μιαρία, μιαρός
(Phryn. Ecl. 320, Antiatt. μ 28)
A. Main sources
(1) Phryn. Ecl. 320: μιαρία ἀδόκιμον, τὸ δὲ μιαρὸς ἀρχαῖον.
μιαρία (‘defilement’, ‘brutality’) is unapproved, but μιαρός (‘defiled’, ‘abominable’) is ancient.
(2) Antiatt. μ 28: μιαρὸν λέγοντες, μιαρίαν οὔ φασι δεῖ<ν> λέγειν.
δεῖ cod. C, corrected by Bekker (1814–1821 vol. 1, 108 and vol. 3, 1076).
Although they (i.e. some scholars) use μιαρός, they say that one must not use μιαρία.
B. Other erudite sources
(1) Su. μ 1026: μιαρία· ἡ ἀκαθαρσία. τὴν μιαρίαν τοῦ καπνοῦ καὶ τὴν ὄχλησιν τῆς κόπρου.
μιαρία: [It means] impurity. ‘The impurity of smoke and the annoyance of ordure’ (fr. adesp.).
(2) Su. μ 1027: μιαροί· ἀηδεῖς, βδελυκτοί. ‘ὁ δὲ δράκων προελθὼν ἄρα τοῦ ἀδύτου τό τε αἷμα αὐτῶν ἐξελιχμήσατο καὶ ἐκάθηρε τὰς πληγάς, ἵνα μήποτ’ ἄρα ἐκ τοῦ λύθρου μιαροὶ βλέπωνται’. καὶ Ἀριστοφάνης· ‘ὦ μιαρὲ καὶ τολμηρὲ κἀναίσχυντε σὺ | καὶ μιαρὲ καὶ παμμίαρε καὶ μιαρώτατε, | πῶς δεῦρ’ ἀνῆλθες, ὦ μιαρῶν μιαρώτατε; | τί σοί ποτ’ ἔστ’ ὄνομ’, οὐκ ἐρεῖς· μιαρώτατος. | ποδαπὸς γένος εἶ; φράζε μοι μιαρώτατος’. ‘οὔ τοι, μὰ τὴν γῆν, ἔσθ’ ὅπως οὐκ ἀποθανῇ, | εἰ μὴ κατερεῖς μοι τοὔνομ’, ὅ τι πότ’ ἐστί σοι. μιαρώτατε. | Τρυγαῖος, Ἀθμονεύς, ἀμπελουργὸς δεξιός, | οὐ συκοφάντης οὐδ’ ἐραστὴς πραγμάτων. | ἥκεις δὲ κατὰ τί; τὰ κρέα ταυτί σοι φέρων. | ὦ δειλὰ κρονίων· ὦ γλίσχρων, ὡς οὐκ ἔτ’ εἶναί σοι δοκῶ μιαρώτατος’.
δειλὰ κρονίων Su. : δειλακρίων Ar. The translation follows Aristophanes’ text.
μιαροί: [It means] odious, abominable. ‘The serpent, therefore, coming out from the innermost part of the temple, absorbed their blood and cleansed their wounds, so that they would no longer be seen as contaminated with impure blood’ (Ael. fr. 85b Domingo-Forasté = C.6). And Aristophanes (Pax 182–6, 188–94 = C.2) [says]: ‘(Hermes) You loathsome insolent shameless scum, you utter scum, you scum of the earth! How did you get up here, you arch-scum? Have you got a name? Well, speak up! (Trygaeus) Arch Scum. (Hermes) What’s your race of origin? Tell me. (Trygaeus) Arch Scum’ … ‘(Hermes) So help me Earth, you’re as good as dead if you don’t declare to me just what your name is. Arch-scum. (Trygaeus) Trygaeus of Athmonum, an accomplished vintager, no informer and no lover of litigation. (Hermes) And here on what errand? (Trygaeus) To offer you this meat. (Hermes) Welcome, my poor fellow! (Trygaeus) See, old sticky fingers, you don’t think I’m arch-scum after all. (Transl. Henderson 1998, 449–51, adapted)’.
(3) Thom.Mag. 236.17–8: μιαρός καὶ παμμίαρος καὶ μιαρώτατος, ὡς Ἀριστοφάνης ἐν Βατράχοις· οὐ μιαρία δέ, ἀλλὰ βδελυρία.
[Use] μιαρός, παμμίαρος (‘all-abominable’), and μιαρώτατος (‘extremely abominable’), like Aristophanes in Frogs (466 = C.3); conversely [do] not [use] μιαρία, but βδελυρία (‘coarse, objectionable behaviour’).
