Morphophonology and accentuation of nouns in -μος (and related -γμος), consonant changes before μ (γ, δ, θ, χ), examples and place names
{1ΠΕΡΙ ΤΩΝ ΕΙΣ 'μος', 'νος', 'ξος', 'πος'. ΒΙΒΛΙΟΝ ζʹ.}1 Τὰ εἰς 'μος' ἔχοντα πρὸ τοῦ 'μ' τὸ 'γ' ὀξύνεται προσηγορικὰ ὄντα, νυγμός, φραγμός, ἀγμός, ψυγμός, λυγμός, ῥωγμός· εἰσὶ καὶ Ῥωγμοί Κιλικίας ἐπίνειον, δραγμός καὶ Δραγμός πόλις Κρήτης ὡς Ξενίων ἐν τοῖς Κρητικοῖς, τιναγμός, ἀλαλαγμός, ὑλαγμός, διωγμός, παιγμός ἐμπαιγμός, κηρυγμός ἐκκηρυγμός. κυνυλαγμός παρὰ Στησιχόρῳ «ἀπειρεσίοιο κυνυλαγμοῖο». καὶ παρὰ τῷ ποιητῇ «ἐπεί κεν ὑλαγμὸν ἀκούσῃ» (Φ 575) Ἀρίσταρχός τινάς φησι γράφειν κυνυλαγμόν· οὕτω καὶ Ζηνόδοτος. οὐχ ὁρῶ δέ τι πλέον ἐκ τῆς συνθέσεως· ὁ γὰρ ὑλαγμός καὶ χωρὶς τοῦ προσκεῖσθαι τὸ ὄνομα ἰδίως ἐπὶ τῶν κυνῶν ἀκούεται ὡς ὁ χρεμετισμὸς ἐπὶ τῶν ἵππων. ἄλλως τε τὰ εἰς 'γμος' ῥηματικὰ μετὰ προθέσεως πέφυκε συντίθεσθαι τῆς αὐτῆς τάσεως μενούσης, μετ´ ἄλλου δὲ οὐδενός, καὶ τὸ ὑλαγμός οὖν παρὰ τὸ ὑλάσσω γεγονὸς οὐ συντεθήσεται μετ´ ἄλλου μέρους λόγου. σύνδεσμος οὖν ἐστιν ὁ κέν. σεσημείωται τὸ ὄγμος ἡ τάξις βαρυνόμενον. ἔστι δὲ κανὼν ὁ λέγων· τὰ εἰς 'ος' λήγοντα δισύλλαβα μονογενῆ ἀρχόμενα ἀπὸ τοῦ ὁ καὶ ἔχοντα δύο σύμφωνα ἢ πλείονα βαρύνεσθαι θέλει οἷον ὄκνος, ὄμβρος, ὄρρος, ὄσσος, Ὄρθος τὸ μονογενές, ὄρφος, οὕτω καὶ ὄγμος. καὶ τὸ Ῥίγμος οὐ προσηγορικὸν εἰς ἰδιότητα βαρύνεται. Τὰ εἰς 'μος' πρὸ τοῦ 'μ' 'δ' ἔχοντα ὀξύνεται προσηγορικὰ ὄντα, εἰ δὲ κύρια εἴη, βαρύνεται. ὀξύνεται δὲ ταῦτα ἀρδμός, σκιαδμός, βαρύνεται δὲ ταῦτα Κάδμος, Κύδμος. Τὰ εἰς 'μος' ἔχοντα πρὸ τοῦ 'μ' 'θ' ἢ 'χ' ὀξύνεται, βαθμός, ἰσθμός. καλεῖται δὲ καὶ Ἰσθμός ἡ Ἁλικαρνασσός, τῆς Καρίας πόλις. ἔστι καὶ Κορίνθου Ἰσθμός. ἔστι δὲ καὶ ἰσθμός στενὸς τόπος, δι´ οὗ ἴενται τὰ ἐσθιόμενα καὶ πινόμενα ἢ παρὰ τὸ ἰέναι τὴν πνοήν. σταθμός, αὐχμός, μηνιθμός, πορθμός, σκαρθμός, ἰωχμός, πλοχμός, εἴτε
{1ON WORDS IN -μος, -νος, -ξος, -πος. BOOK 7.}1 Words in -μος that have γ before μ are accented on the acute when they are appellatives: νυγμός, φραγμός, ἀγμός, ψυγμός, λυγμός, ῥωγμός; there are also Ῥωγμοί, a harbor-town of Cilicia, δραγμός, and also Δραγμός, a city of Crete, as Xenion says in the Cretan Histories; τιναγμός, ἀλαλαγμός, ὑλαγμός, διωγμός, παιγμός, ἐμπαιγμός, κηρυγμός, ἐκκηρυγμός. κυνυλαγμός in Stesichorus: “ἀπειρεσίοιο κυνυλαγμοῖο”. And in the poet: “ἐπεὶ κεν ὑλαγμὸν ἀκούσῃ” (Φ 575). Aristarchus says that some write κυνυλαγμόν; so too Zenodotus. But I do not see what advantage there is from the compound; for ὑλαγμός, even without the noun being added, is heard in a special sense of dogs, just as χρεμετισμός is of horses. Besides, verbal nouns in -γμος are naturally compounded with a preposition, the same accentuation remaining, but with nothing else; and so ὑλαγμός too, formed from ὑλάσσω, will not be compounded with any other part of speech. The particle κέν, then, is a conjunction. ὄγμος is noted as an exception, being accented with the grave. And there is a rule that says: disyllabic, common-gender words ending in -ος, beginning with ὁ and having two consonants or more, should be accented with the grave, e.g. ὄκνος, ὄμβρος, ὄρρος, ὄσσος, Ὄρθος (the common-gender), ὄρφος; so too ὄγμος. And Ῥίγμος, not an appellative, is accented with the grave by reason of its peculiarity. Words in -μος that have δ before μ are accented on the acute when they are appellatives; but if they are proper names, they are accented with the grave. These are accented on the acute: ἀρδμός, σκιαδμός; but these with the grave: Κάδμος, Κύδμος. Words in -μος that have θ or χ before μ are accented on the acute: βαθμός, ἰσθμός. Ἰσθμός is also the name of Halicarnassus, a city of Caria. There is also the Ἰσθμός of Corinth. And there is also ἰσθμός, a narrow place through which what is eaten and drunk passes, or from the going of the breath. σταθμός, αὐχμός, μηνιθμός, πορθμός, σκαρθμός, ἰωχμός, πλοχμός, whether