Discussion of Greek suffixes in -μος and -αμος: masculine and feminine gender assignments, accentuation (oxytone vs. barytone) in monosyllabic and disyllabic forms, examples (γράφω/γραμμός, τρίβω/τριμμός, κνήμος, Σῆμος, Ῥῆμος), senses of κημός/κημός meanings (basket, horse gear, dyeing frame), notes on δῆμος/δήμος meanings and etymologies, and examples from classical authors.
Τὰ εἰς 'μος' ἔχοντα τὴν πρὸ τέλους εἰς 'μ' καταλήγουσαν ἀρσενικὰ προσηγορικά, εἰ ἀπὸ τῆς πρώτης εἴη συζυγίας, ὀξύνεται, γράφω γραμμός, τρίβω τριμμός, θλίβω θλιμμός, κόπτω κομμός. τὸ δὲ ἄμμος καὶ ψάμμος θηλυκά. ἔτι καὶ τὸ μάμμος ὁ ἔκγονος βαρύνεται ἐπιθετικὸν ὄν. Τὰ εἰς 'μος' δισύλλαβα τῷ 'η' παραληγόμενα κύρια ὄντα βαρύνεται, Κνῆμος, Σῆμος, Ῥῆμος ὄνομα ποταμοῦ. τὰ δὲ προσηγορικὰ ὀξύνεται, εἰ μὴ διαστολή τις εἴη, κημός ἡ χώνη, τὸ ἐπιτιθέμενον ἐπὶ τῇ ὑδρίᾳ ἐξ ἧς αἱ ψῆφοι φέρονται. καὶ τοῖς ἵπποις δὲ περιτιθέμενος οὕτως ἐκαλεῖτο κημός ὁ καλούμενος φιμός, ὡς Ξενοφῶν ἐν τοῖς περὶ ἱππικῆς ( 10, 8). δηλοῖ δὲ καὶ πλέγμα τι ἐκ σχοινίων γενόμενον ὅμοιον ἠθμῷ, ᾧ τὰς πορφύρας λαμβάνουσιν, εἰς ὃ αἱ πορφύραι καὶ τὰ κογχύλια εἰσέρπουσιν. ἐν αὐτοῖς δὲ τούτοις ἐστὶ καὶ τὸ δέλεαρ, ὡς Σοφοκλῆς ἐν Ποιμέσιν «κημοῖσι πλεκτοῖς πορφύρας φθείρει γένος». Αἰσχύλος ἐν Λυκούργῳ ἀλληγορικῶς τοὺς δεσμοὺς κημοὺς εἴρηκε διὰ τούτων «καὶ τοῦσδε κημοὺς στόματος». κνημός ὁ τραχὺς τόπος τῶν ὀρέων, δημός τὸ λίπος, δῆμος δὲ ὁ ὄχλος, ὡς ἐν Σφηξὶν (v. 41) «τὸν δῆμον ἡμῶν βούλεται διϊστάνειν». «θεὸς δ´ ὣς τίετο δήμῳ» (Il. Ν 218). «εὐνήν τ´ αἰδομένη πόσιος δήμοιό τε φῆμιν» (Od. π 75) καὶ ὁ εἷς δημότης «οὐ μὲν ἔοικε δῆμον ἐόντα» (Il. Μ 212) καὶ ὁ τόπος «δήμῳ ἐνὶ Τρώων» (Od. ν 266) καὶ τόπος ἐν Ἰθάκῃ, ὃς καὶ Κροκύλειον, καὶ παρ´ Ἀθηναίοις ἡ κώμη. καὶ ὁ Ἀσκαλωνίτης λέγει τὸ μὲν ἐπὶ τοῦ πλήθους παρὰ τὸ δέμας γεγενῆσθαι οἱονεὶ σῶμά τι τυγχάνον ἢ παρὰ τὸν δασμόν. τὸ δὲ ἐπὶ τοῦ λίπους παρὰ τὸ δαίω· εὔκαυστον γὰρ τὸ λίπος. δύναιτο δ´ ἄν τις καὶ ἄλλως ἐτυμολογεῖν, εἰ παρὰ τὸ δέω γένοιτο δέεμος καὶ ἐν συναλοιφῇ δῆμος, τὸ συνδεδεμένον πλῆθος. τὸ γὰρ ἐναντίον λύη ἀπὸ τῆς διαλύσεως. Τὰ εἰς 'αμος' μονογενῆ δισύλλαβα βαρύνεται, πράμος, γάμος, Σάμος ἐπιφανὴς πρὸς τῇ Καρίᾳ νῆσος, ὡς Ἀλέξανδρος ἐν τῷ περὶ
Masculine appellatives in -μος whose penult ends in -μ, if they belong to the first conjugation, are accented with an acute: γράφω γραμμός, τρίβω τριμμός, θλίβω θλιμμός, κόπτω κομμός. But ἄμμος and ψάμμος are feminine. Further, μάμμος, “the descendant,” is accented with a grave, since it is adjectival.
Disyllabic proper names in -μος with η in the penult are accented with a grave: Κνῆμος, Σῆμος, Ῥῆμος, the name of a river. But the appellatives are accented with an acute, unless there is some distinction: κημός, “the funnel,” the thing placed upon the water-jar from which the pebbles are carried. And the thing put around horses was likewise called κημός, the so‑called muzzle, as Xenophon says in the work On Horsemanship (10, 8). It also signifies a kind of plaiting made of ropes, like a sieve, with which they catch the purple-fish, into which the purple-fish and the shellfish crawl. Among these is also the bait, as Sophocles in Shepherds: «κημοῖσι πλεκτοῖς πορφύρας φθείρει γένος». Aeschylus in Lycurgus, allegorically, has called bonds “κημοί” in these words: «καὶ τοῦσδε κημοὺς στόματος».
κνημός is “the rough place of the mountains”; δημός is “fat”; but δῆμος is “the crowd,” as in Wasps (v. 41): «τὸν δῆμον ἡμῶν βούλεται διϊστάνειν». «θεὸς δ´ ὣς τίετο δήμῳ» (Il. Ν 218). «εὐνὴν τ´ αἰδομένη πόσιος δήμοιό τε φῆμιν» (Od. π 75). And the single δημότης: «οὐ μὲν ἔοικε δῆμον ἐόντα» (Il. Μ 212); and the place: «δήμῳ ἐνὶ Τρώων» (Od. ν 266); and a place in Ithaca, which is also called Κροκύλειον; and among the Athenians, the village. And the Ascalonite says that the word in the sense of “multitude” has come either from δέμας, as being, so to speak, some sort of body, or from δασμός. But in the sense of “fat,” from δαίω; for fat is easily burned. Yet one might also etymologize otherwise, if from δέω there arose δέεμος and by contraction δῆμος, “the bound-together multitude”; for the opposite is λύη, from “loosening.”
Disyllabic words in -αμος of one gender are accented with a grave: πρᾶμος, γάμος, Σάμος, a notable island off Caria, as Alexander in the work On …