- μηλολόνθη
- μηλολόνθηGrammatical information: f.Meaning: `beetle, gold-beetle, dung-beetle' (Ar. Νυ. 764, Arist.).Other forms: also μηλολάνθη (Poll.), μηλάνθη (Herod.)Compounds: χρυσο-μηλολόνθιον (Ar. V. 1341)Derivatives: μηλολόνθιον (sch. Ar. V. 1332)Origin: GR [a formation built with Greek elements]Etymology: μῆλον ὀλόνθιον, prop. "fig-sheep", from μῆλον and ὄλονθος `wild fig', because many beetles are parasitic of figs and other plants; formation like ἱππο-πόταμος (for ἵππος ποτάμιος). After ἄνθος folketymologically reshaped into μηλολάνθη; from there after οἰνάνθη a. o. μηλάνθη.-- Strömberg Wortstudien 5 ff. with extensive treatment and several parallels from diverse languages.Page in Frisk: 2,225-226
Greek-English etymological dictionary (Ελληνικά-Αγγλικά ετυμολογική λεξικό). Robert S.P.. 2010.