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From rags to riches? An illusory semantic change in ancient Greek

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  13 July 2023

Alcorac Alonso Déniz  and
Julián V. Méndez Dosuna Open the ORCID record for Julián V. Méndez Dosuna [Opens in a new window]
Alcorac Alonso Déniz*
Affiliation:
Laboratoire HiSoMA (UMR 5189), Centre national de la recherche scientifique
Julián V. Méndez Dosuna*
Affiliation:
Departamento de Filología Clásica e Indoeuropeo, Universidad de Salamanca
*
Emails: alcorac.alonso@mom.fr; mendo@usal.es
Emails: alcorac.alonso@mom.fr; mendo@usal.es
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Abstract

The rare word λάκος occurs in an oracular enquiry from Dodona. Although it is likely to mean ‘a (bundle) of rags’, some scholars believe that the consultation concerns the theft of a garment in good condition. However, the evidence for a semantic change ‘tatters’ > ‘garment’ or vice versa in ancient Greek is weak. In this paper, we assess the evidence of some nouns (Aeolic βράκος and poetic λαῖφος, λαίφη, σπϵῖρον) that allegedly combine the meanings ‘(bundle of) tatters, rags’ and ‘piece of clothing, garment’. Drawing from the evidence provided by papyri and inscriptions, we propose two alternative hypotheses for λάκος in the Dodonaean enquiry: it may refer either to a ragged garment kept as an offering in a temple or to some tattered cloth used for wrapping various valuable items.

Keywords

clothingragslexicologylinguisticsepigraphy
Type
Research Article
Information
The Journal of Hellenic Studies , Volume 143 , November 2023 , pp. 189 - 201
Copyright
© The Author(s), 2023. Published by Cambridge University Press on behalf of the Society for the Promotion of Hellenic Studies

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