C. Loci classici, other relevant texts
(1) Antipho 2.3.1: ἥ τε ἀτυχία ἀδικεῖται ὑπ’ αὐτοῦ, ἣν προϊστάμενος τῆς κακουργίας ἀφανίσαι τὴν αὑτοῦ μιαρίαν ζητεῖ.
It is an outrage to ‘misfortune’ that he should use it to cloak his crime, in the hope of concealing his defilement. (Transl. Maidment 1941, 69).
(2) Ar. Pax 182–94:
(ΕΡ.) ὦ μιαρὲ καὶ τόλμηρε κἀναίσχυντε σὺ
καὶ μιαρὲ καὶ παμμίαρε καὶ μιαρώτατε,
πῶς δεῦρ’ ἀνῆλθες, ὦ μιαρῶν μιαρώτατε;
τί σοί ποτ’ ἔστ’ ὄνομ’; οὐκ ἐρεῖς;
(ΤΡ.) μιαρώτατος.
(ΕΡ.) πατὴρ δέ σοι τίς ἐστιν;
(ΤΡ.) ἐμοί; μιαρώτατος. (187)
(ΕΡ.) ποδαπὸς τὸ γένος δ’ εἶ; φράζε μοι.
(ΤΡ.) μιαρώτατος. (186)
(ΕΡ.) οὔτοι μὰ τὴν γῆν ἔσθ’ ὅπως οὐκ ἀποθανεῖ,
εἰ μὴ κατερεῖς μοι τοὔνομ’ ὅ τι ποτ’ ἐστί σοι.
(ΤΡ.) Τρυγαῖος Ἀθμονεύς, ἀμπελουργὸς δεξιός,
οὐ συκοφάντης οὐδ’ ἐραστὴς πραγμάτων.
(ΕΡ.) ἥκεις δὲ κατὰ τί;
(ΤΡ.) τὰ κρέα ταυτί σοι φέρων.
(ΕΡ.) ὦ δειλακρίων, πῶς ἦλθες;
(ΤΡ.) ὦ γλίσχρων, ὁρᾷς
ὡς οὐκέτ’ εἶναί σοι δοκῶ μιαρώτατος;
μιαρὲ1 codd. : βδελυρὲ Porson (cf. C.3) | Line 187, omitted by cod. R and the Suda (B.2), was placed before line 186 by Millis.
(Hermes) You loathsome insolent shameless scum, you utter scum, you scum of the earth! How did you get up here, you arch-scum? Have you got a name? Well, speak up! (Trygaeus) Arch Scum. (Hermes) And who’s your father? (Trygaeus) Mine? Arch Scum. (Hermes) What’s your race of origin? Tell me. (Trygaeus) Arch Scum. (Hermes) So help me Earth, you’re as good as dead if you don’t declare to me just what your name is. (Trygaeus) Trygaeus of Athmonum, an accomplished vintager, no informer and no lover of litigation. (Hermes) And here on what errand? (Trygaeus) To offer you this meat. (Hermes) Welcome, my poor fellow! (Trygaeus) See, old sticky fingers, you don’t think I’m arch-scum after all. (Transl. Henderson 1998, 449–51, adapted).
(3) Ar. Ra. 465–9:
ὦ βδελυρὲ κἀναίσχυντε καὶ τολμηρὲ σὺ
καὶ μιαρὲ καὶ παμμίαρε καὶ μιαρώτατε,
ὃς τὸν κύν’ ἡμῶν ἐξελάσας τὸν Κέρβερον
ἀπῇξας ἄγχων κἀποδρὰς ᾤχου λαβών,
ὃν ἐγὼ ’φύλαττον.
You loathsome, shameless, insolent scum you! Utter scum! Scum of the earth! You’re the one who rustled our dog Cerberus, grabbed him by the throat and darted off and got clean away with him, the dog I was in charge of! (Transl. Henderson 2002, 87).
(4) D. 29.4: περὶ μὲν οὖν τῆς αἰσχροκερδίας τῆς τούτου καὶ μιαρίας ὕστερόν μοι δοκεῖ διεξελθεῖν πρὸς ὑμᾶς.
It seems best for me to describe to you later the man’s avarice and wickedness. (Transl. MacDowell 2004, 52).
