- πέλεια
- πέλειαGrammatical information: f.Meaning: `wild pigeon', (Il.).Other forms: πελειάς, -άδος, mostly pl. -άδες f.Compounds: As 1. member in πελειο-θρέμμων `feeding pigeons' (A.); also metaph. as name of the priestesses of the sanctuary of Dodona (Hdt., S., Paus.).Derivatives: πελείους Κῶοι καὶ οἱ Ήπειρῶται τοὺς γέροντας καὶ τὰς πρεσβύτιδας H.Origin: IE [Indo-European] [804] *pel- `gray'Etymology: As so many animal-names (Chantraine Form. 98, Schwyzer 474) formation with ια-suffix; from that with the in animal-names also frequent αδ-suffix (Chantraine 354 a. 356, Schw. 508, Sommer Münch. Stud. 4,6f.) πελειάς. The masc. πελείους is sec. innovation. -- Clearly like e.g. Lat. palumbēs named after the colour and cognate with πελιός, πολιός, πελιτνός, but in detail not quite clear. Accent as in λίγεια, ἐλάχεια (s. vv.) a.o., so from an υ-stem *πελύς `gray' ? -- Because of their gray-white haircolour the priestesses in Dodona (like the old ones in Cos and Epeiros) were called "the doves"; so the prop. meaning not with Bq, WP. 2, 53, W.-Hofmann s. palleō "the Gray-headed Old Ones". -- Cf. περιστερά.Page in Frisk: 2,496
Greek-English etymological dictionary (Ελληνικά-Αγγλικά ετυμολογική λεξικό). Robert S.P.. 2010.