The Greek Diminutive Suffix -icr/.o- -icr/.tf-. 167 



£/ov avto-a a.Wr\\rjic, to ts [j.y;/.o; xai to zXaTO? xal to [JaB-o;, rtvs; 

 Bs xal (3co[ji'r/.ov xaXotJTiv to to'.olStov Gy%[j.y.. xa/Mi}iaxoq ' a certain 

 kind of dance ' : xaAaO'OC ' basket.' The point of similarity is ob- 

 scure. Perhaps, however, the name is merely a metonymy of xa- 

 Xy-b-iaxoc, = xa}.aS^oc, in as much as baskets might have been used 

 in the dance, whence the name. ApoUophan. ap- Ath. 467 F ; 

 Men. ap. Hes. s. v. xoniaxoq ' a pastille ' of frankincense from the 

 yew tree : xotti; ' chopper, cleaver, sting of scorpion, etc.,' because 

 of its cone-like shape ? Diosc. i. 82. xoTvXiaxog : x6tl»>.o?, that which 

 is ' like a cup.' a) a kind of cake. Ath. 647 B ; Hes. b) a pit 

 used for sacrificing to the earth. Hes. xoTuXtoy^o? •. . . (36&-po? dc, ov 

 TO aT[j,a Twv TTj Ytl '^uo'j.svtov hi'^'x'tCLrjv . xvx'/Jaxog : xuxlo?, an}'- 

 thing ' circular.' a) a small round cake. Galen. 12. 276 ; Diosc. 

 2. 105 (of wax), b) a round spot. Clyt. ap. Ath. 655 D. /^itjviaxTj : 

 [xr;/-/; ' moon.' Hes. ij.Tjvi'TxrjV * 6[jiva. Tzixxkcc. f.irjvloxog : [j.TjVT,, 

 ' not a full moon, but only like it,' the half moon, a crescent. 

 Carnut. N. D. 34. 231 7U£-}.Y,pwTai [j.ev auT^ (sc. tt) (7z7.ryr^) 6 ij.t,v{- 

 (7X0C, 00 xsxWjpwTai B' 6 xox>.oc. Otherwise of something ' like a 

 half-moon,' i. e. crescent- shaped. a) a crescent-shaped figure. 

 Arist. Sophist. Elench. 11. 171 b 15, 172 a 3. b) crescent-shaped 

 spots of light. Arist. Probl. 15. ii. 912 b 14. c) a crescent-shaped 

 line of battle. Polyb. 3. 115. 5. 7iri%iaxoc : rff^/pc,, an ' arm-like ' 

 piece of wood as to length, defined by Suidas as ^u}.apiov irr^y'jyXov. 

 ac^rjviaxog : G-cpT,v, that which is ' wedge-shaped.' a) a wedge-shaped 

 bandage. Paul Aeg. 6. 4. b) a mathematical solid of three un- 

 equal dimensions. Nicom. Ar. 2. 6 ; Hero Def. 114, see (jcoijicTxo^. 

 i:QO%iaxog : Tpo/6c, that which is ' like a wheel or circle,' a ball of 

 soap, pastille, lozenge. Arist. Mirab. 19. 831 b 27 ; Theophr. H. 

 P. 9. 9. I, 3 ; Diosc. 2. 105. (fiyotaxog : '-jjI^qic,, that which is ' like 

 a cake.' a) a pill. Hipp. 621. 2, 673. 9. b) = its primitive in the 

 meaning ' cake.' ^ Erotian. p. 134 Klein. 



IV. -IHKO- AS A DETERIORATIVE SUFFIX. 



44. The deteriorative use of Greek -itxo- is paralleled by the 

 Slavic use of the suffix in neuters like Pol. drzewsko ' wretched 

 tree,' or in Germanic adjectives like Germ, kindisch Engl, childish, 

 but the differences between these languages force the conclusion 

 upon us that all three groups developed this meaning independently 

 (§ 11). Gr. -tcTco- must either have developed its deteriorative 



^ Either by syncretism or originally hj'pocoristic (§ 79). 



