Discussion of accentuation and syllable-vowel behavior in Greek adjectives and toponyms ending in -τος and -ττος: patterns of oxytony, paroxytone, proparoxytone; vowel alternations (η, ι, υ, α) in suffixes; examples (δωρητός, ἀσκητός, ἀλαλητός, ἄητος); etymology of -ητος from ἔτος; Attic usage and neuter plural adverbials; place-names in -ττος (Γαργηττός, Ὑμηττός, Λυκαβηττός) and gender/accent variations; note on trisyllabic -τος with penultimate vowel o.
ὁ καιρὸς μονογενῶς, τρυγητός δὲ τὸ τρυγώμενον. τοιοῦτον καὶ τὸ ἄμητος καὶ ἀμητός. τὸ δὲ ἑψητός, λαλητός ὀξύτονα καὶ ἐπιθετικά. καὶ τὸ ἀλαλητός ἀπὸ τοῦ λαλητός προσθέσει τοῦ 'α'. Τὰ εἰς 'τος' ὑπὲρ δύο συλλαβὰς παραληγόμενα τῷ 'η' ἁπλᾶ τριγενῆ ὀξύνεται, δωρητός, ἀσκητός, κοσμητός, ἀγαπητός, ὠνητός, ποτητός, ἀρητός, μισητός, ᾧ ὁμοτονεῖ Μισητός πόλις Μακεδονίας, νοητός, παραρρητός, παραμυθητός. τὸ δὲ ἄρρητος, ἄκλητος, ἄκμητος σύνθετα προπαροξύνονται. οὕτως καὶ τὸ ἄητος ὁ ἀκατάπαυστος «θάρσος ἄητον ἔχουσα» (Φ 395). ἔστι γὰρ σύνθετον, ὥς φησι Φιλόξενος, παρὰ τὸ ἐτός ὡς θετός, ὃ σημαίνει τὴν ὕπαρξιν, ἐξ οὗ τὸ ἀληθές, ὃ καὶ γίνεται ἐτεός. ἐγένετο δὲ καὶ τὸ πληθυντικὸν οὐδέτερον ἐν ἐπιρρηματικῇ τάξει, καὶ τὸ παρὰ τοῖς Ἀττικοῖς οὐκ ἐτός ἀντὶ μεσότητος τῆς ἐτῶς. τὸ παρὰ μηδενὶ οὖν ὑπαρκτόν, τουτέστι μέγα, ἄετον καὶ ἄητον. * Τὰ εἰς 'ττος' ὑπὲρ δύο συλλαβὰς τῷ 'η' παραληγόμενα κύρια ὀξύνεται, Γαργηττός πόλις καὶ δῆμος Αἰγηΐδος φυλῆς, Ὑμηττός ὄρος τῆς Ἀττικῆς—τὸ 'υ' μακρὸν καὶ βραχύ. Λυκαβηττός. Συπαληττός δῆμος τῆς Κεκροπίδος φυλῆς. Ὑηττός κώμη Βοιωτίας. ὠνόμασται δ´ οὕτως διὰ τὸ καθύεσθαι σφοδροῖς ὄμβροις. τινὲς δὲ τὴν Ἀσπληδόνα Ὑηττόν ἐκάλεσαν. Τὰ εἰς 'τος' ὑπὲρ δύο συλλαβὰς ἀρσενικὰ παραληγόμενα τῷ 'ι' μὴ ὄντα ἐπιθετικὰ βαρύνονται, βάρβιτος, Νήριτος ἢ Νήριτον ὄρος, Λήϊτος, Φώκριτος, Ἄγχιτος, Ἀφρόδιτος. τὰ δὲ θηλυκὰ ὀξύνεται ἁμαξιτός· ἔστι καὶ πολίχνιον Τρῳάδος. Στράβων ιγʹ. ἀτραπιτός, Λυχνιτός ἡ λίμνη Ἰλλυρίας θηλυκῶς καὶ ἡ πόλις ἀρσενικῶς. τινὲς δὲ διὰ τοῦ 'δ' γράφουσιν. τὸ δὲ θεριτός τὸ θεριζόμενον, θέριτος δὲ ὁ καιρός. Τὰ εἰς 'τος' τρισύλλαβα ἔχοντα τὴν πρὸ τέλους συλλαβὴν εἰς 'ο'
καιρός is used in the sense of “season” as a simple word, whereas τρυγητός is “that which is gathered in the vintage.” Such too are ἄμητος and ἀμητός. But ἑψητός and λαλητός are oxytone and adjectival. And ἀλαλητός is from λαλητός by the addition of ‘α’.
Words in -τος of more than two syllables, with η in the penult, when simple and of three genders, are accented on the ultima: δωρητός, ἀσκητός, κοσμητός, ἀγαπητός, ὠνητός, ποτητός, ἀρητός, μισητός—matching in accent Μισητός, a city of Macedonia—νοητός, παραρρητός, παραμυθητός. But ἄρρητος, ἄκλητος, ἄκμητος, being compounds, are accented on the antepenult. So too ἄητος, “unceasing”: «θάρσος ἄητον ἔχουσα» (Φ 395). For it is a compound, as Philoxenus says, from ἐτός as θετός, which signifies existence, from which comes ἀληθές, which also becomes ἐτεός. And there also arose the neuter plural in adverbial function, and among the Attic writers οὐκ ἐτός in place of the intermediate form ἐτῶς. Therefore what exists in no way, that is, “great,” is ἄετον and ἄητον.
Words in -ττος of more than two syllables, with η in the penult, when proper names, are accented on the ultima: Γαργηττός, a city and deme of the Aegeis tribe; Ὑμηττός, a mountain of Attica—the υ both long and short; Λυκαβηττός; Συπαληττός, a deme of the Cecropis tribe; Ὑηττός, a village of Boeotia. And it has been so named because it is rained upon by violent showers; but some called Ἀσπληδών Ὑηττός.
Words in -τος of more than two syllables, masculine, with ι in the penult, not being adjectival, are barytone: βάρβιτος; Νήριτος or Νήριτον, a mountain; Λήϊτος; Φώκριτος; Ἄγχιτος; Ἀφρόδιτος. But the feminine are oxytone: ἁμαξιτός—there is also a small town of the Troad; Strabo 13—ἀτραπιτός; Λυχνιτός, the lake of Illyria in the feminine, and the city in the masculine. But some write it with δ. And θεριτός is “that which is reaped,” whereas θέριτος is “the season.”
Words in -τος, trisyllabic, having the syllable before the last ending in ο…