ἕλμις

ἕλμις

Grammatical information: f.

Meaning: `intestinal worm, parasitic worm' (Hp., Arist.); NGr. forms in Rohlfs ByzZ 37, 56f.

Other forms: (Arist.), gen. ἕλμινθος (with new nom. ἕλμινς Hp.), also ἕλμιγγος etc.; also acc. ἕλμιθα (epid.); nom. pl. ἕλμεις (Dsc.). Difficult λίμινθες ἕλμινθες. Πάφιοι H.

Compounds: As 1. member in ἑλμινθο-βότανον `herb used against worms' (medic.).

Derivatives: ἑλμίνθ-ιον (dimin.), -ώδης `worm-like', -ιάω `suffer from worms' (Hp., Arist.).

Origin: PG [a word of Pre-Greek origin]

Etymology: If the dental- and velar enlargements are removed (Schwyzer 510 and 498, Chantr. Form. 366 and 400) we get a word, that agrees in its ending with two other names for `worm'. (One is found in Indo-Iranian (e. g. Skt. kŕ̥mi-), in Albanian (krimp), Baltic (e. g. Lith. kirmìs), Slavic (e. g. OCS črъmьnъ `red' \< *črъmь, slov. čr̂m `fingerworm, carbuncle'), Celtic (e. g. OIr. cruim). The other is limited to Latin (vermis) and Germanic (e. g. Goth. waurms), but has relatives in Balto-Slavic (e. g. OPr. vormyan `red', ORuss. vermie `ἀκρίδες') and Greek (Boeot. PN Ϝάρμιχος; cf. also, with different formation, ῥόμος σκώληξ ἐν ξύλοις H.). Of these IE *kʷr̥mi- seems to be the oldest, both for its wide distribution, especially in frontier areas, as because it is etymologically isolated (cf. Porzig Gliederung 208f.). The riming *u̯r̥mi- may have been adapted to the verb *u̯er- `turn, bend' (cf. ῥόμος and ῥατάναν). A further innovation would be found in Greek because it connected the verb u̯el- `turn, wind' (s. 2. εἰλέω), which gave two further forms for `worm', εὑλή and Ϝάλη (written ὑάλη). (From Tocharian A one adds walyi pl. `worms'.) - The last mentioned (three) forms (with -l-) are clearly unrelated. The IE forms have -r-, but our word has -l- (so the word is not IE, as Furnée 290 holds). Though DELG does not think it necessary to take the -νθ- as a sign of Pre-Greek, I don't see why. Note that the form ἔλμιγγος also shows the typical Pre-Greek prenasalization (cf. acc. ἔλμιθα IG IV 1², 122,10 Epidauros). The form λίμινθες also rather suggests a Pre-Greek variant. Was it *l^ymi(n)t-? (with proothetic vowel a- which became e- before the palatal l?). Note that the NGr. forms λεβίθα, -ίδες confirm the vowel right of the l (see DELG).

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