λειμών

λειμών, -ῶνος

Grammatical information: m.

Meaning: `moist, grassy place, humid meadow' (Il.), metaph. of flowered surfaces and objects (Ach. Tat., Philostr.);

Compounds: Compp., e.g. βαθυλείμων (Pi.), -λειμος (Il., with transition in the ο-stems) `with grassy meadows'; ἀ-λίμενος `without harbour, refuge' (Att.; Sommer Nominalkomp. 77 f.).

Derivatives: λειμώνιος `belonging to the meadow' (A., Arist.), f. -ιάς (S., A. R.), -ίς (D. P.), -ιον n. plantname, `Statice limonium' (Dsc., Plin.); λειμων-ιάτης λίθος name of a grass-green stone (Plin.). With suffix-change (after πῖδαξ, βῶλαξ etc.) λεῖμαξ, -ακος f. `meadow' (E. in lyr.), `garden' (Pherecr.) with -ακώδης `meadowlike, grassy' (Hp.), -ακίδες νύμφαι (Orph. A. 646; uncertain; codd. λιμνακίδων). - With diff. ablaut: λιμήν, -ένος m. `harbour, protected creek', also metaph. `refuge' (Il.), `assembly-, marketplace' (Thess.; after H. also Cypr.; cf. Bechtel Dial. 1,450f.). Dimin. λιμένιον (Str.; NGr. λιμάνι from Osm. liman; Maidhof Glotta 10, 14); λιμένιος `belonging to the harbour' (Paus.), λιμενίτης, f. -ῖτις `inhabitant of a harbour' (Corycos), of Priapos resp. Artemis as harbourgod(dess) (AP; Redard 23), λιμεν-ητικὰ χρήματα `harbour-taxes' (Cod. Just., with analog. -ητικά, if not itacistic fr -ιτικά), λιμεν-ίζω `build a harbour' (Polyaen.). - With enlargement after the ᾱ-stems and zero grade suffix (Schwyzer 524, Chantraine Form. 2 15): λί-μν-η f. `standing water, pond, sea, marsh' (Il.), Λίμναι pl. place in Athens, in Sparta etc. (Att.); compp., e. g. εὔ-λιμνος `with many seas' (Arist.). Many derivv.: 1. diminut. λιμνίον n. (Arist.). 2. λιμναῖος `living in seas etc., belonging to the sea' (IA.); 3. λιμνάς f. `id.' (Theoc., Paus.). 4. λιμνήτης, -τις (-ῖτις) `id.' (Theoc., Paus., inscr.), λιμνιτικά n. pl. name of a tax (pap.). 5. λιμνώδης `sea-, marsh-like' (IA.). 6. plantname : λιμν-ήσιον, -ησία, -ηστις, -ηστρον, -ηστρίς (Dsc., Gal.). 7. Denomin. verbs: λιμνάζω `build a λ., stagnate, put under water' (Arist.) with λιμνασμός `flood, inundation', -αστής `inund. surveyor', -αστεία `inund. work' (pap.), -ασία `marshy bottom' (Arist.); λιμνόομαι `build a λ.' (Thphr., Str.).

Origin: IE [Indo-European] [662?] *lei- [not well mentioned in Pok.]

Etymology: The primary formations λει-μών and λι-μήν (with λί-μν-η), which show both in stem as in suffix old ablaut (Schwyzer 521 f., Chantraine Form. 170), are isolated in Greek and have outside Greek no counterpart; for the etymology we have only suppositions. Starting from the idea `moistness, standing water etc.' (thus Benveniste Origines 123) Bq with J. Schmidt Zur Gesch. d. idg. Vocalismus 2, 259 f. wants to connect Lat. līmus `mud', to which may belong, with anlaut. sl-, the words mentioned under λείμαξ; also those unser λείβω , e. g. OCS lьjǫ (with perhaps Lat. lītus "floodarea") might be considered. - Quite diff. WP. 1, 158 and Pok. 309: prop. *'low-lying, Einbuchtung' (cf. e. g. NHG Anger to ἀγκ- in ἀγκ-ύλος etc.) to Lat. līmus `oblique', līmen `threshold', withou m-suffix e. g. Latv. leja `dale, valley'.

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