sla-^(ti)

This lexeme is attested in the inscription of the inscribed pillar of Xanthos, dated contextually to shortly after the ascension of Artaxerxes II in 405-404 BCE and stylistically to around 400 BCE (Borchhardt & Eichner 1997-1999a:19f.). This lexeme is also attested 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.]

3sg. pres. ind. act.	slati	TL 44c.33 (Xanthos)
3sg. impv. act.	slatu	TL 55.5 (Antiphellos)
3pl. impv. act.	slãtu	TL 44d.2 (Xanthos)

Cf. already Meriggi 1936b:275 and Melchert (DLL:129).

[D.S.]

The approximate semantics of ‘to honor, exalt’ were suggested based on an etymological comparison with CLuw. šarlā(i)-^(mi) ‘to exalt (the gods) by praise’ (see Gusmani 1968c:14f., Hajnal 1995a:131f., Schürr 2016d:170, Gehrisch 2018a:82). On contextual grounds, Melchert (DLL:129) modifies the meaning to ‘to bring, present’, because it takes sacrificial things as direct objects, e.g. pasba- ‘small livestock’, mle- (a kind of offering), tuwe/i- ‘laid offering’. However, a more direct translation would be ‘to offer in sacrifice’ (Sasseville 2021a:51, Sasseville 2021d).

The etymology with Hitt. šalli- ‘big, great’, adduced by Hajnal 1995a:131, is semantically and phonologically plausible. The semantic development would be parallel to the one of Luw. /sarl(a)i-^(di)/ ‘to exalt by praise, offer in sacrifice’, which is derived from the adjective šarla/i- ‘high’ (for this type of semantic/syntactic transformation, see Melchert 1981a:253 and Puhvel 2011a). Furthermore, it is worth noting that Lyc. B sla-^(ti) occurs twice with the preverb ẽnẽ, which may modify the semantics.

[D.S.]

The factitive verb sla-^(ti) is derived from the nominal base *sla- c. ‘praise, offering, sacrifice (vel sim.)’ attested in the compound urasla- (Sasseville 2021a:51f.). For the historical background of the doublets sla-^(ti) vs. sla(i)-^(di), see Sasseville 2015a:287 (contra Hajnal 1995a:131f. and Rieken 2005b:69f.).

[D.S.]

1. slãma-

2. slãma-^(ti)

For the lemma head see Lyc. *hle/i-.