Κορύβαντες

Κορύβαντες

Grammatical information: m. pl.

Meaning: `Corybantes', priests of the Phrygian Cybele (E., Ar., Str.), sg. Κορύβας `Ρέας ἱερεύς H.; also Κύρβαντες, sg. -ας (Pherecyd., S.).

Derivatives: κορυβάντειος `Corybantian' (AP), -αντικός `id.' (Plu.), -αντίς f. `id.' (Nonn.), -αντώδης `C.-like' (Luc.), -αντεῖον n. `C.-temple' (Str.); κορυβαντιάω `to be filled with frenzy like the C.' (Pl., Longin.) with -ιασμός (D. H., Longin.); κορυβαντίζω `consecrate in the C. rites' (Ar. V. 119, Iamb.) with -ισμός κάθαρσις μανίας H.

Origin: PG [a word of Pre-Greek origin]

Etymology: Formation as Ἄβαντες, ἀλίβαντες a. o. (Schwyzer 526, Chantraine Formation 269). Etymology unknown; after the origin, Phrygian. Hypothesis of Kretschmer Sprache 2, 67f.: as Phrygian to OWNo. huerfa `turn oneself etc.' (Goth. ƕairban, s. on 2. καρπός). The variation whows that the word was in origin Pre-Greek, so Kretschmer's IE etymology must b abandoned (for Kretschmer the Phrygians were the only IE people in Anatolia, so he liked to find IE Phrygian etymologies, forgetting that the Phrygians took over much from earlier peoples in Anatolia). Which of the two forms was the original is far from easy to establish; Kretschmer thought is was Κύρβαντες (from where Κορύβ- arose through adaptation to κόρυς, which seems improbable to me). Fur. 359 thinks that in Pre-Greek a sequence υ - υ became ο - υ; so he too thinks that Κύρβ- was original (giving *Κυρυβ- \> Κορυβ-). [Not here with Kretschmer as Phryg. LW [loanword] κύρβις `turning table' (s. v.).] Rejecting the traditional etym. from κοῦρος, he assumes a form Κορυ-β- as the stem of κόρυψ νεανίσκος and thus explains Κορύβαντες. However, in this way he seems to forget that he took Κύρβαντες as the original form.

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