mñnusa-^(ti)

This lexeme is found once 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.]

part. nom./acc. pl. n.

mñnusama

TL 55.4 (Antiphellos)

For the grammatical assignment see DLL:121. Schürr 2005a:145 suggests the possibility of having a dative/locative plural in -a. This is not convincing, because this ending is found only in Lycian A. So far, there is no evidence for the existence of the dative/locative plural in -a in the Lycian B dialect, but only of one in -e.

[D.S.]

The word mñnusama agrees with the word lajata of unknown meaning. Within the sentence of TL 55.4, various things are meant for various recipients. The mñnusama lajata should benefit the river-valleys of pure, i.e. xbade… purese (dat. pl.). Based on an etymological connection with CLuw. mannu- ‘fertile condition’, we can deduce that mñnusame/i- represents something beneficial in relation to fertility. This approach is further supported by the nature of the recipient of the mñnusama lajata, i.e. the river-valleys.Regarding the semantics of mñnusama, Shevoroshkin 2002a:217 suggests the meaning ‘indemnity-shares’. Later on, Shevoroshkin 2011a:28 suggests an adjective with the meaning ‘marvelous’. These are mere speculations, which cannot be supported by comparative data.

[D.S.]

The word mñnusama is most likely a participial form of a factitive verb *mñnusa-^(ti), which would be derived from a non-attested noun *mñnusa- (equating the second member of the Lyc. A personal name eri-mñnuha-). The formation Lyc. B *mñnusa- / A *mñnuha- can be best interpreted as a genitival adjective (or poss. adj.) in -he/i- built on a u-stem *mñnu- equating to Luw. mannu- ‘fertile condition’. Therefore, the approximate meaning of mñnusame/i- would be approximately ‘made fertile’.

[D.S.]

For the lemma head see PLuw. *men(H)-o-.