Κηκάς

mischievous, abusive

Translated by Nick Nicholas14 Nov 2008Vetting: high4 revisions

12 words

[Meaning] one who reproaches/reviles. Also [sc. attested is the related noun] mischief/abuse.

Greek original · Adler’s text

Κηκάς· ὁ λοίδορος. καὶ Κηκασμός.

Betacode

*khka/s: o( loi/doros. kai\ *khkasmo/s.

The adjective khka/s is used in Callimachus fr. 656 khka/di su\n glw/ssh| "with an abusive tongue", and Nicander, Alexipharmaca 185 piote/rhn o(/te bo/trun e)si/nato khka\s a)lw/phc "when the mischievous fox plundered the fat grapes". The noun khkasmo/s comes from Lycophron Alexandra 545 (dative plural) or 692 (accusative singular).
Otherwise the words only occur in lexica and scholia: khka/s from Hesychius kappa2482 on; khkasmo/s in e.g. the scholia to Lycophron 545 (above). The Etymologicum Parvum and Etymologicum Magnum derive khka/s from kako/s, a derivation the LSJ repeats with reservations. The Etymologicum Parvum is the first lexicon to gloss khka/s as loidori/a. The word is absent from Photius' Lexicon.