Discussion of Greek patronymic and ethnic name formation and spelling: alternations of ι vs ει and diphthongs, treatment of endings (-ευς, -ως, -ης, -ους, -ος) with examples (Πηλεΐδης, Ἀτρείδης, Πισίδης, Ἀρκασίς, etc.).
διερμηνευθεῖσα Περσῶν στρατόπεδον«. ἔοικε δὲ ἀρσενικῶς καὶ θηλυκῶς εἰρῆσθαι, τάχα δέ, ὅπερ ἄμεινον, ἐπὶ τῆς πόλεως θηλυκῶς, ἐπὶ δὲ τῶν οἰκητόρων ἀνδρωνύμως. τῷ δὲ 'ι' παραλήγεται ἢ μόνῳ ἢ μετὰ ἑτέρου φωνήεντος ἐν διφθόγγῳ ἢ ἀνεκφωνήτῳ. καὶ ἀνεκφωνήτῳ μὲν οἷον Μίνως Μινωΐδης καὶ συναιρέσει Μινῴδης καὶ ἥρως Ἡρωΐδης καὶ Ἡρῴδης, ἐν διφθόγγῳ δὲ οἷον Περιθοίδης καὶ Περιθοῖδαι δῆμος Οἰνηΐδος φυλῆς, Χολλεῖδαι δῆμος τῆς Λεοντίδος φυλῆς. καὶ τὰ δὲ ἀπὸ τῶν εἰς 'ευς' ὄντα πατρωνυμικὰ πάντα διὰ τῆς 'ει' θέλουσι γράφεσθαι Πηλείδης, Ἀτρείδης, Αἰγείδης, Ὠρείδης. τὸ δὲ Ἀλκείδης ἀπὸ τοῦ Ἀλκαῖος τροπῇ τῆς 'αι' διφθόγγου εἰς τὴν 'ει'· ἔτι τὰ ἀπὸ τῶν εἰς 'ως' Ἀττικῶν διὰ τῆς 'ει' γράφονται Νείλεως Νειλείδης, Εὔνεως Εὐνείδης· καὶ τὰ ἀπὸ τῶν εἰς 'ης' εἰς 'ους' ἐχόντων τὴν γενικήν, εἰ μὲν βραχείᾳ παραλήγεται, διὰ τοῦ 'ι' γράφεται Εὐτυχίδης, Πλεισθενίδης, Ἀχαιμενίδης, εἰ δὲ μακρᾷ παραλήγεται, διὰ τῆς 'ει' Εὐήρης Εὐήρους Εὐηρείδης, Εὐκλείδης, Ἡρακλείδης, Χαρικλείδης· τύπου δὲ πατρωνυμικοῦ ἀπὸ τῶν εἰς 'ος' ὄντα παρετάθησαν διὰ τῆς 'ει' Λυσιθείδης, Κηκείδης, Καλλείδης, Ἀχιλλείδης, Ἐχεφυλλείδης, Σκυθρωπείδης, Θαρρελείδης, Φιλομηλείδης »Φιλομηλείδῃ ἐπάλαισεν ἀναστάς« (Od. ρ 134). Κυθνείδης. 'ι' μόνῳ δὲ παραλήγεται τὰ ἀπὸ τῆς εἰς 'ος' εἴτε εὐθείας εἴτε γενικῆς ἢ ἀπὸ τῶν εἰς 'ης' εἰς 'ου' ἐχόντων τὴν γενικὴν γινόμενα πατρωνυμικά, Πριαμίδης, Τανταλίδης, Ἑκτορίδης, Πελοπίδης, Κεκροπίδης, Μεμνονίδης, Φοινικίδης. Ἀστακίδης Πείσανδρος δεκάτῃ. Ἀρκασίδης ὁ Ἀρκάς· ὤφειλε μὲν Ἀρκαδίδης, ἀλλὰ διὰ τὸ κακόφωνον οὕτως ἐγένετο καὶ τὸ θηλυκὸν Ἀρκασίς. Ἀρσακίδης ἔθνος ἀπὸ Ἀρσάκου, Δαρδανίδαι οἱ Δάρδανοι, Ἰδηΐδαι οἱ Ἰδαῖοι ἀπὸ τῆς Ἰδηΐς εὐθείας θηλυκῆς, Δρυΐδης ἔθνος Γαλατικὸν φιλόσοφον. Ἐρεβίδαι μέρος Λωτοφάγων· Φίλιστος ὀγδόῳ. Ὀδρυσίδης ὁ Ὀδρύσης, Ἀδυρμαχίδης Λιβυκὸν ἔθνος ὡς Ἡρόδοτος (IV 168). Πηδασίδης ὁ Πηδασεύς. Τευθίδης ὁ οἰκῶν Τευθίδα πόλιν Ἀρκαδίας. Πισίδης ἔθνος βάρβαρον κατοικοῦν παρὰ τὴν Ἄσπενδον καὶ τὴν Κιλικίαν. εἴρηται δὲ ἀπὸ Πισίδου. συστέλλονται δὲ τοῦ Πισίδης καὶ Πισιδία αἱ δεύτεραι καὶ αἱ πρῶται· Πισιδικὴ δὲ καὶ Πισιδικὸν καὶ Πισιδεῖς μετὰ ἐκτάσεως τοῦ 'ι'. Αἰθαλίδαι δῆμος τῆς Λεοντίδος φυλῆς καὶ οἱ δημόται ὁμοφώνως, Βερενικίδαι ἀπὸ Βερενίκης
“interpreted as ‘camp of the Persians.’ It seems, however, to be said both in the masculine and in the feminine; perhaps—what is better—in the feminine with reference to the city, but with reference to the inhabitants in the masculine.
