σήραμβος

Ancient Greek

Etymology

Strömberg considered this word to be Laconian for θήραφος (thḗraphos, “spider”). Furnée compares the word to σίραμφος (síramphos, “snout”), assuming that this word denotes a "snout beetle". This is semantically unlikely, but in view of the connection with θήραφος (thḗraphos), the word could be of Pre-Greek origin. Moreover, the suffix -αμβ- is typical of other substrate words, like κεράμβυξ (kerámbux, “longhorn beetle”).

Pronunciation

 

• IPA^(key): /sɛ̌ː.ram.bos/ → /ˈsi.ram.bos/ → /ˈsi.ram.bos/

• (5^th BCE Attic) IPA^(key): /sɛ̌ː.ram.bos/
• (1^st CE Egyptian) IPA^(key): /ˈse̝.ram.bos/
• (4^th CE Koine) IPA^(key): /ˈsi.ram.bos/
• (10^th CE Byzantine) IPA^(key): /ˈsi.ram.bos/
• (15^th CE Constantinopolitan) IPA^(key): /ˈsi.ram.bos/

Noun

σήραμβος • (sḗrambos)

1. Hesychius' gives the definition as: εἶδος κανθάρου (eîdos kanthárou, literally “kind of beetle”).

Further reading

• “σήραμβος”, in Liddell & Scott (1940) A Greek–English Lexicon, Oxford: Clarendon Press
• Beekes, Robert S. P. (2010) “σήραμβος”, in Etymological Dictionary of Greek (Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series; 10), with the assistance of Lucien van Beek, Leiden, Boston: Brill, →ISBN, page 1324
• Hesychius' Lexicon: σ