mẽtl(i)- (mẽtr(i)-)

This lexeme occurs two times in the mutually interconnected texts found in the precinct of Artemis in Sardis and datable to the late 6^th-early 5^th century BCE. Both occurrences are in the protasis of the curse formulae.

[I.Y.]

nom./acc. sg.	mẽtlid	LW 24.11 (Sardis)
	mẽtrid	LW 23.20 (Sardis)

The nominal interpretation of this form is not absolutely assured; cf. further discussion under Meaning.

[I.Y.]

The alternation between the consonant groups tl and tr in the same lexeme does not seem to be otherwise attested in the Lydian corpus. Not, however, that the group tl is generally rare in Lydian, and its other attestations appear to be confined to derivatives formed with the productive suffixes -l(i)- and -la-.

[I.Y]

The function of mẽtrid as one of the predicates in the protasis of a curse formula was proposed in Brandenstein 1931b:25. A confirmation of the implied negative semantics came from the comparison between mẽtl(i)- and Lycian A mẽte- ‘harm’ (Eichner 1986b:205 n. 5). Further Anatolian and Indo-European cognates of this lexeme, collected in Neumann 2007a:214 would all, in principle, be compatible with the analysis of mẽtrid/mẽtlid as 3sg. pres. verbal form ‘damages’. But the formally closest among them is CLuw. mantalla/i-, and so one can agree with Melchert 1992a:48 that the interpretation of mẽtlid/mẽtrid as a noun represents a more economical solution. If so, then mẽtl(i)- functions as the direct object of int ‘does’ and is coordinated with pidẽν ‘addition (?)’ in its both attestations.

[I.Y.]

The noun mẽtl(i)- represents as a semi-vocalic stem accented on the root and can be analyzed as a historical substantivization of the adjective in -l(i)-.

[I.Y.]