Discussion of words ending in -θος and -αθος (place-names, ethnics) with examples and rules about accentuation and syllable quantity; citations of Herodotus, Apollodorus, Hecataeus, Homer.
γρόνθος τὸ ἐπὶ τῆς αὐλήσεως, σμίνθος ὁ μῦς. Πάρθος ἔθνος Σκυθικὸν οἱ καὶ Πάρθιοι καὶ Παρθυαῖοι. ἔστι δὲ καὶ Πάρθος πόλις Ἰλλυρική. Ἀπολλόδωρος ἐν χρονικῶν..... Κύνθος ὄρος Δήλου, παρ´ Ἀντιμάχῳ ἐν πρώτῃ Θηβαΐδος. οὕτως δὲ ἐκαλεῖτο καὶ Δῆλος ἀπὸ Κύνθου τοῦ Ὠκεανοῦ. Ξάνθος ἔθνος Θρᾴκιον. Ἑκαταῖος Εὐρώπῃ. ἔστι καὶ πόλις Λυκίας. Ἑκαταῖος Ἀσίᾳ «παρ´ ᾗ Ξάνθος ἐξίησι ποταμός». ἐκλήθη δὲ ἀπὸ Ξάνθου Αἰγυπτίου ἢ Κρητὸς οἰκιστοῦ. ἔστι καὶ Ξάνθος πόλις ἐν Λέσβῳ. Σίνθος πόλις παρὰ τῷ Θερμαίῳ. Ἡρόδοτος ἑβδόμῃ (c. 123). Ὄρθος τὸ μονογενές. τὸ δὲ ξανθός καὶ τυτθός καὶ ὀρθός τριγενῆ. Τὰ εἰς 'θος' διβράχεα παροξύνεται, εἰ μὴ τόπον δηλοῖεν, νόθος, πόθος, ψόθος, ῥόθος ὁ ψόφος, μόθος, Κόθος ὄνομα κύριον, λίθος, πίθος καὶ Πίθος δῆμος τῆς Κεκροπίδος φυλῆς ἀπὸ Πίθου τινὸς ἢ πίθων αὐτόθι γινομένων. ζύθος ὁ ἐκ κριθῆς οἶνος. γνύθος τὸ κοῖλον τῆς πέτρας καὶ ὁ βόθρος. τὸ μέντοι βυθός τοπικόν. Τὰ εἰς 'θος' δισύλλαβα τριγενῆ παραληγόμενα φύσει μακρᾷ ἢ θέσει, μὴ προηγουμένου τοῦ 'σ', ὀξύνεται, ἀφθός, τυτθός, ξανθός, αἰθός ὁ διάπυρος. τὸ δὲ λοῖσθος ἔχει τὸ 'σ'. σεσημείωται τὸ Πάρθος, πόλις Ἰλλυρίας, λέγεται καὶ ἀρσενικῶς, ὡς Πολύβιος, καὶ τὸ ὄνθος. Τὰ εἰς 'αθος' μονογενῆ τρισύλλαβα ἀπὸ βραχείας ἀρχόμενα προπαροξύνεται, ἄμαθος, ψάμαθος, κύαθος, κάλαθος, λάπαθος, Σκίαθος νῆσος Εὐβοίας, Κράπαθος νῆσος πλησίον τῆς Κῶ. Ὅμηρος (Β 676) «Κράπαθόν τε Κάσον τε καὶ Κῶν», Μάραθος πόλις Ἀραδίας, ψίαθος. τὸ μέντοι ἀγαθός τριγενές. τὸ δὲ ὁρμαθός καὶ γυργαθός ὀξύνεται ἀπὸ μακρᾶς ἀρχόμενα.
γρόνθος: the sound made in playing the flute; σμίνθος: the mouse. Πάρθος: a Scythian people, who are also called Πάρθιοι and Παρθυαῖοι; and there is also Πάρθος, a city of Illyria. Apollodorus in the Chronica….. Κύνθος: a mountain of Delos, in Antimachus in the first book of the Thebaid. And Delos too was so called from Κύνθος, the son of Oceanus. Ξάνθος: a Thracian people—Hecataeus in the Europa; and there is also a city of Lycia—Hecataeus in the Asia: “by which Ξάνθος, a river, flows out.” And it was named from Ξάνθος, an Egyptian or a Cretan founder. There is also Ξάνθος, a city in Lesbos. Σίνθος: a city by the Thermaic Gulf—Herodotus in the seventh book (c. 123). Ὄρθος: the common-gender form; but ξανθός and τυτθός and ὀρθός are of three genders. Words in -θος with two short syllables are accented on the penult, unless they denote a place: νόθος, πόθος, ψόθος, ῥόθος (“ῥόθος” meaning “noise”), μόθος, Κόθος (a proper name), λίθος, πίθος; and Πίθος, a deme of the Cecropid tribe, from some Πίθος or from jars produced there. ζύθος: the wine made from barley. γνύθος: the hollow of a rock and a pit. But βυθός is local. Disyllables in -θος, of three genders, with the penult long by nature or position, when not preceded by σ, are accented on the ultima: ἀφθός, τυτθός, ξανθός, αἰθός (“glowing hot”). But λοῖσθος has σ. Noted is Πάρθος, a city of Illyria, which is also said in the masculine, as Polybius does, and likewise ὄνθος. Common-gender trisyllables in -αθος beginning with a short syllable are accented on the antepenult: ἄμαθος, ψάμαθος, κύαθος, κάλαθος, λάπαθος, Σκίαθος (an island of Euboea), Κράπαθος (an island near Cos). Homer (Β 676): “Κράπαθόν τε Κάσον τε καὶ Κῶν”; Μάραθος, a city of Aradia; ψίαθος. But ἀγαθός is of three genders. And ὁρμαθός and γυργαθός are accented on the ultima, since they begin with a long syllable.