σπύραθοι

σπύραθοι

Grammatical information: pl.

Meaning: `droppings of goats and sheep' (Hp., Dsc.).

Other forms: πύραθοι (Nic.) and s. below.

Derivatives: Dimin. σπυράθια pl. (Dsc.; trad. -ίθια); collective σφυραθία f. (Poll.; cf. κοπρία); adj. σπυραθώδης `like sheep's droppings' (Hp.). -- Besides σπυράδες f. pl. `pills' (Hp.), σφυράδες f. pl. = σπύραθοι (Ar., Arist.). Also σπόρθυγγες αἱ συνεστραμμέναι μετὰ ῥύπου τρίχες and σπορθύγγια τρίβολα. τὰ διαχωρή\<μα\>τα τῶν αἰγῶν, ἅ τινες σπυράδας καλοῦσιν H. Note also σπύρδαρα (Poll. 5, 91).

Origin: PG [a word of Pre-Greek origin]X [probably] from LW [loanword]X[probably] Eur.

Etymology: On the variation σπ- σπύραθοι σφ- Hiersche Ten. asp. 201; on the variation σπ- σπύραθοι π- Strunk IF 66, 158f. With σπύραθοι cf. except σπέλεθος, ὄνθος also ψάμαθοι `Sandkörner'; σπυράδες like λιθάδες, ἰσχάδες a. o. -- Old popular expressions of agriculture. The basic ο- or ᾱ-stem to be supposed is found in Baltic: Lith. spirà, mostly pl. spìros f. `dropping(s), droppings of goat, hare, pea-formed excrements of small animals', Latv. spiras `excrements of sheep, goats etc., great beans'; both Gr. -υρ- and Balt. -ir- represent syllabic r̥ [this not true]. -- Beside this with full grade and dental suffix σπορθ-υγγες like NIsl. sparð n. `excrements of sheep', sperðill m. `- of goats' from IE *spordh-. -- Further connection with σπαίρω a. cognates seems illustrated a. o. by Norw. dial. sprall `excremental balls of goats and sheep', spralla `cacare, of sheep' beside sprala, OHG spratalōn `sprawl', s. WP. 2, 672 w. lit. - The word (σ)π\/φυρ-αθ\/δ- is Pre-Geek but the root resembles words in northern Europe; was the word taken over from a Eur. substratum?

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