος (fr. I 3 Schoemann) λέγει, ὅτι δύναται μὴ παρὰ τὴν ἀμφί συγκεῖσθαι πρόθεσιν, ἀλλὰ παρὰ τὸ ἀμφίς ἐπίρρημα, ἵνα σημαίνῃ τὸ κεχωρισμένως βαίνειν· τοιοῦτοι γὰρ οἱ διστάζοντες
Translation (En)
Amphisbēteîn "to dispute": to search, through adjunction of [b], because it is *amphisēteîn. Or from amphis "apart" and bazein "to talk", so that it means "to dispute". The addition of [b] is frequent, as in *adēron abdēron, as it is "without fight", and *sidai sibdai. This is what Methodius says. But Zenobius says that it can be a compound, not of the prefix amphi "on both sides, around", but of the adverb amphis "apart", so that it means "to go apart", such as those being uncertain (distazontes), meaning literally "standing apart"
Parallels
Etym. Magnum, Kallierges, p. 94 (idem); Etym. Gudianum, alpha, p. 125 (Ἀμφισβητεῖν· τὸ ἀμφιλογεῖν· γίνεται ἐκ τοῦ βάζω πλεονασμῷ τοῦ ς); Etym. Gudianum Additamenta, alpha, p. 125 (Ἀμφισβητεῖν· τὸ ζητεῖν· πλεονασμῷ τοῦ β, ἔστι γὰρ ἀμφισητεῖν. ἢ παρὰ τὸ ἀμφίς καὶ τὸ βάζειν, ἵνα σημαίνῃ τὸ ἀμφιλογεῖν. πολλάκις δὲ πλεονάζει τὸ β, ὡς ἐν τῷ Ἄβδηρος (ἄδηρος γάρ τίς ἐστι) καὶ σίβδαι (σίδαι γάρ) | Ἀμφισβήτησις· ἐκ τῆς ἀμφί προθέσεως καὶ τοῦ βῶ, τὸ λέγω· σημαίνει τὴν φιλονεικίαν); Etym. Symeonis, vol. 1, p. 438 (ἀμφισβητεῖν· ἀπὸ τοῦ ἀμφίς καὶ τοῦ βάζειν); Ps.-Zonaras, Lexicon, alpha, p. 163 (Ἀμφισβητοῦντες. ἀμφιλογοῦντες. [ἀπὸ τοῦ ἀμφὶς καὶ τοῦ βάζειν. πολλάκις δὲ πλεονάζει τὸ β. ὡς ἐν τῷ· ἄδηρον, ἄβδηρον· καὶ σίδαι, σίβδαι. ἢ παρὰ τὸ ἀμφὶς ἐπίῤῥημα, τὸ κεχωρισμένως βαίνειν. τοιοῦτοι γὰρ οἱ διστάζοντες.])
Comment
The etymology does not require any formal manipulation. The prefix is analyzed as the adverb ἀμφίς, a doublet of ἀμφί which developed the meaning "apart". The verb is βάζω "to talk", or maybe *βῶ understood as the monosyllabic verb from which βάζω derives (see Parallels). Dispute is the fact that two people have diverging opinions about something, "diverging talk".