(5) Luc. Pseudol. 8: ἐν τοιαύτῃ τοίνυν ἑορτῇ καὶ ἱερομηνίᾳ ὁ τότε γελάσας ἐν Ὀλυμπίᾳ ἐκεῖνος ἐπὶ τῷ ὑποβολιμαίῳ Πυθαγόρᾳ ἰδὼν προσιόντα τὸν κατάπτυστον καὶ ἀλαζόνα, τὸν τῶν ἀλλοτρίων λόγων ὑποκριτήν (ἐτύγχανε δὲ καὶ τὸν τρόπον ἀκριβῶς εἰδὼς αὐτοῦ καὶ τὴν ἄλλην ἀσέλγειαν καὶ μιαρίαν τοῦ βίου καὶ ἃ ποιεῖν ἐλέγετο καὶ ἃ ποιῶν κατείληπτο) […].
Well, on that festival and high holiday, the man who burst out laughing then in Olympia at the suppositious Pythagoras saw this contemptible cheat approaching, this presenter of the speeches of others. It happened that he knew his character, too, and all his wantonness and unclean living, both what he was said to do, and what he had been caught doing. (Transl. Harmon 1936, 383).
(6) Ael. fr. 85b Domingo-Forasté: ὁ δὲ δράκων προελθὼν ἄρα τοῦ ἀδύτου τό τε αἷμα αὐτῶν ἐξελιχμήσατο καὶ ἐκάθηρε τὰς πληγάς, ἵνα μήποτ’ ἄρα ἐκ τοῦ λύθρου μιαροὶ βλέπωνται.
The serpent, therefore, coming out from the innermost part of the temple, absorbed their blood and cleansed their wounds, so that they would no longer be seen as contaminated with impure blood.
D. General commentary
Phrynichus’ Eclogue (A.1) and the Antiatticist (A.2) discuss the admissibility of the noun μιαρία (‘defilement’, ‘brutality’, ‘perversion’), an abstract denominal derivativeDerivatives formed from the adjective μιαρός (‘defiled’, ‘abominable’); see Chantraine (1933, 78–9). The noun is attested as early as Antiphon (see e.g. C.1, 2.3.9, and 3.3.12) with the meaning ‘defilement’ (i.e. ‘blood-guiltiness’), which aligns more closely with its etymology (cf. μιαίνω ‘to taint’, ‘to defile’); it is also used by other Attic orators (Is. 5.11, C.4), Xenophon (HG 7.3.6), and Lucian (C.5, Alex. 57) with the less specific meaning of ‘brutality’ or ‘perversion’. Since μιαρία is attested in authors belonging to the Atticist canon, the label ἀδόκιμος applied to it by Phrynichus – in contrast to the adjective μιαρός, accepted as ἀρχαῖος – may at first seem quite surprising. However, it should be noted that μιαρία is generally rarely attested in canonical authors (fewer than ten occurrences) and is never used in comedy, whereas μιαρός has plenty of attestations in canonical authors, more than 60 of which occur in Aristophanes alone (see e.g. C.2 and C.3). This distribution supports the statement expressed in the Eclogue, which is consistent with the linguistic perspective of the Atticist lexicographer. By contrast, the Antiatticist’s entry (A.2) seems to move in the opposite direction, implicitly questioning the prescriptions of other Atticist lexicographers – perhaps even Phrynichus himself, although chronologically the relationship is probably reversed, since in the second book of the Eclogue there are entries responding to the Antiatticist’s lexicon, as Latte (1915, 378–82; see also Valente 2015, 52–4) has shown; on the formulation οὔ φασι δεῖν λέγειν, referring to other scholars’ prescriptions, see Valente (2015, 45–6). In A.2, as well as in other entries where the expression οὔ φασι δεῖν λέγειν appears, a locus classicus – later lost during the transmission of the lexicon – that demonstrates the admissibility of the term from the Antiatticist’s perspective was likely quoted. This can be inferred from the following parallels: Antiatt. β 20Antiatt. β 20: βόθυνον· οὔ φασι δεῖν λέγειν, ἀλλὰ Σόλων ἔφη ἐν τοῖς νόμοις. Κρατῖνος Σεριφίοις· ‘ἀλλ’ ἀπίωσιν ἐν χορῷ ἐς βόθυνον ἱέναι’. ἔστι δὲ παιδιά τις ‘ἐς βόθυνον ἱέναι’, ‘βόθυνος (‘hole, trench’): They say that one must not use [it], but Solon used [it] in the Laws (fr. 60c Ruschenbusch). Cratinus in the Men of Seriphus (fr. 219) [says]: ‘But let them go to the choir … to throw into the hole’. There is a game [called] ‘to throw into the hole’’; Antiatt. κ 31Antiatt. κ 31: κυρίαν· οὔ φασι δεῖν λέγειν, ἀλλὰ κεκτημένην· τὸν δὲ κεκτημένον μὴ λέγεσθαι ἐπὶ τοῦ δεσπότου. <***> Σατύρ{ικ}οις ‘κεκτημένον’ λέγει, Φιλήμων ‘κυρίαν’, ‘κυρία (‘mistress’): They say that one must not use [it], but [one must use] κεκτημένη [instead]; [they say that one must not] use κεκτημένος for the master. … in the Satyrs (Phryn.Com. fr. 50) uses ‘κεκτημένος’, Philemon (fr. 190) [uses] ‘κυρία’’; see Valente (2015, 45–6).
