σπάω

σπάω, σπάομαι

Grammatical information: v.

Meaning: `to draw', e.g. a sword, `to pull out, to tug, to wince, to attract, to snatch, to pull off, to sprain, to drag or to lure somewhere, to pull in, to suck in, to slurp down' (S., Ar. a. o.)

Other forms: Aor. σπάσαι, σπάσ(σ)ασθαι, pass. σπασθῆναι (Il.), fut. σπάσω, -ομαι, perf. midd. ἔσπασμαι (IA.), act. ἔσπακα (Ar., Arist. a. o.).

Compounds: Very often w. prefix in different shades of meaning, e.g. ἀνα-, ἀπο-, δια-, ἐπι-, κατα-, περι-.

Derivatives: A. From the unenlarged root: 1. σπάσις, mostly to the prefixed verbs, e.g. ἀνάσπα-σις ( : ἀνα-σπάσαι, -σπᾶν) `pulling in' etc. (Hp., Arist. etc.). 2. σπασμός (ἐπισπασμός etc.) m. `wincing, spasm, violent movement' (IA.) with σπασμ-ώδης, κατα-σπασμ-ικός. 3. σπάσμα (ἀπόσπασμα etc.) n. `spasm, sprain, shred, scrap' (IA); on σπάσις, -σμός, -σμα Chantraine Form. 145 a. 147. -- 4. -σπαστος in ἐπίσπασ-τος `brought upon oneself, incurred' (Od. etc.) a.o.; σπαστικός (κατα-, περι-) `pulling in, slurping in' (Arist.). -- 5. -σπα-στήρ, -ῆρος m. in ἐπισπαστήρ (Hdt., AP; -σπατήρ inscr.), ποτισπαστήρ (Epid. IV--III<sup>a</sup>) "attractor", `thong which draws the door, bird string, net'; ἐπίσπαστρον n. `id.' (LXX, D.S. a. o.). --B. With δ-enlargement: 1. παρα-σπάς, -άδος f. `shoot torn off and planted' (Thphr.), ἀπο- σπάω `twig torn off' (AP, Nonn.). 2. σπάδῑξ, -ῑκος m. `(torn off) twig, espec. palm twig' (Nic., Plu. etc.); Lat. LW [loanword] spădīx `date-coloured' (s. W.-Hofmann s.v.). 2. σπάδιον n. `race-track' (Argos, H; "the lenghty one"; cf. στάδιον). 3. σπαδών, -όνος f. `spasm, convulsion' (Hp., Nic.) with -ονίζω, -ονισμός. 4. σπάδων, -ωνος m. `eunuch' (LXX, Plb. a.o.), also σπάδος (Eust.; vgl. E. Maass RhM 74, 432ff.). -- C. With τ-enlargement: σπάτος n. `(removed) skin' (H., sch. Ar. Pax 48 [Boeot.]) with σπάτειος in σπατείων δερματίνων H., as 1. member in Σ\<πα\>το-ληασταί m. pl. guild of fullers in Argos (Rom. time; Fraenkel Nom. ag. 1, 176). -- D. Derived verbs: σπάζει σκυζᾳ̃. Άχαιοί H.; σπαδίξας aor. ptc. of σπαδίζω `to remove' (Hdt. 5, 25); σπατίζει τῶν \<σ\>πατέων ἕλκει, τῶν δερμάτων, τῶν τιτθῶν H. -- On σπάθη s. v.

Origin: XX [etym. unknown]

Etymology: The regular inflectional system of σπάω may have developed from the aorist σπάσαι. From there first σπασθῆναι, ἔσπασμαι, σπάσω, further σπάω, lastly ἔσπακα (cf. on κλάω). The σ-forms σπασθῆναι etc. are prob. analogical beside σπα-δ-, σπα-τ- (diff. Schwyzer 761; doubting 706). -- No immediate agreement outside Greek. Semantically very tempting is the comparison with Toch. B pāss- `draw off (the skin)' in the preterital forms passāre-ne (3. pl. act.), passāmai (1. sg. midd.), s. v. Windekens Orbis 11, 343; 12, 191, though the absence of the "movable" s- must raise doubts (-ss- moreover from -sw- acc. to v. W.). An old verbal noun seems preserved in the Lat. relict-word spatium `space etc.' (: σπάδιον with alternative dental, Schwyzer 498 n. 13 w. lit.). -- The other under spē(i)- grouped words `draw, stretch etc.' in WP. 2, 655ff. (similar Pok. 981 ff.) after Persson Beitr. 1, 386--415, a. o. OHG spanan `allure, entice' (prop. *"allure"), spāti `late', are because of the extensible meaning, the short size of the words and the variating phonetics not well usable for an exact, detailed etymological demonstration and do not help to undertsand σπάω. -- Cf. σπίδιος and σφαδάζω; also cf. σπατάλη and σπατίλη.

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