Soc. No; you are playing the fool: it is not our ὀπ in ὄψις, ὄψομαι, κάτοπτρον, but another sort of ὀπ.
Strep. Why, you yesterday told me that οἴνοπα was 'wine-faced', and αἴθοπα 'blazing-faced', something like our αἰθίοψ.
Soc. Ah! well: it is not so wonderful that you go wrong. It is true, there is also νῶροψ, στέροψ, ἦνοψ. Those might mislead you: μέροψ is rather peculiar. Now cannot you think of any characteristic of mankind, which μέροπες will express. How do men differ from other animals?
Strep. I have it! I heard it from your young friend Euclid. Μέροψ ἐστὶν ἄνθρωπος, 'man is a cooking animal'.
Soc. You stupid lout! what are you at? what do you mean?
Strep. Why, μέροψ, from μείρω, I distribute, ὄψον sauce.
Soc. No, no: ὄψον has the ὀψ, with radical immovable ς in it; but here ὀπ is the root, and ς is movable.
Strep. Now I have got it; μείρω, I distribute, ὀπὸν, juice, rennet.
Soc. Wretched man! you must forget your larder and you dairy, if ever you are to learn grammar.—Come Streppy: leave rustic words, and think of the language of the gods. Did you ever hear of the brilliant goddess Circe and of her ὄπα καλὴν?
Strep. Oh yes; Circe and her beautiful face.
