Discusses various place-names (Pherai, Philotera, Glykera, Eleutherai, etc.) and provides phonological/ accentuation rules for words ending in -ρα and -ηρα, comparing trisyllabic and disyllabic forms, vowel alternations (ο, υ), and adjectival/place-name usages with examples.
πόλις Θεσσαλίας ὀξύνεται »οἵ τε Φερὰς ἐνέμοντο παραὶ Βοιβηΐδα λίμνην« (Β 711). ἀπὸ Φέρητος τοῦ Κρηθέως ἢ Φερᾶς τῆς Αἰόλου θυγατρός. εἰσὶ καὶ ἄλλαι Φεραί ἀρχαῖαι τῶν νῦν Φερῶν ἀπέχουσαι στάδια ὀκτώ. εἰσὶ καὶ ἄλλαι Ἰαπυγίας καὶ Αἰτωλίας καὶ Παρθυαίων. Τὰ εἰς 'ρα' μακροκατάληκτα τρισύλλαβα παραληγόμενα τῷ 'ε' μονογενῆ βαρύνεται, εἰ μὴ ἐπιθετικὰ εἴη, ἡμέρα, ἀσκέρα εἶδος ὑποδήματος, διφθέρα, λακέρα, χολέρα, ἑσπέρα, ὑπέρα, ἀλέρα, Τερμέρα Ὠγύγου μήτηρ, κυσέρα, Θεσκέρα ἡ τιθηνὸς Διονύσου. Ἱμέρα πόλις Σικελίας. Ἑκαταῖος Εὐρώπῃ. ἔστι καὶ Λιβύης, μεθ´ ὧν καὶ Φιλωτέρα πόλις περὶ τὴν Τρωγλοδυτικήν, Σατύρου κτίσμα. Ἀπολλόδωρος δὲ Φιλωτερίδα καλεῖ. ἔστι καὶ κοίλης Συρίας Φιλωτέρα, ὡς Χάραξ ἐν ὀγδόῳ χρονικῶν. τινὲς δὲ καὶ Φιλωτερίαν αὐτὴν εἰρήκασιν. τὸ δὲ Γλυκερά ὀξύνεται, εἴτε κύριον εἴτε ἐπιθετικὸν εἴη ὡς καὶ Ἱερά· οὕτως γὰρ ἐκλήθη ἡ Τάρσος πόλις. καὶ τὸ περιστερὰ τετρασύλλαβον καὶ τὸ Ἐλευθεραί πληθυντικῶς λεγόμενον. ἔστι δὲ πόλις Βοιωτίας ἀπὸ Ἐλευθῆρος τοῦ Ἀπόλλωνος· ἔστι καὶ Κρήτης ἀπὸ Ἐλευθῆρος ἑνὸς τῶν Κουρήτων, ἥτις καὶ Σάωρος ἐκαλεῖτο ἀπὸ Σαώρης νύμφης. ἔστι καὶ ἄλλη ἐπὶ τῷ Ἴστρῳ ποταμῷ ἐν τῷ Πόντῳ διὰ τὸ φυγόντας Αἰήτην τοὺς περὶ Ἰάσονα ἐκεῖ τοῦ φόβου ἐλευθερωθῆναι. ἔστι καὶ πόλις Λυκίας ἀπότινος νύμφης. * Τὰ εἰς 'ηρα' ὑπερδισύλλαβα μονογενῆ παροξύνεται, μερμήρα, Ὀτρήρα, Δασλήρα· ἔστι δὲ ὄνομα λίμνης, μενδήρα. τὸ δὲ Αἱμηρά καὶ Λιμηρά ἐπιθετικά ἐστιν· οὕτως γὰρ ἐκαλεῖτο Ἐπίδαυρος, Αἱμηρά μὲν διὰ τὸ συνεχῶς αἱμάσσεσθαι τὸν βωμὸν τοῦ Ἀσκληπιοῦ ὑπὸ τῶν θυσιῶν, Λιμηρά δὲ οἱονεὶ λιμενηρά τις οὖσα. τινὲς δὲ Λιμηρὰν Λακωνικὴν λέγουσι μίαν τῶν ἑκατὸν διὰ τὸ πολλοὺς ἔχειν λιμένας. * Τὰ εἰς 'ρα' δισύλλαβα μονογενῆ τῷ 'ο' παραληγόμενα ὀξύνεται, σπορά, φθορά, δορά, φορά, Θορά δῆμος Ἀττικὸς τῆς Ἀκαμαντίδος φυλῆς, μεθ´ ὧν καὶ ἀγορά τρισύλλαβον. ἔστι δὲ καὶ πόλις ἐν Χερρονήσῳ. * Τὰ εἰς 'ρα' δισύλλαβα τῷ 'υ' παραληγόμενα βαρύνεται· καὶ τὸ μὲν σφῦρα ἐκτεῖνον τὸ 'υ' καὶ συστέλλον τὸ 'α' προπερισπᾶται, τὸ δὲ λύρα
