Discussion of words ending in -σος and their accentuation (proparoxytone behavior), with a catalog of place-names and eponyms (many in Caria, Cyprus, Cappadocia) and occasional etymologies and citations.
τοιαῦτα δὲ κατὰ τὸν κανόνα τὸ νόσος καὶ δρόσος. τὸ γὰρ κροσσός οὐκ οἶδα σύνηθες Ἕλλησιν, τὸ δὲ νοσσός ἐκ τοῦ νεοσσός. Τὰ εἰς 'σος' ὑπερδισύλλαβα ἔχοντα τὸ 'α' συνεσταλμένον, ἑνὸς ὄντος τοῦ 'σ', προπαροξύνεται, κόμπασος, Ἅρπασος ποταμὸς Καρίας, Δάμασος, βαύνασος τὸ καὶ βάναυσος, θίασος, Ἴασος πόλις Καρίας ἐν ὁμωνύμῳ νήσῳ κειμένη, ἡ καὶ ὀξυτόνως λεγομένη, Ἴασος δὲ καὶ τὸ Ἄργος ἀπὸ Ἰάσου τοῦ κατ´ ἐνίους πατρὸς Ἰοῦς. Ἴμβρασος ποταμὸς καὶ ἀπ´ αὐτοῦ ἡ Σάμος, Τράγασος, ἀφ´ οὗ Τραγασαί χωρίον ἐν ἠπείρῳ, Καύκασος τὸ ὄρος τῶν κατὰ τὴν Ἀσίαν ὀρῶν μέγιστον, λέγεται καὶ Καύκασις διὰ τοῦ 'ι', Βάργασος, ὁ υἱὸς Βάργης καὶ Ἡρακλέους, ἀφ´ οὗ Βάργασα πόλις Καρίας, Μύλασος υἱὸς Χρυσάορος τοῦ Γλαύκου τοῦ Σισύφου τοῦ Αἰόλου, ἀφ´ οὗ Μύλασα πόλις Καρίας. λέγεται καὶ ἡ πόλις Μύλασος, ὡς Αἰσχύλος ἐν Καρσὶν ἢ Εὐρώπῃ. Νάκρασος πόλις καὶ δῆμος Καρίας. Ἀπολλώνιος δεκάτῳ Καρικῶν. Πρόγασος. Πύρασος πόλις Φθίας. κέκληται δὲ διὰ τὸ τὴν χώραν εἶναι πυροφόρον. Πήδασος πόλις ὑπὲρ τὴν Ἴδην. Τάμασος πόλις Κύπρου. ἐντεῦθέν τινες γράφουσιν« (Od. α 184) »εἰς Τάμασον μετὰ χαλκόν«. ἀπιθάνως. Πάρρασος εἷς τῶν Λυκάονος παίδων. Ἔρασος. σημείωσαι τὸ κερασός φυτὸν ὀξυνόμενον, τὴν δὲ πόλιν βαρύνουσιν. τὸ μέντοι Ἐγγυασός ἐκτεταμένον ἔχον τὸ 'α' ὀξύνεται καὶ τὸ Παρνασσός δύο 'σσ' ἔχον. ἔστι δὲ ὄρος Δελφῶν. ἐκαλεῖτο δὲ πρότερον Λαρνασσός διὰ τὸ τὴν Δευκαλίωνος λάρνακα αὐτόθι προσενεχθῆναι. ἔνιοι δέ φασιν ἀπὸ Παρνασσοῦ Παρνασσὸν τοὔνομα λαβεῖν, ὃν καὶ μαντεύσασθαι Πυθοῖ πρῶτον, ὡς Ἀλεξανδρίδης φησὶν ἐν πρώτῳ περὶ τοῦ ἐν Δελφοῖς χρηστηρίου. ὡσαύτως καὶ Ὑγασσός πόλις Καρίας, Βυβασσός πόλις Καρίας ἀπὸ Βυβασσοῦ νομέως περισώσαντος ἀπὸ θαλάσσης καὶ χειμῶνος εἰς Καρίαν ἐκπεσόντα Ποδαλείριον. λέγεται καὶ Βούβαστος. Ἀλέξανδρος δευτέρῳ Καρικῶν. Ἔφορος δὲ Βύβαστόν φησι. Κρυασσός πόλις Καρίας ἀπὸ Κρυασσοῦ τοῦ Κάρητος. Σαγαλασσός πόλις Πισιδίας. λέγεται καὶ Σελγησσός. Ἁλικαρνασσός πόλις Καρίας, ἣν Ἄνθης, φασίν, ὠνόμασεν ἀπὸ τοῦ ἁλὶ περιέχεσθαι τὴν Καρίαν. αὐτὸς δὲ ὁ Ἄνθης ἐκ Τροιζῆνος μετῴκησε λαβὼν τὴν Δύμαιναν φυλήν, ὡς Καλλίμαχος. ἢ ἀπὸ τοῦ νάσασθαι αὐτὸν ἀπὸ Τροιζῆνος, ὡς Ἀπολλόδωρος. Συασσός κώμη Φρυγίας. Ἀμαμασσός πόλις Κύπρου. Καβασσός πόλις ἐν Καππαδοκίᾳ
Such, in accordance with the rule, are νόσος and δρόσος. For κροσσός I do not know as a word familiar to Greeks, whereas νοσσός is from νεοσσός.
