Ποικινὸς λόγος

Notes

1. Neither the headword phrase nor the adjective transmitted within it, poikino/s, is attested elsewhere prior to the Suda. After the Suda, one lexicon of the poetry of Gregory of Nazianzus has the genitive compound form poikino/fronos (Lexicon Casinense pi65), but this is clearly a mistake for the well-attested adjective pukino/fronos (cf. Gregory of Nazianzus PG 37.1512.13; Lexicon to the poems of Gregory of Nazianzus (from cod. Paris. Coislin. 394) pi 192; Hesychius pi4329). This suggests that the adjective here is likewise a pronunciation-based spelling of the word usually spelled pukino/s (as recognized, apparently, by a corrector to ms M), virtually equivalent to the current gloss pukno/s. The pronunciation of pukino/s and poikino/s would have been indistinguishable in late Greek (for a similar possible error see pi 3078). Nevertheless the phrase pukino/s lo/gos is equally unattested, so the source of this headword phrase as transmitted remains a mystery; cf. pi 3149, and for related words all the entries from pi 3142 to pi 3155 inclusive. Alternatively, Adler reports that J.F.A. Seidler (1779-1851) proposed the emendation of poikino/s to poiki/los ('variegated', 'versatile', 'clever'; cf. pi 3084 etc.). The phrase poiki/los lo/gos is attested as such (nominative singular) at Origen (PG 17.85.52) and frequently elsewhere in other cases and numbers. (Seidler's emendation would, however, place the entry out of alphabetical order.)