Les ânes chez Ulysse

À propos du sens et de l’étymologie de grec ancien μύκλος (Lycophron, Alexandra 771 et 816)

Bibliographic Data

ID21370327
AuthorsAlcorac Alonso Déniz (CNRS/HiSoMA (UMR 5189) , Maison de l’Orient et de la Méditerranée , 5/7 rue Raulin , Lyon cedex 07 , France, corresponding author)
Year2020
Volume164
Issue1
Pages107-132
Publication date2020-06-03
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessNo
TypeARTICLE
VenuePhilologus (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 0031-7985 • E-ISSN: 2196-7008
PublisherWalter de Gruyter GmbH (PUBLISHER • DE)
DOI10.1515/phil-2018-0037
OpenAlexW2960479268
LanguageFR
Citations received2
References cited26

This paper analyses the meaning of μύκλος in two passages of Lycophron’s Alexandra (771 and 816). The thorough study of the contexts shows that the most likely interpretation of the word in both verses is “donkey”: μύκλοις γυναικοκλῶψιν “woman-stealing donkeys” (771) and τὸν ἐργάτην μύκλον “the hard-working donkey” (816). The definition “lewd” of ancient scholia, assumed by modern lexica and scholars, is nothing but an ad hoc explanation of the former passage which does not suit the latter. After refuting previous etymologies, I contend that μύκλος is originally a deverbative adjective in * ‐lo‐ built on the onomatopoetic aorist μῠκεῖν “bellow”

Adjective · Archaeology · Art · Donkey · Epistemology · Humanities · Interpretation (philosophy) · Linguistics · Meaning (existential) · Nothing · Noun · Classical Antiquity Studies · Historical, Religious, and Philosophical Studies · History · Linguistics and language evolution · Philosophy

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