σκεδάννυμι

Forms

σκεδάννῡμῐ (skedánnūmi) ^[1]

Etymology

The present σκεδάννυμι is a recent formation, made from the aorist σκεδάσαι (skedásai) on the model of verbs such as πετάννυμι (petánnumi) and κεράννυμι (keránnumi).^[2][3] Homer has only the aorist.^[4] Its stem is inherited from Proto-Indo-European *(s)kd-n-eh₂- (“to split, strew out”), a nasal present.^[2][1] Beekes's closest cognate is Avestan sciṇdaiieiti (“breaks, destroys”), with a nasal infix; without the initial s-, Tocharian B katnaṃ (“strews”) has the same nasal present.^[2] Nouns with a suffix -r- and verbs built on them belong here too, among them Middle English scateren, whence the English word scatter.^[2] Beekes rejects the comparison with Lithuanian kedė́ti (“to burst”).^[2]

Epic also has forms without the s-, such as the aorist κεδάσσαι (kedássai), and a by-form σκίδνημι (skídnēmi).^[2][5]

Earliest recorded meaning

Homer uses only the aorist: Ares shed the blood of the slain about a river, a leader dismissed the army, a god scattered mist from a hero's eyes, and Odysseus is told to scatter cares from his heart.^[5][4][6]

Semantic evolution

Hesiod uses it of Pandora scattering the contents of her jar.^[4][6] In Aeschylus's Prometheus the sun scatters the frost, and the verb also means to shatter a trident, while Sophocles speaks of scattering sleep from the eyes as if it were a cloud.^[4][6] The passive is used by Herodotus and Thucydides of people, ships and routed armies dispersing, and of a report being spread abroad.^[4][6] Prose writers often used the compounds with ἀπό (apó), διά (diá) and κατά (katá).^[2][3]

Its nouns are σκέδασις (skédasis) “scattering”, already in the Odyssey, and the Hellenistic σκεδασμός (skedasmós).^[2][3]

Timeline

• Homer – The Iliad and the Odyssey use the aorist for scattering mist, men and cares.^[5][4]
• Before the 6th century BC – Hesiod uses it of Pandora's jar.^[4][6]
• 6th–5th century BC – Aeschylus uses it of the sun scattering frost and of shattering a trident.^[4][6]
• 5th century BC – Herodotus and Thucydides use the passive of dispersed troops.^[4][6]
• 4th–3rd century BC – Theophrastus has the present σκεδάννυμι, a recent formation.^[4][2]

Meanings

Verb

1. To scatter or disperse people; to dismiss an army.^[4][6][5]
2. To scatter or spread things about; to shed blood.^[4][6][5]
3. To shatter, break in pieces.^[4][6]
4. To drive away, dispel mist, sleep or cares.^[6][5]
5. (passive) To be scattered, to disperse; of a report, to be spread abroad.^[4][6]

Word family

• σκέδασις (skédasis)
• σκεδασμός (skedasmós)
• σκεδαστός (skedastós)
• διασκεδάννυμι (diaskedánnumi)
• κατασκεδάννυμι (kataskedánnumi)

Related words

• σκίδνημι (skídnēmi)
• κεδάννυμι (kedánnumi)
• σχίζω (skhízō)
• English scatter

References

1. ^ a b c d e Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d e f g h i Beekes, Robert S. P. (2010), Etymological Dictionary of Greek, with the assistance of Lucien van Beek, Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series 10, Leiden; Boston: Brill
3. ^ a b c Κέντρο Ελληνικής Γλώσσας, Βασικό Λεξικό της Αρχαίας Ελληνικής, Portal for the Greek Language, https://www.greek-language.gr
4. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n Liddell, Henry George; Scott, Robert; Jones, Henry Stuart (1940), A Greek-English Lexicon, 9th ed., Oxford: Clarendon Press
5. ^ a b c d e f Cunliffe, Richard John (1924), A Lexicon of the Homeric Dialect, London: Blackie and Son
6. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l Diggle, James, et al., eds. (2021), The Cambridge Greek Lexicon, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press