It has an i in the penult either alone or together with another vowel in a diphthong or in an unpronounced vowel. And with an unpronounced vowel, for example Μίνως, Μινωΐδης, and by contraction Μινῴδης; and ἥρως, Ἡρωΐδης and Ἡρῴδης; but in a diphthong, for example Περιθοίδης and Περιθοῖδαι, a deme of the tribe Οἰνηΐς; Χολλεῖδαι, a deme of the tribe Λεοντίς.
And the patronymics derived from those in -ευς all want to be written with ει: Πηλείδης, Ἀτρείδης, Αἰγείδης, Ὠρείδης. But Ἀλκείδης is from Ἀλκαῖος by changing the diphthong αι into ει. Further, those derived from Attic forms in -ως are written with ει: Νείλεως, Νειλείδης; Εὔνεως, Εὐνείδης. And those derived from forms in -ης that have the genitive in -ους—if they have a short penult, they are written with ι: Εὐτυχίδης, Πλεισθενίδης, Ἀχαιμενίδης; but if they have a long penult, with ει: Εὐήρης, Εὐήρους, Εὐηρείδης; Εὐκλείδης, Ἡρακλείδης, Χαρικλείδης.
But of patronymic type, those derived from forms in -ος have been set down with ει: Λυσιθείδης, Κηκείδης, Καλλείδης, Ἀχιλλείδης, Ἐχεφυλλείδης, Σκυθρωπείδης, Θαρρελείδης, Φιλομηλείδης—“he rose and wrestled with Φιλομηλείδῃ” (Od. ρ 134)—Κυθνείδης.
But with i alone in the penult are the patronymics formed either from the nominative or the genitive of those in -ος, or from those in -ης that have the genitive in -ου: Πριαμίδης, Τανταλίδης, Ἑκτορίδης, Πελοπίδης, Κεκροπίδης, Μεμνονίδης, Φοινικίδης. Ἀστακίδης: Peisander, in the tenth book. Ἀρκασίδης, ‘the Arcadian’; it ought to have been Ἀρκαδίδης, but because of the harsh sound it came to be thus, and the feminine is Ἀρκασίς. Ἀρσακίδης, a people from Ἀρσάκος; Δαρδανίδαι, the Dardanians; Ἰδηΐδαι, the Idaeans, from the feminine nominative Ἰδηΐς; Δρυΐδης, a Galatian philosophical people. Ἐρεβίδαι, a part of the Lotus-eaters; Philistus, in the eighth book. Ὀδρυσίδης, ‘the Odrysian’; Ἀδυρμαχίδης, a Libyan people, as Herodotus says (IV 168). Πηδασίδης, ‘the man of Pedasus.’ Τευθίδης, ‘the inhabitant of Teuthis,’ a city of Arcadia. Πισίδης, a barbarian people dwelling near Aspendus and Cilicia; it is said to be from Πισίδος.
But in Πισίδης and Πισιδία the second syllables and the first are shortened; whereas Πισιδική and Πισιδικόν and Πισιδεῖς are with lengthening of the i. Αἰθαλίδαι, a deme of the tribe Λεοντίς, and the demesmen likewise; Βερενικίδαι, from Βερενίκη.