- σκόπελος
- σκόπελοςGrammatical information: m.Meaning: `cliff, rock, mountain-peak' (mostly ep. poet. Β 396), `watch-tower' (pap.), -ον n. `earth wall, hill' (LXX).Derivatives: σκοπελ-ίζω `to set up a watch-tower' with -ισμός m. (Ulp. in Dig.).Origin: XX [etym. unknown]Etymology: The prob. later meaning `watch-tower' originated clearly through the association with σκοπ-ός, -ιά, -έω, but also in the sense of `clif, rock' one has since antiquity connected the word with σκοπός, -έω and interpreted as "look out", an etymolog, which because of its good achoring in the Greek vocabulary seems to earn preference above the connection with IE *skep- `cut' (Solmsen Wortforsch. 210 f.; cf. σκέπαρνος [but se s.v.] and κόπτω). Cf. also Chantraine Form. 244 w. lit. -- An agreeing Illyr. *skapela- `cliff' Krahe PBBeitr. 69, 486 ff. wants to find in the river-name Schefflenz (OHG Scaflenza from *Scapi-lantia); cf. on this Porzig Gliederung 150 f. Lat. LW [loanword] scopulus. -- An IE root *skep- `cut' seems not to exist. That a word for `cliff, rock' developed from `watch-tower' may be possible in reality but is linguistically not very probable.Page in Frisk: 2,737
Greek-English etymological dictionary (Ελληνικά-Αγγλικά ετυμολογική λεξικό). Robert S.P.. 2010.