On Greek -ωρ Nouns

The communication will focus on Greek nouns ending in -ωρ, excluding agent nouns in -τωρ and compounds of the type εὐήνωρ. The first part of the communication will be devoted to a preliminary survey of the Greek forms ending in -ωρ, aimed at distinguishing the basic core of -ωρ nouns from other kind of formations, which only by chance came to acquire such a phonological form. The second part of the communication will concentrate on the role and status of -ωρ nouns within Ancient Greek lexicon. It is widely known that these nouns make up a very ancient and recesseive noun class, which basically continues Indo-European neuter -ōr nouns with heteroclitic inflection; however, it will be shown that this class had an (albeit very restricted) productivity in early phases of the history of Greek and that its members maintained a relative internal cohesion, based on three parameters: neuter gender, heteroclitic inflection, and 'collective' meaning.