mršla-
‘violator (?)’
- Language
- Lydian
- Grammar
- subst, c.
- ID
- 2867
1. Individual Anatolian Languages
1.1 Lydian
mršla-
‘violator (?)’1.1.1Transmission
This lexeme is found in an inscription from the necropolis of Sardis that has not yet been dated properly.
[D.S.]
1.1.2Forms
| nom. sg. | mršlas | LW 14.7 (Sardis) |
1.1.3Meaning
The word mršlas occurs in a nominal sentence, agreeing with the predicative substantive or adjective šitarfλos (Vetter 1959a:43). In the literature, scholars saw a noun designating an individual, e.g. Vetter 1959a:43 ‘the dead’, Littmann 1916a:84 ‘Myrsilos’, Shevoroshkin 1969a:268 ‘Schädiger’. Tischler (HEG M:143) connects it etymologically to the Hitt./Luw. root marš- with the semantics of ‘desecration, falsehood, crime’, which supports the hypothesis by Shevoroshkin 1969a. Further, Sasseville 2014-2015a:117 demonstrates more firmly the existence of the Lydian suffix -la- corresponding to Lyc. -ala- and CLuw. -alla-, which builds agent nouns or individualizations. Since the sentence in which mršlas occurs has a prohibitive sense, the meaning ‘violator’ would be contextually plausible and is adopted here provisionally.
[D.S.]
For the lemma head see Lyd. *mrša-.