νοίδιον, βοίδιον
(Phryn. Ecl. 61, Antiatt. β 37, Philemo [Laur.] 356)

A. Main sources

(1) Phryn. Ecl. 61: νοίδιον καὶ βοίδιον ἀρχαῖα καὶ δόκιμα, οὐχὶ νούδιον καὶ βούδιον.

νοίδιον (‘little thought’) and βοίδιον (‘little cow’) [are] ancient and approved, not νούδιον and βούδιον.

(2) Antiatt. β 37: βούδια· οὐ μόνον βοίδια. Ἕρμιππος Κέρκωψι.

Κέρκωψι Latte (1915, 376, n. 2), Kassel, Austin (PCG vol. 5, 577), cf. Antiatt. δ 12 : Κέρκωπι cod.

βούδια: βοίδια [is] not the only [admitted form]. Hermippus [uses it] in the Cercopes (fr. 36.2 = C.1, cf. apparatus).

(3) Philemo (Laur.) 356: βοΐδιον· οὐ βούδιον.

βοΐδιον: [You should] not [say] βούδιον.

B. Other erudite sources

(1) Hdn. Περὶ ὀρθογραφίας GG 3,2.486.4–10 (~ EM 230.5–11): γῄδιον· τριῶν ὄντων τῶν πρωτοτύπων γῆ καὶ γαῖα καὶ γέα ἐκ ποίου τούτων γέγονε τὸ γῄδιον; λέγει δὲ ὁ Δίδυμος, ὅτι ἔστι γέα διὰ τοῦ ε καὶ ἐπειδή, ἡνίκα ἡ τελευταία συλλαβὴ τῆς γενικῆς τοῦ πρωτοτύπου ἀπὸ φωνήεντος ἄρχεται καὶ παραλήγει τῷ ε ἢ τῷ ο, τότε γίνεται διὰ διον ἡ παραγωγὴ καὶ προσέρχεται κατὰ τὴν παραλήγουσαν τὸ ι οἷον πράξεως πραξείδιον, λέξεως λεξείδιον, βοῦς βοός βοΐδιον, νόος νόου νοίδιον.

Cf. EM 147.18–24.

γῄδιον (‘little farm’): Since there are three original forms, γῆ (‘land’), γαῖα, and γέα, from which of these does γῄδιον derive? Didymus (379b Coward–Prodi) says that [the original form] is γέα with ε also because, whenever the last syllable of the genitive of the original form begins with a vowel and has either ε or ο in the penultimate syllable, then the derived form is [built] with -διον and ι is added to the penultimate syllable, as in πράξεως (‘action’, gen. sing.) πραξείδιον (‘little action’), λέξεως (‘speech’, gen. sing.) λεξείδιον (‘little speech’), βοῦς βοός βοΐδιον, νόος νόου νοίδιον.

(2) Hdn. Περὶ ὀρθογραφίας GG 3,2.484.24: βῴδιον βούδιον.

Cf. Hsch. β 1362: βώδιον· βοίδιον.

βῴδιον [and] βούδιον.

(3) Su. β 581: βοίδιον· βοΐδιον. βοίδιον δὲ καλεύμαν τότε ἐγώ· νῦν δὲ Χάρητος εὐνέτις.

καλεύμαν codd. AFM : καλεύμεν cod. G : καλοῦμεν cod. Ι : καλοῦμαι cod. V | Χάρητος cod. G : χάριτος remaining codd.

βοίδιον: [I.e.] βοΐδιον. ‘Once my name was Βοίδιον; now the bedfellow of Chares […]’ (adesp. AP 7.169.7–8 = C.3).

(4) Schol. Ar. Eq. 100a: νοϊδίων· διανοημάτων λεπτῶν καὶ μεμεριμνημένων. οὐ γὰρ ἐν ὑποκορισμῷ εἴρηκεν. παρήγαγε δὲ ἀπὸ τοῦ πληθυντικοῦ τοῦ οἱ νοῖ τὸ νοΐδιον ὑποκοριστικόν· [...] (VEΓΘ) (cf. C.2).

Cf. schol. Ar. Eq. 100b–c and Su. ν 574.

νοϊδίων (gen. pl.): [It means] ‘subtle and refined thoughts’. Indeed, he (i.e., Aristophanes) does not say it as a diminutive. The diminutive νοίδιον derives from the nominative plural νοῖ (‘thoughts’).

C. Loci classici, other relevant texts

(1) Hermipp. fr. 36:
                        οἱ γὰρ πενόμενοι
ἀνάπηρά σοι θύουσιν ἤδη βοίδια
Λεωτροφίδου λεπτότερα καὶ Θουμάντιδος.

βοιδια schol. Ar. Av. 1406 (V) : βοΐδια schol. Ar. Av. 1406 (EΓ), Ath. 12.551a, Su. λ 278 : βούδια Antiatt. β 37 (A.2).

But now being poor, all they sacrifice to you (i.e., Dionysus) are stunted little cows, leaner than even Leotrophides and Thoumantis. (Transl. Storey 2011, 295).

(2) Ar. Eq. 99–100:
ἢν γὰρ μεθυσθῶ, πάντα ταυτὶ καταπάσω
βουλευματίων καὶ γνωμιδίων καὶ νοιδίων.

Because if I get drunk I’m going to sprinkle everything with bits of plans, thoughts, and ideas. (Transl. Henderson 1998, 241).

(3) Adesp. AP 7.169.5–8 = FGE 1364–7:
εὐνέτις ἦν δὲ Χάρητος· ἔπλων δ’, ὅτ’ ἔπλωεν ἐκεῖνος
        τῇδε Φιλιππείων ἀντίπαλος σκαφέων.
Βοιίδιον δὲ καλεῦμαι ἔθ’ ὡς τότε· νῦν δὲ Χάρητος
        εὐνέτις ἠπείροις τέρπομαι ἀμφοτέραις.

Βοίδιον δὲ καλεῦμαι ἔθ’ ὡς τότε cod. P : Βοίδιον δὲ καλεύμαν ἔθ’ ὡς τότε corrector of the cod. P, Constantinus VII De thematibus 2.12.29, Su. β 581 (B.3) : Βοίδιον οὔνομα δ’ ἦεν μοι τότε Dion.Byz. 110.5 Güngerich, Hsch.Mil. FGrHist 390 F 1.30 : Βοιΐδιον δ’ ἤκουν ἐγὼ τότε Gillius Bosp. Thrac. 3.9, Codinus orig. Const. 1.28, Pl. The epigram refers to the ‘statue of a cow on a promontory overlooking the Bosporos, erected over the grave of Boidion, wife or mistress of the Athenian admiral Chares during his expedition of 340 B.C. to relieve the siege of Byzantium by Philip II’ (Page 1981, 371). The epigram is problematic from a chronological and historical point of view: see Page (1981, 371–4).

I was Chares’ bedfellow; I sailed [with him], when he sailed to this place, rival to the ships of Philip. My name is still Boidion (‘Little Cow’), as [it was] then, but now I rejoice at the sight of both continents, the bedfellow of Chares.