ξίφος

ξίφος

Grammatical information: n.

Meaning: `sword with straight double-edged balde' (Il.; see Trümpy Fachausdrücke 60ff.); metaph. of the ξίφος- like bone of the cuttle-fish (Arist.), as plantname = ξιφίον (Thphr.); also σκίφος (sch., EM, H.); on the anlaut Schwyzer 266, Heubeck Würzb. Jb. 4, 201. Myk. qi-si-pe-e (du., Heubeck Minos 6, 55f.)?

Dialectal forms: Myc. qisipee \/kʷisiphee\/ du.

Compounds: As 1. member a.o. in ξιφη-φόρος `sword-bearing' (A., E.) with analog. -η- (Schwyzer 440); on σκιφα-τόμος s. below. As 2. member in ἄ-ξιφος `swordess' (Lyc., A. D.), adv. ἀξιφ-εί (Hdn.).

Derivatives: 1. ξιφίδιον dimin. (Ar., Th.), also plantname = σπαργάνιον, `swodgrass' (Ps.-Dsc.; Strömberg Pfl.n. 44); 2. ξιφύδριον (σκιφ- Epich.) name of a shell-animal (medic., H.). 3. ξιφίας (σκιφ- Epich.) m. `swordfish' (Arist.), also name of a comet (Plin.; Scherer Gestirnnamen 107 ff.); 4. ξιφίον n. kind of swordlily, `Gladiolus segetum' (Thphr., Dsc.); 5. ξιφή-ρης `heavily armed' (E., late prose). 6. ξιφήν ὁ φέρων ξίφος Suid. 7. ξιφίνδα παίζειν = ξιφίζειν (Theognost.). 8. ξιφίζω dance a swoddance' (Cratin.), ἀποξιφίζειν ὀρχεῖσθαι ποιὰν ὄρχησιν, σκιφίζει ξιφίζει. ἔστι δε σχῆμα μαχαιρικῆς ὀρχήσεως H. From there ξιφ-ισμός (Ath., D. C.), -ισμα (Choerob., H.) `sworddance', ξιφιστύς μαχαιρομαχία, μάχη ἐκ χειρῶν H. (Benveniste Noms d'agent 74); but ξιφιστήρ m. (pap., Plu.). -ιστής H. `swordbelt' because of the meaning rather directly from ξίφος; cf. on κορυφιστήρ s. κορυφή. With prefix δια-ξιφίζομαι `fight with the sword' (Ar.), διαξιφισ-μός m. `swordbattle' (Plu.). -- Two further H.glosses: ξίφαι τὰ ἐν ταῖς ῥυκάναις δρέπανα η σιδήρια and (wit metathesis) σκιφίνιον πλέγμα ἐκ φοίνικος (after κοφίνιον a. o.); here also σκιφα-τόμος profession (Sparta I^a) ?; cf. on κίφος.

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

Etymology: Etymology unknown; like so many weaponnnames prob. LW [loanword]. For oriental origin (Aram. saj^ǝfā, ārab. saifun, Egypt.. sēfet `sword') a.o. Lewy Fremdw. 176 f., Spiegelberg KZ 41, 127ff., Huber Comm. Aenip. 9, 34, Schrader-Nehring Reallex. 2, 362 f. Wrong IE etymologies in Bq (rejected). New hypothesis by Čop KZ 74, 231 f.: to Osset. äxsirf `sickle', which can go back on IE *ksibhró-. Myc. qisipee points to a labio-velar (possible also for äxsirf ), which could have been lost through dissimilation with the following φ; s. Heubeck Minos 6, 55 ff. with further details and lit. On the treatment of the labio-velar cf. also Schwyzer 299. The Myc. form clearly points to Pre-Greek origin; perhaps the forms with σκιφ- also point in this direction. It is well known that Pre-Greek had labio-velars (Beekes, Pre-Greek).

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