The words in -σος, of more than two syllables, having the α contracted, with a single σ, are accented on the antepenult: κόμπασος; Ἅρπασος, a river of Caria; Δάμασος; βαύνασος, that is also βάναυσος; θίασος; Ἴασος, a city of Caria lying on an island of the same name, which is also pronounced with an acute accent; and Ἴασος and also Ἄργος are from Ἴασος, who according to some was the father of Io. Ἴμβρασος, a river, and from it Samos; Τράγασος, from which Tragasae, a place on the mainland; Καύκασος, the mountain, the greatest of the mountains in Asia—also called Καύκασις with ι; Βάργασος, the son of Βάργης and Heracles, from whom Βάργασα, a city of Caria; Μύλασος, son of Chrysaor, son of Glaucus, son of Sisyphus, son of Aeolus, from whom Μύλασα, a city of Caria. The city too is called Μύλασος, as Aeschylus in the Carians or Europa. Νάκρασος, a city and deme of Caria—Apollonius in the tenth book of the Carica. Πρόγασος. Πύρασος, a city of Phthia; it has been so called because the land is wheat-bearing. Πήδασος, a city above Ida. Τάμασος, a city of Cyprus; hence some write “(Od. α 184) ‘to Τάμασον for bronze’ ”—implausibly. Πάρρασος, one of the sons of Lycaon. Ἔρασος.
Note that κερασός, the plant, is accented with an acute, but the city they accent with a grave. However Ἐγγυασός, having the α lengthened, is accented with an acute, and so is Παρνασσός, having two σσ. It is a mountain of Delphi. It was formerly called Λαρνασσός because Deucalion’s chest was brought ashore there. Some say that Parnassus took the name Παρνασσός from Parnassus, who also was the first to deliver an oracle at Pytho, as Alexandrides says in the first book On the Oracle at Delphi.
Likewise Ὑγασσός, a city of Caria; Βυβασσός, a city of Caria, from Βυβασσός a herdsman who saved Podaleirius, cast up from the sea and a storm, into Caria. It is also called Βούβαστος. Alexander in the second book of the Carica. Ephorus, however, says Βύβαστόν. Κρυασσός, a city of Caria, from Κρυασσός son of Cares. Σαγαλασσός, a city of Pisidia; it is also called Σελγησσός. Ἁλικαρνασσός, a city of Caria, which, they say, Anthes named from Caria’s being encompassed by the sea. Anthes himself migrated from Troezen, taking the Dymaina tribe, as Callimachus says; or from his having settled away from Troezen, as Apollodorus says. Συασσός, a village of Phrygia. Ἀμαμασσός, a city of Cyprus. Καβασσός, a city in Cappadocia.