tessera-/tetra-

From: "Mark J. Reed" <markjreed@...>
> > I have never seen a "tessera-" prefix before in my entire life.
>
> Agreed.  I've only seen "tessera" as part of "tesseract" - from
> "tessares"="four" + "aktis"="ray", since fourspace has four
> axes radiating out from the origin.
>
> Looking at semirandom Webster's etymologies, I find that
> "tessares" and "tettares" appear to be alternate forms of
> the Greek word for "four".  The prefix "tetra-" comes to us
> via a Latin adoption of "tettares", while "tesseract" is
> a modern coinage built from roots borrowed directly from Greek.
>
> Anyone here know Greek?  Was there a systematic alternation
> between "tessares" and "tettares", or was it random, or
> are they from different dialects, or what?
Well, as for the list of dialectal forms:

    G "four"
        Hom. téssares, písures
        Ion. tésseres
        Att. téttares
        Boeot. péttares
        Lesb. pés(s)ures
        Dor. tétores

The form of the Greek word in bahuvrihi compounds is <tetra-> (qe-to-ro- in
Myc.), e.g. in <tetrápous> 'four-footed', equivalent to L <quadrupe:s>...

Basically { tessares : tetra- :: quattuor : quadru- }.  I dont know why the word
isnt *tetract.


    *Muke!
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