tawsa-
‘great’
- Language
- Lydian
- Grammar
- adj
- ID
- 1445
1. Individual Anatolian Languages
1.1 Lydian
tawsa-
‘great’1.1.1Transmission
This lexeme is found in various inscriptions from Sardis, one of which, i.e. LW 23, has been recently dated to 542-41 BCE (see Euler & Sasseville 2019a). The others are not dated yet with any accuracy. It is also found in Greek Transmission among the glosses of Hesychius; see under Meaning.
[D.S.]
1.1.2Forms
| nom sg. | tawsas | LW 23.3 (Sardis) | |
| acc. sg. | tawsẽν | LW 10.2 (Sardis) | |
| LW 80.5 (Sardis) |
1.1.3Meaning
Sturtevant 1925a:79 analyzes the word tawsas rightly as an epithet of Qλdãns, taking the glosses of Hesychius as an important indicator that the epithet of the god is an adjective meaning ‘big, great, powerful’ (Hsch. τ 259, 269):
ταΰς· μέγας, πόλυς
ταΰσας· μεγαλύνας, πλεονάσας
Although Hesychius (or the original author of these glosses) does not seem to have fully understood the Lydian forms, e.g. analyzing ταύσας erroneously as an aorist participle, the lexical equation and the resulting semantics are correct (followed by Brandenstein 1929a:286, Heubeck 1959a:23f., 28f., Gusmani 1964a:211f., Gérard 2005a:130). Further confirmation can be adduced in the form of the new identification of the name Qλdãns as the deceased and deified ruler Croesus (Euler & Sasseville 2019a). Thus, qλdãns tawsas would mean ‘Croesus the Great’, a common title for rulers of far-reaching fame; cf. Ἀλέξανδρος ὁ Μέγας (= Alexander the Great) and Carolus Magnus (= Charles the Great) among others.
Gusmani 1964a:211 points out that ciwν… tawsẽν (LW 10.2) ‘the great god’ should refer to the same deity as qλdãns tawsas, which is possible but more work on the context of this inscription is necessary to clarify this claim. The other instance (LW 80) occurs in a broken context, which does not help any further.
[D.S.]
1.1.4Stem
The accusative ending in -ẽν shows that the word is an oxytone a-stem, going back to the thematic suffix *-o- (see Hajnal 2004a:192).
[D.S.]
2. Reconstruction
2.1Reconstruction ‘great, strong’
Gusmani 1964a:212 points out that the root of Lyd. tawsa- is surely the same as the one of the Sanskrit verb tavīti ‘is strong’. Following this etymological comparison, Melchert 1994a:330 reconstructs a Proto-Anatolian pre-form *tEu̯(H)só- ‘great, strong’ (followed by Hajnal 2004a:192). Oettinger 1995a:40 follows this reconstruction and posits the second laryngeal *tou̯h2só-. Neither the presence nor the identity of the laryngeal can be supported from the Lydian perspective. The vocalism of the root is ambiguous, since both unaccented *-eu̯- and *-ou̯- would become Lydian -aw-. The adjective in question is best analyzed as a thematic derivative with possessive semantics of an original s-stem: *tEu̯(H)-es- + -ó- ‘having the strength’. For this derivational pattern in Proto-Indo-European, see Höfler 2015b.
[D.S.]
3. Proto-Indo-European
3.1Semantic Reconstruction
The PIE root *teu̯h2- means ‘to swell; to become strong’, as per LIV²:639f. with n. 1a. Cf. also IEW:1080 s.v. tēu- (‘to swell’) and Watkins 2011a:94f. s.v. teuǝ-2 (‘to swell’). Somewhat differently EIEC:560f. s.v. *teuha-: “swell (with power), grow fat”.
3.2Morphological Reconstruction
Regarding the verbal stem formation, an athematic root present PIE *téu̯h2-/*tuh2-´ can be reconstructed on the basis of Ved. út tavīti ‘gains strength’ and OAv. tauuā(=cā) pres. subj. ‘(and) I will be able’. RussCS tyti, tyju pres. ‘to become fat’ points to a i̯e/o-present *tuh2-i̯e/o- (cf. LIV²:639f. with n. 3). Among the nominal formations based on *teu̯h2-, a neuter s-stem noun *téu̯h2-os/es- ‘swelling; strength’ vel sim., which is indirectly attested in Ved. távas-vant- adj. ‘strong’ and YAv. paiti-tauuah- ‘using his strength against (sth.)’,In Vedic, a noun *távas- n. ‘strength’ can also be presupposed as the derivational base of tavás- ‘strong’ (RV+), an adjective that was derived from *távas- ‘strength’ by accent shift; for the type, cf., e.g., Ved. ápas- sbst. n. ‘work, action’ : apás- adj. ‘working, active, skillful’.served as derivational base of a possessive adjective *teu̯h2-s-ó- ‘swollen; strong’ vel sim. (Ved. taviṣá- ‘strong, brave’, Lyd. tawsa- ‘great’). A men-stem noun *téu̯h2-men- n. ‘swelling; strength’, which lives on in OPers. tauman- ‘strength’ and is likely to be the derivational base of Lat. tōmentum ‘stuffing material’, can likewise be reconstructed for PIE. Furthermore, a stem *tuH-s-(E)nt-, which underlies the Germanic, Baltic, and Slavic words for ‘thousand’ (cf. PGerm. *þūsunđī/jō- > Goth. þusundi, etc.; PBSl. *tūsonti- > Lith. tū́kstantis, OCS tysǫšti, etc.), is also oftentimes said to be based on PIE *teu̯h2- (cf. EIEC:560f., EWAhd II:897–902, Watkins 2011a:94f. s.v. teuǝ-2, Casaretto 2004a:441); for a thorough discussion of the Germanic, Baltic, and Slavic forms, cf. EWAhd II:890–902 s.v. dûsunt with further lit. For further nominal derivatives of *teu̯h2-, cf. IEW:1080f.
[T.S.]
4. Transmission
Ved. út tavīti pres. ‘gains strength’ (RV 10.59.1), tūtā́va perf. ‘is strong’, taviṣá- adj. ‘strong, brave’ (RV+), sbst. n. ‘strength’ (RV+), táviṣī- sbst. f. ‘strength’ (RV), távas-vant- adj. ‘strong’ (RV), etc.; OAv. tauuā(=cā) pres. subj. ‘(and) I will be able’, YAv. tūtauua perf. ‘is able’, YAv. paiti-tauuah- adj. ‘using his strength against (sth.)’, OAv. tǝuuiš- sbst. n. ‘violence’, Av. təuuīšī- sbst. f. ‘(physical) strength’, OPers. tunuvant(a)- adj. ‘strong’, OPers. tauman- sbst. n. ‘strength, ability’, etc.Cf., e.g., EWAia I:638f. s.v. TAVI and s.v. táviṣī-, LIV²:639f. with notes.
Arm. tʻiw ‘number’Cf., e.g., Olsen 1999a:23.
Lat. tōmentum sbst. n. ‘stuffing material’ (Varro+), ?tōtus adj. ‘the whole of, all’ (Andr.+)Cf., e.g., Lühr 2000a:190 s.v. þjóð, EDLIL:622 s.v. tōmentum, 625 s.v. tōtus with further lit., Weiss 2020a:134 with n. 42.
Goth. þusundi f. ‘thousand’, ON þúsund f. ‘id.’, OE ðūsend n. ‘id.’, OHG dūsunt f./n. ‘id.’, etc.Cf., e.g., EWAhd II:890–902, Casaretto 2004a:441, EDPG:554.