--- In
cybalist@yahoogroups.com, "P&G" <G.and.P@...> wrote:
>
> >does greek term Phraktos = wall
> >exist really ?
>
> It occurs in a late writer (2nd or 3rd century AD), but is probably
a verbal
> adjective, meaning "fenced in, surrounded". So you should be
hunting for a
> verb rather than this noun. Greek does have the verb phrakteuo,
but the
> root must be phrak-/ phrag-.
>
> Peter
>
The corresponding verb is well-attested in Homer and both Classical
and Hellenistic prose authors. The present (better: imperfective)
stem is spelled phrassô, Att. phrattô "fence in, hedge round; put up
a fence; stop up, block".
The root probably had k, since the perfect is attested with k earlier
than with g (e.g. Isocr. Philip 93 pephraka vs. Paul 2 Cor. 11.10
phragêsetai). In that case, it is not related to *bherg'h-. However,
regular *bhebhorg'hH2e > *peporkha or *bhrgheH1m > *eprakhên may have
been replaced by pephraka and *ephrakên in order to restitute the
aspirate in the beginning of the stem. Or the perfect active and
aorist passive are simply secondary formations made at a time when
the Greek did not have any idea of the original voice of the second
consonant.
There is no obvious PIE etymology for phrak-. Thus, Frisk
writes: "Eine überzeugende außergriech. Entsprechung fehlt. Seit
alters wird damit lat. farciô 'stopfen, vollstopfen, mästen' und
frequêns 'gedrängt voll, häufig' verbunden, so u.a. Curtius 302 (m.
älterer Lit.). Dagegen mit guten Gründen WP. 2, 134 f.; zurückhaltend
W.-Hofmann s.v. (m. reicher Lit.)" (vol. 2, pp. 1038-9).
George