zm̃pde

This lexeme is found in the inscription of the inscribed pillar of Xanthos, dated contextually to shortly after the ascension of Artaxerxes II in 405-404 BCE and stylistically to around 400 BCE (Borchhardt & Eichner 1997-1999a:19f.).

[D.S.]

3sg. pret. ind. act.

zm̃pde

TL 44d.45 (Xanthos)

Interpreted as a verbal form by Korolev & Shevoroshkin 1969a:526, contra Meriggi 1937a:507 n. 2, who takes zm̃pde as the subject of the clause. A dative plural would be formally possible, in which case the predicative of the sentence would have to be eseti, which is also ambiguous.

[D.S.]

Melchert (DLL:138) suggests that zm͂pde is related to Lycian A sm͂ma-^(ti), which is convincing from a phonological perspective, because Lyc. *sN > Lyc. B zN (Melchert 1994a:314, Sasseville 2018a:311). If the equation is correct, the sound p, which renders here a /b/ can be best explained as an epenthetic labial, introduced between m̃ and d, after the stem vowel was syncopated, i.e. *zm̃mVde > *zm̃mde > zm̃pde. The syncope of the stem vowel occurs also in other Lycian B verbs such as mrccdi and trbbdi (Sasseville 2021a:235-237, differently Serangeli 2018a:326), which might serve metrical purposes.

The semantics suggested by Melchert (DLL:138) are contextually plausible:

xzzãtã=pe : trqqi<z> [t]r[m͂]mile : zm̃pde … (TL 44d.44-45)

‘The Storm-god bound(?) Xanthos(?) to the Lycians…’

Nevertheless, his suggestions cannot be considered proven until further evidence emerges. Differently, Shevoroshkin 2011a:32 proposes an etymological connection with Luw. zammura(i)-^(di) ‘to insult, slander’ without any further explanation of the morphology. Gehrisch 2018a:91 translates zm̃pde with ‘brought’ without giving any justification. The meaning ‘slandering’, which has been suggested for the Lycian B verb, are less adequate because of both the accusative and the dative object.

[D.S.]

Considering the lenition in the ending of zm̃pde vis-à-vis Lyc. A sm̃ma-^(ti), one could posit a denominative in -a(i)-^(di), i.e. zm̃ma(i)-^(di); *zm̃made > zm̃pde. For the parallel derivations of -a-^(ti) and -a(i)-^(di), see Sasseville 2015a.

[D.S.]

For the lemma head see PAnat. *sh₂óh₁-/sh₂h₁-´.