Discussion of feminine name endings (-ω, -η), their accentuation and etymology (examples: Κλωθώ, Λητώ, Δημήτηρ/Δηώ), dialectal alternations (Ionic α→η), diminutive formation constraints, and related place names (Bouto, Dodona, Elba, Iō).
Τὰ εἰς 'ψη' οὐχ εὕρηται πλὴν τοῦ Τεράψη νῆσος πρὸς Καρχηδόνα οὐ μεγάλη. Τὰ εἰς 'ω' λήγοντα θηλυκὰ ὀξύνεται, Κλωθώ, Ἐρατώ, Θεανώ, Σαπφώ, Λητώ παρὰ τὸ λήθω τὸ λανθάνω λήθη καὶ Ληθώ καὶ Λητώ. τὸ γὰρ ἥμερον καὶ πραῢ ἐκ τοῦ ἐπιλελῆσθαι τῶν εἰς αὐτὴν πεπλημμελημένων ἐμφαίνεται. ὁ δὲ Πλάτων φησὶν ἐλεητώ· ἐλεήμων γὰρ ἡ θεὸς καὶ πραεῖα καὶ πάντας ἐλεοῦσα. ὁ δὲ Ἀρίσταρχος παρὰ τὸ λῶ τὸ θέλω, ἔνθεν τὸ λῇς ἀντὶ τοῦ θέλεις μετὰ τοῦ 'ι' Εὐριπίδης καὶ τὸ λῇ τὸ θέλει Δωρικῶς· ἐπειδὴ ὃ ἄν τις θέλῃ, παρ´ αὐτῆς λαμβάνει. Λατώ δ´ ἐλέγετο Καμάρα πόλις Κρήτης. πειθώ, φειδώ, χρειώ, βασιλώ. Κλειώ. Καλυψώ. Δηώ ἡ Δημήτηρ· καὶ διφορεῖται· οἶδε γὰρ ἡ παράδοσις τὸ 'η' μετὰ τοῦ 'ι' καὶ χωρίς. καὶ εἰ μὲν μὴ ἔχει τὸ 'ι', ἐστὶ παρὰ τὸ δήω τὸ σημαῖνον τὸ εὑρίσκω· καὶ γὰρ ἡνίκα περιήρχετο εἰς ζήτησιν τῆς θυγατρὸς αὐτῆς, κατ´ εὐφημισμὸν ἔλεγον πάντες »δήεις« τουτέστιν εὑρήσεις· ἢ ἐπειδὴ αὕτη ἐφεῦρε τὸν σῖτον. εἰ δὲ ἔχει τὸ 'ι', γέγονε παρὰ τὸ δαίω τὸ κόπτω κατὰ τροπὴν Ἰωνικὴν τοῦ 'α' εἰς 'η'· καὶ γὰρ ἡ Δημήτηρ γῆ ἐστιν. ἡ δὲ γῆ διακόπτεται ἐν τῷ ἀποτριᾶσθαι. ἢ παρὰ τὸ δαίω τὸ καίω, ὅτι μετὰ λαμπάδων ἐζήτει τὴν θυγατέρα. τινὲς δέ φασιν, ὅτι ὑποκοριστικόν ἐστιν ἀπὸ τοῦ Δημήτηρ Δηώ ἀγνοοῦντες τὸν σχηματισμὸν τῶν τοιούτων ὑποκοριστικῶν. τὰ γὰρ τοιαῦτα ὑποκοριστικὰ θέλει φυλάττειν τὸ σύμφωνον τῆς δευτέρας συλλαβῆς τῶν ἰδίων πρωτοτύπων οἷον Ὑψιπύλη Ὑψώ, Εἰδοθέα Εἰδώ παρ´ Αἰσχύλῳ· εἰ οὖν Δημήτηρ, Δημώ ὤφειλεν εἶναι, ἀλλ´ οὐκ ἔστιν ὑποκοριστικόν. Βουτώ κώμη Αἰγύπτου, ἀφ´ ἧς καὶ Λητὼ Βουτώ, ἧς τινος χρηστήριον ἦν. ἐκαλεῖτο δὲ καὶ Βοῦτος. Δωδώ· οὕτως ἐλέγετο Δωδώνη Σιμμίας ὁ Ῥόδιος »Ζηνὸς ἕδος Κρονίδαο μάκαιρ´ ὑπεδέξατο Δωδώ«. Ἐλβώ νῆσος. Ἡρόδοτος δευτέρᾳ (c. 140). Ἀμαζώ θυγάτηρ τῆς Ἐφέσου, ἀφ´ ἧς αἱ Ἀμαζόνες. Ἡρώ πόλις Αἰγυπτία. Στράβων δὲ Ἡρώων πόλιν αὐτὴν καλεῖ. Θριώ· οὕτως λέγεται Θρῖα δῆμος τῆς Οἰνηΐδος φυλῆς, ὅθεν Θριῶθεν Θριῶζε. Ἰώ ἤτοι σελήνη·
Words in -ψη are not found except Τεράψη, an island near Carthage, not large. Feminines ending in -ω are accented on the last syllable: Κλωθώ, Ἐρατώ, Θεανώ, Σαπφώ, Λητώ, from λήθω, “I escape notice,” whence λήθη and Ληθώ and Λητώ. For its gentle and mild character is shown by its having forgotten the wrongs committed against it. Plato, however, says ἐλεητώ; for the goddess is compassionate and gentle and pities all. Aristarchus derives it from λῶ, “I wish,” whence λῇς for θέλεις with iota in Euripides, and λῇ, “he wishes,” Dorically; because whatever anyone wishes, he receives from her. Λατώ was also said of Καμάρα, a city of Crete. πειθώ, φειδώ, χρειώ, βασιλώ. Κλειώ. Καλυψώ. Δηώ, Demeter; and it is written in two ways, for the tradition knows the η both with iota and without. And if it does not have the iota, it is from δήω meaning “I find”; for when she was going about in search of her daughter, by euphemism all used to say “δῄεις,” that is, “you will find”; or because she discovered grain. But if it has the iota, it has come from δαίω, “I cut,” by the Ionic change of α to η; for Demeter is earth, and the earth is cut up in the process of ploughing. Or from δαίω, “I burn,” because with torches she sought her daughter. Some say that it is a diminutive from Δημήτηρ, Δηώ, being ignorant of the formation of such diminutives; for such diminutives wish to preserve the consonant of the second syllable of their own primitives, as Ὑψιπύλη → Ὑψώ, Εἰδοθέα → Εἰδώ in Aeschylus. If, then, it were from Δημήτηρ, it ought to be Δημώ; but it is not a diminutive. Βουτώ, a village of Egypt, from which also Λητώ Βουτώ, of which there was an oracle; it was also called Βοῦτος. Δωδώ: thus was Dodona called; Simmias of Rhodes [says], “The seat of Zeus, son of Cronus, blessed, received Δωδώ.” Ἐλβώ, an island; Herodotus in the second book (c. 140). Ἀμαζώ, daughter of Ephesus, from whom the Amazons. Ἡρώ, an Egyptian city; Strabo calls it the city of the Ἡρῶες. Θριώ: thus is called Θρῖα, a deme of the Oineis tribe, whence Θριῶθεν, Θριῶζε. Ἰώ, that is, the moon.