isa-

This lexeme is found in two metrical inscriptions that have not been dated accurately, although LW 13 has recently been argued to have a 6^th century dating on account of the use of the letter y (Euler & Sasseville 2019a:129). The etymology of Kearns 1997a concerning the name Greek Kroisos, in which he saw a compound made of the Lydian word isas ‘lord’, is not phonologically tenable: first, there is no -owi- sequence in Lydian. Second, Lydian a-stem are not rendered with Greek -o-, but with -a- (see e.g. LW 20, LW 40). For the Lydian name of Croesus, see now Euler & Sasseville 2019a.

[D.S.]

Meriggi 1935a:102 first suggests that isas is a personal name, probably because it is the subject of the first sentence in LW 13 (retained as plausible by Gusmani 1964a:138 and Melchert 1991a:137 n. 13). On the other hand, Bossert 1944a:121 and Vetter 1959a:36 suggest that isas is an archaic form of the Lydian demonstrative pronoun eš- (i.e. nom. sg. ess), which is not tenable (likewise rejected by Gusmani 1964a:138). Gusmani 1971a:5 argues instead that isas is the etymological match of Hitt. išḫā- c. ‘lord’ (doubted in HED E, I:390 and Melchert 1991a:137 n. 13, but followed by Gusmani 1980a:61, Kearns 1997a:26 n. 16 and HEG U-Z:392). From a phonological perspective the equation should be rejected on account of the PIE pre-form *h₁esh₂-ó-, which should have at least yielded Lyd. *asa- (or *esa-, if there is a secondary barytonisis). Therefore, Gusmani’s etymology is not accepted here.

The suggestion that it is a personal name remains unfortunately highly hypothetical, since personal names in grave inscriptions are regularly followed by a patronymicon, which would be missing here. No other suggestion is given here and the meaning of the word is left open.

[D.S.]

The accent position within the a-stem isa- is not secured yet, although Eichner 1986a:19 tentatively posits a barytone stem based on the metrical scanning of LW 12.

[D.S.]