Complex -éō verbs in Ancient Greek: A case study at the interface between derivation and compounding

The article aims to analyze Ancient Greek complex verbs in –éō from a constructionist perspective. These verbs are usually accounted for as the effect of a conversion from adjectival and/or nominal compounds in –os (and, eventually, -on). However, this account does not explain why in complex -éō verb formations there seem to be two parallel morphological processes which ‘feed into’ each other: nominal/adjectival compounds in –os can generate complex –éō verbs, but also complex –éō verbs can generate compound nouns or adjectives ending in –os. Moreover, both of these complex formations can give rise to new free simple words (both nouns and verbs) by means of a process of reanalysis. Construction morphology allows us to provide a single picture describing these processes, exploring and explaining all possible interrelations.