zm̃pra

This lexeme is found once in the poetical inscription engraved on the lion sarcophagus of Antiphellos, dated on stylistic grounds to the beginning of the 4^th century BCE (Zahle 1979a:318, Mühlbauer 2007a:91).

[D.S.]

The word zm̃pra is the direct object of the verb m̃qriti ‘?’, which may represent a religious action performed within a precinct (cf. loc. sg. qelei). Shevoroshkin 2002c:407 translates zm̃pra as ‘offerings’, which is a mere guess. The obscurity of the context still hinders any reliable interpretation.

Neumann 2007a:438f. compares the Lycian A personal name hm̃prãma-, which is phonologically equivalent to Lyc. B zm͂pra-. Schürr 2009c:104 compares Lycian personal names in Greek transmission, which sound similar to Lyc. zm̃pra. This demonstrates that we are dealing with a pre-form *sVm-, whose -s- would develop to Lycian A h. If this is correct, an etymological connection with the root for ‘to bind’ as in Lyc. A sm̃ma-^(ti) and perhaps Lyc. B zm̃pde is not possible. Instead, one should look for a root *sem-. The -p- in zm̃pra is likely to be an epenthetic [b]; cf. Lyc. A iprehi (vis-à-vis CLuw. īmmar(i)-).

[D.S.]