- ὄστρειον
- ὄστρειον, -εονGrammatical information: n.Meaning: `oyster, mussel, sea-snail; purple paint' (A., Epich., Att.).Compounds: Compp. ὀστρειο-γραφής `painted with purple' (Eleg. ap. Plu.), λιμν-όστρεα pl. `pond oyster' (Arist.).Derivatives: ὀστρ-έϊνος `musselish, provided with a shell(?)' (Pl.), -ῖνος `purple' (POxy. 109, 5; III--IVp), prob. from Lat. ostrīnus `id.' (since Varro), cf. below; -ε(ι)ώδης `oyster-like' (Arist., Str.), -ειακός `belonging to oysters' (Zonar.), -ίτης m. kind of stone (Orph. L.; Redard 59).Origin: PG [a word of Pre-Greek origin]Etymology: Prop. "Knochentier" (= `bony animal'), with ε(ι)ο-suffix from a noun ὀστρ-'bone', assumed for s. ὄστρακον. Lat. LW [loanword] ostreum n., ostre- f. (from ὄστρεα n. pl.) with ostr-īnus (from where Gr. ὀστρῖνος, s. above), -eātus, -eārius a.o.; from there NHG Auster etc. - As there is no IE evidence for *ostr- meaning `bone' (s. on ο῎στρακον), the old etymology is wrong; the word must be Pre-Greek. Note that "la forme usuelle semble avoir été le collectif ὄστρα ou ὄστρεια" (the notion `collective' is introduced here assuming that the form is of IE origin); "ὄστρεια est la forme la plus ancienne" (Chantraine, Form. 62). I assume that -ε(ι)- continues a Pre-Greek suffix -ay- (Beekes, Pre-Greek, Suffixes s.v. -αι-\/-ε(ι)-). That a word with this meaning would come from a substratum seems only to be expected.Page in Frisk: 2,438
Greek-English etymological dictionary (Ελληνικά-Αγγλικά ετυμολογική λεξικό). Robert S.P.. 2010.