tidere/i-

This lexeme is found in three grave inscriptions from Limyra.

[D.S.]

nom. sg.	tideri	TL 128.1 (Limyra)
		TL 135.1 (Limyra)
	[ti]deri	TL 119.3 (Limyra)

The noun tideri denotes a type of relationship between two people. Neumann 1993c:37f. points out that it can apply to either a man or a woman. He follows the etymological hypothesis of Carruba 1969c:272f. that the first part *tide- should be connected to Hittite tēda(n)- and Luwian tīdan- ‘teat’, which would speak for a kinship term similar to tideime/i- ‘child, son’. Thus, he suggests analyzing the second part *ere/i- as a putative cognate of Hitt. arā- c. ‘companion’, which would yield the meaning ‘collacteus, collactea’, i.e. ‘children nursed by the same breast (who are not necessarily blood related)’ (Germ. Milch-Bruder, Milch-Schwester), which is a concept found in several other ancient cultures (repeated in Neumann 2004b:234, Neumann 2007a:360f., followed by Melchert (DLL:66), Gehrisch 2018a:158, 162, 164, Christiansen 2020a:233 with hesitation). For an overview of the outdated literature, see Neumann 2007a:360.

[D.S.]

For the analysis as a compound, see under Meaning. Formally speaking, a derivative in -re/i- from the same base would be also possible.

[D.S.]

For the lemma head see Lyc. A *tide-.