Phrynichus’ prescription is subsequently repeated also in Thomas Magister’s lexicon (B.3), where, in addition to reporting an Aristophanic quotation (C.3) that attests to the adjective μιαρός and its superlative forms (perhaps already quoted in the original version of Phrynichus’ entry), an alternative noun to μιαρία is proposed, i.e. βδελυρία (‘coarse, objectionable behaviour’), a term attested in Attic orators (e.g. Is. 8.42, And. 1.122, D. 22.52, Aeschin. 1.26) but, like μιαρία, absent in comedy. In this regard, it is noteworthy that the Suda (B.2) glosses μιαρός with the adjective βδελυκτός, which is attested in literature only from the Hellenistic period onwards, citing as a locus classicus a long passage from Aristophanes’ Peace (C.2), a passage that could also have been among those cited by Phrynichus. In another entry (B.1), the Suda glosses μιαρία with ἀκαθαρσία, a noun likewise absent in comedy and generally rare in canonical authors (with a single attestation in Pl. Ti. 72c.5), but, like μιαρία and βδελυρία, very common in Post-classical Greek.
As already suggested by Lobeck (1820, 343), Phrynichus’ rejection of μιαρία can be understood in light of the popularity of abstract nouns in -ία during the Hellenistic period (see Chantraine 1933, 83; Mayser, Gramm. vol. 1,3, 27–37). However, it should be noted that μιαρία, apart from the rare classical occurrences, is mostly attested in the 2nd–4th and in the 9th–11th centuries CE (and is essentially unattested in the Hellenistic period). The proliferation of abstract nouns in -ία in Post-classical Greek may have led the Atticist lexicographer to view such formations with suspicion, even though some were already well attested in the classical period; see entry λυχνία and AGP vol. 2, Nominal morphology, forthcoming. In the specific case of μιαρία, its scarce attestations in canonical authors and absence from comedy – particularly in contrast to the corresponding adjective μιαρός – may have played a role in Phrynichus’ proscription of it.
E. Byzantine and Modern Greek commentary
N/A
F. Commentary on individual texts and occurrences
N/A
Bibliography
Bekker, I. (1814–1821). Anecdota Graeca. 3 vols. Berlin.
Chantraine, P. (1933). La formation des noms en grec ancien. Paris.
Harmon, A. M. (1936). Lucian. Vol. 5: The Passing of Peregrinus. The Runaways. Toxaris or Friendship. The Dance. Lexiphanes. The Eunuch. Astrology. The Mistaken Critic. The Parliament of the Gods. The Tyrannicide. Disowned. Translated by A. M. Harmon. Cambridge, MA.
Henderson, J. (1998). Aristophanes. Vol. 2: Clouds. Wasps. Peace. Edited and translated by Jeffrey Henderson. Cambridge, MA.
Henderson, J. (2002). Aristophanes. Vol. 4: Frogs. Assemblywomen. Wealth. Edited and translated by Jeffrey Henderson. Cambridge, MA.
Lobeck, C. A. (1820). Phrynichi Eclogae nominum et verborum Atticorum. Leipzig.
Latte, K. (1915). ‘Zur Zeitbestimmung des Antiatticista’. Hermes 50, 373–94 (= Id., Kleine Schriften. Munich 1968, 612–30).
MacDowell, D. M. (2004). Demosthenes. Speeches 27–38. Austin.
Maidment, K. J. (1941). Minor Attic Orators. Vol. 1: Antiphon. Andocides. Translated by K. J. Maidment. Cambridge, MA.
Valente, S. (2015). The Antiatticist. Introduction and Critical Edition. Berlin, Boston.
CITE THIS
Elisa Nuria Merisio, 'μιαρία, μιαρός (Phryn. Ecl. 320, Antiatt. μ 28)', in Olga Tribulato (ed.), Digital Encyclopedia of Atticism. With the assistance of E. N. Merisio.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.30687/DEA/2974-8240/2025/02/027
ABSTRACT
KEYWORDS
Abstract nounsDeadjectival nouns-ίαἀδόκιμοςβδελυρία
FIRST PUBLISHED ON
16/12/2025
LAST UPDATE
19/12/2025
