στέρφος

Forms

στέρφος (stérphos) n (genitive στέρφεος); third declension^[1]

Etymology

It is inherited from Proto-Indo-European *sterbʰ- (“to become stiff”).^[2][1] It is usually connected with στερεός (stereós, “hard, firm”), as in the Homeric phrase for stiff ox-hides; its suffix is that of δέρος (déros, “skin”) and πέκος (pékos, “fleece”).^[2][3] Cognates are Old High German sterban (“to die”), Old Norse stjarfi (“lockjaw”), Old Norse stirfinn (“stubborn”) and Middle Irish srebann (“skin”).^[2][3] Chantraine, however, calls it a technical word without a clear etymology.^[3]

Beside στέρφος there are forms without /s/, τέρφος (térphos), as with στέγος (stégos) and τέγος (tégos).^[2][3] A Doric στρέφος (stréphos) is in Hesychius.^[3]

Earliest recorded meaning

It first appears in Hellenistic poetry, as a skin worn as a garment, in Lycophron's Alexandra and in Apollonius of Rhodes, who speaks of goatskins.^[4][5][6] Aeschylus had already used the compound μελάνστερφος (melánsterphos), “dark-skinned”.^[3]

Semantic evolution

It remained a rare poetic word for a hide or skin, used in the Anthology, and Nicander has the form τέρφος.^[4][3] A scholiast calls it an Ionic word.^[4] The lexicographers gloss it as “skin, hide”.^[7][8][9]

Timeline

• 3rd century BC – Lycophron and Apollonius of Rhodes use it for a skin worn as a garment.^[4][5][10]
• 2nd century BC – Nicander uses the form τέρφος.^[3][10]
• 5th century AD (probably) – Hesychius glosses it as “skin, hide”.^[7][10]

Meanings

Noun

1. A hide, skin, especially one worn as a garment.^[4][5]
2. A skin or covering of a fruit, a husk.^[2][3]

Word family

• στερφόπεπλος (sterphópeplos)
• μελάνστερφος (melánsterphos)

Related words

• στερεός (stereós)

Usage notes

The modern Modern Greek στέρφος (stérfos, “barren”) is a separate word, from ancient στέριφος (stériphos), and has no etymological link with this one.^[11][12][13]

References

1. ^ a b Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d e 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 d e f g h i Chantraine, Pierre (2009), Dictionnaire étymologique de la langue grecque: histoire des mots, new ed. with a supplement (Chroniques d'étymologie grecque 1–10), Paris: Klincksieck
4. ^ a b c d e Liddell, Henry George; Scott, Robert; Jones, Henry Stuart (1940), A Greek-English Lexicon, 9th ed., Oxford: Clarendon Press
5. ^ a b c Diggle, James, et al., eds. (2021), The Cambridge Greek Lexicon, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press
6. ^ Keersmaekers, Alek (2021–2025), GLAUx: The Greek Language Automated corpus, https://github.com/alekkeersmaekers/glaux
7. ^ a b Hesychius of Alexandria, Lexicon, ed. Kurt Latte (Α–Ο, Copenhagen 1953–1966) and Moritz Schmidt (Π–Ω, Jena 1858–1868)
8. ^ Lexica Segueriana, in Immanuel Bekker, ed. (1814), Anecdota Graeca I, Berlin: Nauck
9. ^ Pseudo-Zonaras, Lexicon, ed. Johann August Heinrich Tittmann (1808), Iohannis Zonarae Lexicon, Leipzig: Crusius
10. ^ a b c Rodríguez Adrados, Francisco, et al., eds. (1980–), Diccionario Griego-Español, Madrid: CSIC, http://dge.cchs.csic.es/xdge
11. ^ Babiniotis, Georgios (2010), Ετυμολογικό λεξικό της νέας ελληνικής γλώσσας [Etymological Dictionary of Modern Greek], Athens: Κέντρο Λεξικολογίας
12. ^ Ινστιτούτο Νεοελληνικών Σπουδών (Ίδρυμα Μανόλη Τριανταφυλλίδη) (1998), Λεξικό της κοινής νεοελληνικής, Thessaloniki: Aristotle University of Thessaloniki
13. ^ Ακαδημία Αθηνών (2014), Χρηστικό Λεξικό της Νεοελληνικής Γλώσσας, Athens: Academy of Athens