τύραννος

Although the handbooks of Greek etymology treat τύραννος as a loanword of unknown origin (GEW II:947; DELG:1146; EDG:1520), there is a very popular view from the beginning of the research that it is a loan from an Anatolian language, the source of which was usually seen in the Luwian title tarwani- (for a wide selection of references see the etymological dictionaries quoted above as well as Simon 2018a:406 n. 75, from the literature thereafter add Bianconi 2020a:139 n. 5). The popularity of this theory persisted despite the observation of D. Hegyi as early as in 1965 that it is phonologically untenable since it does not explain the first vowel (Hegyi 1965a:318, see now also Simon 2018a:406). The situation has dramatically changed in 2019, when based on Pintore 1979a Melchert 2019a demonstrated that this title does not exist since it is an adjective meaning ‘just, righteous, honest’ (see s.v.). Despite his own demonstration and the phonological problem, Melchert 2019a:343 remained convinced about the correctness of the loanword theory. While such a meaning can indeed easily underlie a sovereign’s title, many historical and geographical problems require explanation if someone wants to derive a title in Greek from a Luwian adjective. Moreover, the precise shape of the word is still dubious (Melchert 2019a:343f. argued for tarrawann(i)- on mainly etymological grounds including (!) his unproved assumption that τύραννος is a loan from this word, but this reading is only one possibility among others) and the old problem of the unexplained first vowel remains even in the most favourable cases (Melchert’s solution [Melchert 2019a:343], a metathesis from */tarwa-/ is completely ad hoc). As long as these issues are not solved, τύραννος cannot be treated as a loanword from an Anatolian language (see already Oreshko 2018a:111f., basically on the same grounds).

[Zs.S.]