muwa-^(ti)

This lexeme is found on both Lycian B inscriptions TL 44c-d and TL 55. TL 55 is the engraved lion sarcophagus of Antiphellos, dated stylistically to shortly after 400 BCE (Zahle 1979a:318, Mühlbauer 2007a:91). TL 44 is the pillar of Xanthos, dated stylistically to around 400 BCE and contextually to shortly after the ascension of the Persian emperor Artaxerxes II in 405-404 BCE (Borchhardt & Eichner 1997-1999a:19f.).

[O.B.]

Lyc. B muwa-^(ti) occurs twice in contexts with sacrificial direct objects (TL 55.6, mlu, acc. sg. to mla- ‘votive offering’ and TL 44d.52, lijenu^!wez, acc. pl. to lijenuwe- ‘nymphaeum’), which means that the meaning of the verb must have positive connotations. Since the root *mu- meant something akin to ‘strength, force’ (Neumann 2007a:229), a meaning ‘to strengthen (vel sim.)’ is appropriate (thus in Sasseville 2015a:289, Schürr 2016d:289, most comprehensively argued in Sasseville 2021a:48). This also agrees well with the instrumental tuwẽmedi ‘with standing offerings’ (to Lyc. B tuwẽme(/i)- ’standing offering’) occurring in both instances. Accordingly, both sentences in TL 55.6 and TL 44d.51f. are provided with contextually plausible translations, i.e. TL 55.6: mlu neriu : muwax[a tu]ẉẽmedi ‘I strengthened the sisterly offering with standing offerings’ and TL 44d.51f.: xba[da]siz tuwemedi : lijenu^!wez : muwaxã ‘I strengthened the nymphaea of the river-valleys with standing offerings’ (translation with Sasseville 2021a:48).

Previous translations such as ‘to overpower (vel sim.)’ (cf. Meriggi 1963a:15, DLL:122) and ‘to enforce’ (Shevoroshkin 2002c:406) should be abandoned on account of the necessarily positive semantics of the verb. These outdated proposals are based on the mistaken direct identification with Luw. /muwa-⁽ⁱ⁾/ ‘to brutalize, overpower, etc.’, see Stem.

[O.B.]

Lyc. B muwa-^(ti) is an unleniting a-stem verb, as confirmed by the 3sg. pres. act. form muwati.

Per Sasseville 2021a:338f. (see also Sasseville 2015a:289), muwa-^(ti) is a factitive formation to muwa- ‘strength (vel sim.)’. The direct connection to Luw. /muwa-⁽ⁱ⁾/ ‘to brutalize, etc.’ (cf. e.g. Meriggi 1963a:15, Morpurgo Davies 1982-1983a:263), a ḫi-conjugating verb, cannot be maintained as this would correspond to a Lycian unleniting e-stem, i.e. 3sg. pres. act. **muweti. Hence the semantic mismatch between the two verbs (see Meaning) is explicable. Both verbs share the same radical origin, but diverge in stem formation.

[O.B.]

For the derivational base, see Lyc. B muwa- ‘strength (vel sim.)’.