Gr. γαλέη 'comadreja' y la glosa γάλις· γαλαός

Abstract

The aim of this paper is to show that Ancient Greek γαλέη 'weasel' and γάλις· γαλαός 'sister-in-law' are etymologically related. Greek literary tradition supports the existence of a relation between weasels and women; moreover, the faψt that the name for 'weasel' is referred to in several languages with appelatives for 'woman' (e.g. Ital. donnola, Fr. belette) supports the possibility that the same word can be used to denote the mustelid and sister-in-law. From the formal point of view, γαλέη is a -éā Derivative to *gal- (lE *gḷh-: Gr. γαλαός Hom. γάλως from *glh₂-u̯ó-) and stands side by side with *gal-i- (cf. γαλιάγκων 'with a weasel's arm', γαλιδεύς 'young weasel'), the outcome of an inherited form *glh₂-i-, whose existence is supported by Ved. giri- 'sister-in-law', Arm. tal[i-] 'id.' and Lat. gḷis 'dormouse'. Greek γάλις is likely to have agglutinated both meanings.