ψηλαφάω
Ancient Greek
editEtymology
editAnalyzed by Fick as a univerbation from the aorist form of ψάλλω (psállō, “to pluck, pull, twitch”) and ἀφάω (apháō, “to handle”). It remains unclear, however, why the aorist was preferred. Bechtel recognises a noun *ψᾱ́λα (*psā́la) in the first member, referring to μηλαφάω (mēlapháō, “to touch with a probe”); but this rare verb was created after the example of ψηλαφάω (psēlapháō), which is more common. If -αφ- is rather a suffix, the word could be Pre-Greek.
Pronunciation
edit- (5th BCE Attic) IPA(key): /psɛː.la.pʰá.ɔː/
- (1st CE Egyptian) IPA(key): /pse̝.laˈpʰa.o/
- (4th CE Koine) IPA(key): /psi.laˈɸa.o/
- (10th CE Byzantine) IPA(key): /psi.laˈfa.o/
- (15th CE Constantinopolitan) IPA(key): /psi.laˈfa.o/
Verb
editψηλᾰφᾰ́ω • (psēlapháō)
- to feel or grope about to find a thing, like a blind man
- to feel, touch, handle, stroke
- (figuratively) to test, examine
Conjugation
edit Present: ψηλᾰφᾰ́ω, ψηλᾰφᾰ́ομαι (Uncontracted)
Derived terms
edit- ἐπῐψηλᾰφᾰ́ω (epipsēlapháō)
- ψηλᾰ́φημᾰ (psēláphēma)
- ψηλᾰ́φησῐς (psēláphēsis)
- ψηλᾰφητής (psēlaphētḗs)
- ψηλᾰφητῐκῶς (psēlaphētikôs)
- ψηλᾰφητός (psēlaphētós)
- ψηλᾰφῐ́ᾱ (psēlaphíā)
- ψηλᾰφῐ́ζω (psēlaphízō)
- ψηλᾰφώδης (psēlaphṓdēs)
Further reading
edit- “ψηλαφάω”, in Liddell & Scott (1940) A Greek–English Lexicon, Oxford: Clarendon Press
- “ψηλαφάω”, in Liddell & Scott (1889) An Intermediate Greek–English Lexicon, New York: Harper & Brothers
- ψηλαφάω in Bailly, Anatole (1935) Le Grand Bailly: Dictionnaire grec-français, Paris: Hachette
- Beekes, Robert S. P. (2010) Etymological Dictionary of Greek (Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series; 10), with the assistance of Lucien van Beek, Leiden, Boston: Brill, →ISBN