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The corpus record

φέψᾰλος

phepsalos

spark of fire

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What it meant

1. φέψαλος · phepsalos — Beekes

φέψαλος [m.] ‘spark of fire’ (Ar., Arist.). “ΝΑΙ φεψάλυξ, -vyog (Archil., Ar., Plb.). eDER φεψαλόομαι in ἐφεψαλώθη ‘he was covered in sparks of fire’ (A. Pr. 364). eETYM Unclear. Usually interpretated as a reduplicated form to » ψόλος, but since -aho- is a suffix, the words can at best be remotely cognate (cf. » ψάμμος, » ψῆν). φέψαλος rather seems Pre-Greek. — [Beekes, s.v. φέψαλος, p. 1616]

2. φέψαλος · phepsalos — Chantraine

φέψαλος : -οὐ m. (Ar, Arist.), φέψελος τὰ, (Hsch.), sétincelle + luisant dans la cendre chaude ou pétillant dans un feu. Composé : ἀ-φέψαλος, dans la glose ἀφεψάλου “ ἄνευ σπινθῆρος λαμπροῦ (Hsch.). Dérivé : φεψάλευξ, -vyos m. « étincelle + (Archil., ΡΙΒ.) ; au fig. οὐδὲ φεψάλυξ désigne une quantité très petite (Ar. Lys. 107, cf, Taillardat, Images d'Aristophane ἃ 252) ; même suffixe -vy- que dans πομφόλουξ « bulle … — [Chantraine, s.v. φέψαλος, p. 1213]

3. φέψαλος · phepsalos — Frisk

φέψαλος (Ar., Arist.), φεψάλυξ, -vyos (Archil., Ar., Plb.) m. ‘Sprühfunke’. Davon φεψαλόομαι in ἐφεψαλώϑη ‘er wurde von Sprühfunken bedeckt’ (A. Pr. 364). — Bildung wie πομφόλυξ bzw. αἴϑαλος, sonst dunkel. Nach gewöhnlicher Annahme seit Curtius 700 und Persson. Stud. 62, BB 19, 258 A.2 mit Reduplikation zu ψόλος (s.d.). Da aber -αλο- suffixal ist, können die Wörter höchstens entfernt verwandt sein (vgl. ψάμμος, — [Frisk, s.v. φέψαλος, p. 1979]

4. φέψᾰλος · phepsalos — LSJ

spark, piece of the embers

spark, piece of the embers, Ar. Ach. 668 (lyr.), V. 227, Arist. Mete. 367a5:—prov. phrases, ἀσπὶς ἐν τῷ φεψάλῳ κρεμήσεται, i.e. will be hung in the chimney, of things laid by and unused, Ar. Ach. 279

Where it came from

No etymology authority pointer is recorded for this lemma yet — an honest gap, not an omission. The etymological dictionaries (Beekes, Chantraine, Frisk) are matched incrementally.

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