- πυρακτέω
- πυρακτέωGrammatical information: v.Meaning: `to harden in fire, to burn to coal' (ι 328, Nic. Th. 688).Other forms: Later πυρακτόομαι, -όω `be singed, carbonized' (D. S., Str., Plu.).Origin: GR [a formation built with Greek elements]Etymology: Tradit. taken as a comp. of πῦρ and ἄγειν with the meaning `turn about, around in the fire' (e.g. Bechtel Lex. s.v.), semant. and morpholog. both unsatisactory, as ἄγειν cannot mean `turn around' and a mediating *πύρακτος `turning around in fire' (Bechtel) would be without example (rather *πυρ-άκ-της, which however could hardly have meant sthing else but `fire-driver' ). -- Without doubt expressive enlargement in -(α)κτέω from πυρ-άζω (EM 697, 16; Stolz WienStud. 25, 234 w. n. 1 a. lit.), *-ασσω v.t. like ὑλακτέω from ὑλάω (beside ὑλαγμός a.o.), ἀλυκτέω from ἀλύω, ἀλύσσω; on the last mentioned cases Frisk Eranos 50, 8 ff. Cf. πυρακ-τόομαι after the many intransitives in -όομαι with factitive -όω.Page in Frisk: 2,629
Greek-English etymological dictionary (Ελληνικά-Αγγλικά ετυμολογική λεξικό). Robert S.P.. 2010.