σφαραγέομαι

Forms

σφαραγέομαι (spharagéomai), middle; only the epic imperfect third person plural σφαραγεῦντο is found.^[1][2][3] Beside it there is σφαραγίζω (spharagízō), imperfect ἐσφαράγιζον, in Hesiod.^[3][4]

Etymology

Beekes and Frisk take it as an inherited sound word, formed like σμαραγέω (smaragéō, “to resound”), and Beekes reconstructs Proto-Indo-European *sbʰrh₂ǵ- (“to burst, crackle”), since the aspirate in Greek and Sanskrit argues against the older reconstruction with /p/.^[3][5][6] Cognates include Sanskrit स्फूर्जति (sphū́rjati, “crackles, rumbles; bursts forth”), Old English sprecan (“to speak”), Old High German sprehhan (“to speak”), and probably Lithuanian sprógti (“to burst”) and Greek σπαργάω (spargáō, “to swell, be full”).^[3][5][4]

Hiersche, cited by Frisk and Chantraine, thought the verb and the compounds in -σφάραγος (-spháragos) were old alterations of that verb and its compounds.^[5][4] Chantraine also connects ἀσφάραγος (aspháragos).^[4]

Earliest recorded meaning

It occurs twice in the Odyssey, both times in the Cyclops episode: the roots of the Cyclops' eye crackle in the fire when Odysseus drives in the burning stake, and the udders of the unmilked ewes are full to bursting.^[2][7][1]

Semantic evolution

The verb itself is only Homeric.^[1][8] The sound sense lived on in σφαραγίζω (spharagízō), which Hesiod uses in the Theogony and which Hesychius explains as “thunders, disturbs, makes a noise”, and in the noun σφάραγος (spháragos, “noise”), found mainly as the second member of compounds such as ἐρισφάραγος (erispháragos, “loud-roaring”) and Pindar's βαρυσφάραγος (baruspháragos, “deep-roaring”).^[3][5][4]

Timeline

• Homer – The Odyssey uses it of the sizzling roots of the Cyclops' eye and of udders full to bursting.^[2][7]
• Before the 6th century BC – Hesiod uses the related σφαραγίζω (spharagízō) in the Theogony.^[3][4][9]
• 6th–5th century BC – Pindar uses compounds in -σφάραγος (-spháragos, “-roaring”).^[3][4][9]
• 5th century AD (probably) – Hesychius glosses σφαραγίζει as “thunders, makes a noise”.^[3][9]

Meanings

Verb

1. To crackle, sizzle, to burst with a noise, as liquid thrown on a fire.^[7][2]
2. To be swollen, full to bursting.^[7][1][2]

Related words

• σφαραγίζω (spharagízō)
• σμαραγέω (smaragéō)
• σπαργάω (spargáō)
• ἀσφάραγος (aspháragos)

References

1. ^ a b c d Diggle, James, et al., eds. (2021), The Cambridge Greek Lexicon, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press
2. ^ a b c d e Cunliffe, Richard John (1924), A Lexicon of the Homeric Dialect, London: Blackie and Son
3. ^ a b c d e f g h 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
4. ^ a b c d e f g 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
5. ^ a b c d Frisk, Hjalmar (1960–1972), Griechisches etymologisches Wörterbuch, 3 vols, Heidelberg: Carl Winter
6. ^ Bailly, Anatole (2020), Dictionnaire grec-français, Bailly 2020 Hugo Chávez ed., ed. Gérard Gréco et al.
7. ^ a b c d Liddell, Henry George; Scott, Robert; Jones, Henry Stuart (1940), A Greek-English Lexicon, 9th ed., Oxford: Clarendon Press
8. ^ Keersmaekers, Alek (2021–2025), GLAUx: The Greek Language Automated corpus, https://github.com/alekkeersmaekers/glaux
9. ^ a b c Rodríguez Adrados, Francisco, et al., eds. (1980–), Diccionario Griego-Español, Madrid: CSIC, http://dge.cchs.csic.es/xdge