Demosthenes in the [speech]
Against Aristokrates [writes]: "or having taken on [the] road", meaning in a trap and ambush.[1] Likewise the Homeric phrase "whether to go on [the] road".[2] If the first syllable is smoothed, [the word] means a threshold.[3]
Abridged from Harpokration (and
Photius) s.v.
[1]
Demosthenes 23.53.
[2]
Homer,
Iliad 1.151.
[3] As (says Harpok.) in
Lysias fr. 237 Sauppe (now 291 Carey OCT) -- but the observation appears confused. It probably arises from the curious use of
ἀρισφαλέ'... οὐδός with a smooth breathing at
Homer,
Odyssey 17.196. This unparallelled use is usually taken as a form of
ἡ ὁδός 'way', but the Suda may indicate that its meaning in that context is, more correctly, 'threshold'. One word in Greek for 'threshold' is in fact
ὁ οὑδός (in Attic
ὁδός , s.v. LSJ), but this masculine word has the rough breathing. There is a third word to take into account in discussing this confusion:
τὸ οὔδας 'surface, earthen floor of a house'. This word is not, however, acceptable in the Odyssey passage, where the agreeing adjective is not neuter.
Robert Dyer (Slight correction in translation, altered and extended note 3, raised status, added keywords) on 10 December 2002@04:06:02.
David Whitehead (added note and keyword; cosmetics) on 10 December 2002@04:16:22.
David Whitehead (updated notes) on 13 July 2011@03:35:40.
No. of records found: 1
Page 1