/mallidi-(ti)/, ma-li-ri-i-mi-
‘to provide with honey, to honey-sweet’
- Language
- Hieroglyphic Luwian
- Class
- Derivative
- Grammar
- verb
- ID
- 394
1. Individual Anatolian Languages
1.1 Hieroglyphic Luwian
/mallidi-(ti)/, ma-li-ri-i-mi-
‘to provide with honey, to honey-sweet’1.1.1Transmission
This lexeme is attested once in an inscription dated to the reign of Halparuntiya (end of 9th c. BCE).
[D.S.]
1.1.2Forms
| part. nom. sg. c. | /mallidimmis/ | (“PANIS”)ma-li-˹ri+i˺-mi-i-sá | MARAŞ 1, §1i (Maraş) |
1.1.3Graphic Features
The phonological interpretation of ma-li-˹ri+i˺-mi-i-sá is here based on the Cuneiform Luwian cognate mallit- n. ‘honey’ and on its interpretation as a participle; cf. under Stem.
[D.S.]
1.1.4Meaning ‘(pass.) provided with honey, (metaphorical) very attractive (vel sim.)’
Laroche 1960c:95 recognizes the base mallit- ‘honey’ in the derivative (“PANIS”)ma-li-˹ri+i˺-mi-i-sá and assigns the meaning ‘soft’ (likewise Morpurgo Davies 1982-1983a:250 n. 18, Hawkins 2000a:263f.) Hawkins (ibid.) accepts the etymological connection with ‘honey’ and translates the derivative as ‘honey-sweet’ (likewise Payne 2012a:53). Simon 2014d:718 points out that the logogram PANIS implies the existence of a kind of sweet pastry made with honey. In the context, the adjective serves as attribute to a king, who is then said to be ‘honey-sweet’ meaning ‘very attractive’.
[D.S.]
1.1.5Stem
This lexeme is here interpreted as a participle to a denominative verb /mallidi-(ti)/ ‘to provide with honey’ (with Lehrman 1998a:183, pace Melchert 2014d:207). For a parallel regarding the possibility of deriving a verb from this same stem cf. gr. βλίττω < *mlit-i̯e/o- ‘to cut out honeycomb’.
[D.S.]
2. Reconstruction
2.1Reconstruction
Despite the equation with Greek βλίττω < *mlit-i̯é/ó- ‘to cut out honeycomb’, HLuw. /mallidi-(ti)/ ‘to honey-sweet’ is likely to be a late formation because of the lenition of the alveolar in /mallid-i-/, which can only have occurred within the base noun. Although it would still be possible to assume that the denominative verb was remodeled in analogy to the base noun, the different semantics of the two putative cognates do not encourage this approach. Therefore, we suggest that Luw. /mallidi-(ti)/ is an inner-Luwian formation, which should not be reconstructed for Proto-Anatolian.
[D.S.]
For the Lemma Head see */mallid-/.