βλένᾰ

βλέν(ν)ᾰ

Grammatical information: f.

Meaning: `mucous discharge, μύξα' (Hp.).

Other forms: βλέννος n. (Arist.). πλένναι μύξαι H.; βλένα μύξα. οἱ δε δία τοῦ π πλένα καὶ πλέννα τὰ ἀσθενῆ καὶ δυσκίνητα H.; πλεννεραί = μυξώδεις (Hp. ap. Gal. 19, 131). (πληνώδης ἁσθενης H. perh. to be read πλεν(ν)-, Fur. 144).

Derivatives: βλεννώδης `slimy, mucous' (Hp.). Also βλεν(ν)ός `id., idiot' (Epich.); with regularly withdrawn accent βλέννος m. a fish (Sophr., H. as explanation of σιαλίς), s. Strömberg 29, Grilli Studi itfilcla. 33 (1961)201f.

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

Etymology: The gemination can be expressive (Meillet BSL 26, 15f.). βλέννος can go back on *μλεδ-σ-νος (Schwyzer 322, Lejeune Traité de phon. 105; diff. Specht KZ 62, 213f.) connecting Skt. ū́rṇa-mradas- `soft as wool' (= Gr. *-βλεδής), pres. mr̥dnāti, mardati, also (vi)-mradati (\< *-mled-eti) `soften' (to mr̥dú- `soft'). Cf. further MIr. blind `slime from the mouth of a dead man', Pok. 718. DELG: "pour le sens ces rapprochements ne s'imosent pas". Frisk: "Der sehr beschränkte Wert dieser Kombinationen liegt indessen auf der Hand." - As Fur. 144 points out, the variations π\/β, νν\/ν prove a Pre-Gr. word. If the -α is short, π\/βλενα cannot be IE\/Gr, whereas this ending is frequent in Pre-Greek. - The words still exists in Mod. Greek.

Page in Frisk: 1,242-243