- οἴστρος
- οἴστροςGrammatical information: m.Meaning: `gadfly, Tabanus bovinus' (χ 300, A., Arist.), also of a water-insect and a bird (Arist. perh. Sylvia trochilus; cf. Whitfield ClassRev. 69, 12f.), `sting, prick' (S., E.), `rage, madness, fierce desire' (Hdt., Pl., S., E.).Compounds: Compp., e.g. οἰστρο-πλήξ, -γος `stung by a gadly, driven by anger' (trag., of Io, also of the Bacchantes).Derivatives: οἰστρ-ώδης `enraged' (Pl., Epicur.), -ήεις `full of sting, stinging, stung' (Opp., Nonn.; cf. Schwyzer 527), -ηδόν `with rage' (Opp.); οἰστρ-άω (on the formation Schwyzer 731), also -έω (Theoc., Luc., Jul.), -ῆσαι (trag., Pl., Arist.), also with ἀν-, ἐξ-, παρ-, δι-, `to rouse; to rage, to roar' with οἴστρ-ημα n. `sting' (S., AP), (παρ-)-ησις f. `rage, passion' (Corp. Herm., PMag. Par.); backformation πάροιστρος `enraged, mad' (Simp.).Origin: IE [Indo-European] [209] *h(₁)eis- `bring in movement' ; or *h₃eis-?Etymology: In the barytonesis agreeing with κέστρος, χύτρος a. o. (cf. Schwyzer 531 f.) οἶσ-τρος must orig. be a nom. instr. or -- what amounts to the same thing -- a nom. agentis. If, as seems probable, cognate with οἶμα (\< *οἶσ-μα) and like this derived from a verb `put in vehement movement, urge, irritate', the word meant originally "urger, irritator". The actual meanings `gadfly', `sting', `anger' can therefor go hand in hand (cf. v.Wilamowitz Glaube 1, 273); the changing meaning was still favoured by the myth of Io. -- An identical formation, except for the gender, is Lith. aistrà f. `vehement passion'; further cognates s. οἶμα; cf. also ὀϊστός w. lit. -- Diff. F. Hartmann KZ 54, 289 w. n. 1: to οἶδος, οἰδέω, OHG eittar `poison' etc. as `who causes an ulcer'; to be rejected. S. also Gil Fernandez Nombres de insectos 157. -- In ἰστυάζει ὀργίζεται H. Fick KZ 43, 136 wanted to find a parallel zero grade τυ-derivation *ἰσ-τύ-ς.Page in Frisk: 2,369-370
Greek-English etymological dictionary (Ελληνικά-Αγγλικά ετυμολογική λεξικό). Robert S.P.. 2010.