A city of Thessaly is accented with an acute: “and those who dwelt in Φεραί beside the lake Βοιβηΐς” (Β 711), from Φέρητος son of Κρηθεύς, or from Φερά, daughter of Αἴολος. There are also other ancient Φεραί, eight stades distant from the present Φεραί. There are also others in Ἰαπυγία and Αἰτωλία and among the Παρθυαῖοι.
Trisyllables ending in -ρα with a long final syllable, having ε in the penult, and of one gender, are accented with a grave, unless they are adjectival: ἡμέρα, ἀσκέρα (a kind of shoe), διφθέρα, λακέρα, χολέρα, ἑσπέρα, ὑπέρα, ἀλέρα, Τερμέρα (mother of Ὠγύγος), κυσέρα, Θεσκέρα (the nurse of Διόνυσος). Ἱμέρα is a city of Sicily; Ἑκαταῖος in his Εὐρώπη [mentions it]. There is also one in Libya, among which also is Φιλωτέρα, a city near the Τρωγλοδυτική, a foundation of Σάτυρος. Ἀπολλόδωρος, however, calls it Φιλωτερίδα. There is also a Φιλωτέρα of Coele Syria, as Χάραξ [says] in the eighth book of his Χρονικά; and some have also called it Φιλωτερία itself.
But Γλυκερά is accented with an acute, whether it is a proper name or adjectival, as also Ἱερά; for thus was the city Τάρσος called. And likewise περιστερά, a four-syllable word, and Ἐλευθεραί, said in the plural. There is a city of Boeotia [so called] from Ἐλευθήρ, son of Ἀπόλλων; there is also one of Crete from Ἐλευθήρ, one of the Κουρῆτες, which was also called Σάωρος from the nymph Σαώρη. There is also another on the river Ἴστρος in the Pontus, because those around Ἰάσων, having fled from Αἰήτης, were there freed from fear. There is also a city of Lycia [named] from a certain nymph.
Words ending in -ηρα, of more than two syllables, of one gender, are accented on the penult: μερμήρα, Ὀτρήρα, Δασλήρα; and there is also the name of a lake, μενδήρα. But Αἱμηρά and Λιμηρά are adjectival; for thus was Ἐπίδαυρος called—Αἱμηρά because the altar of Ἀσκληπιός was continually stained with blood by the sacrifices, and Λιμηρά as being, so to speak, some λιμενηρά, “harbor-rich.” Some, however, speak of a Λιμηρά in Laconia, one of the hundred [cities], because it has many harbors.
Disyllables ending in -ρα, of one gender, having ο in the penult, are accented with an acute: σπορά, φθορά, δορά, φορά; Θορά, an Attic deme of the Ἀκαμαντίς tribe; along with which also ἀγορά, a trisyllable. There is also a city in the Chersonese.
Disyllables ending in -ρα, having υ in the penult, are accented with a grave; and σφῦρα, lengthening the υ and contracting the α, is circumflexed on the antepenult, but λύρα…