κραίνω

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Sun, 09/11/2022 - 10:52

Word-form

κρανίον

Transliteration (Word)

kranion

English translation (word)

skull

Transliteration (Etymon)

krainō

English translation (etymon)

to achieve, to accomplish

Author

Soranus of Ephesus

Century

1-2 AD

Source

Orion

Ref.

Etymologicum, kappa, p. 81

Ed.

F. Sturz, Orionis Thebani etymologicon, Leipzig, Weigel, 1820

Quotation

Κράτα. τὴν κεφαλήν. ἀπὸ τοῦ κράτος, ὡς ἐνταῦθα τοῦ ἡγεμονικοῦ τυγχάνοντος· παρὰ τὸ κραίνειν καὶ βασιλεύειν τοῦ ὅλου σώματος. ὅθεν κρανίον καὶ κέρατα, τὰ ἐκ τοῦ κρανίου φυόμενα. Σωρανός.

Translation (En)

Krata, the head. From kratos ‘power’, because the powerful part is located there; from kraineinto rule’ and reign over the whole body, whence also kranionskull’ and kerata ‘horns’, which grow from the skull. Soranus.

Comment

Derivational etymology. The wording is not clear and ὅθεν κρανίον can be related either to the preceding κραίνω or to the lemma κράτα, in which case the etymon of κρανίον is κάρα. Other witnesses going back to Orion (Etygram,. Gudianum, Etym. Magnum) indicate that the first possibility is correct and that the intended etymon is indeed κραίνω. The etymology is formally simple and only implies a metathesis of /i/ and /n/ (implicit). It relies on the idea that the skull is the head and the head is the ruling organ (see κάρα / κραίνω), with the secondary meaning of κραίνω "to rule"

Parallels

Meletius, De natura hominis, p. 52 (οἱ δὲ κάραν λέγουσιν, οἷον κέρα, ἀπὸ τοῦ τετριχῶσθαι· κέρα γὰρ ἡ θρίξ· ἢ κράτα ἀπὸ τοῦ κράτος, ὡς ἐνταῦθα τοῦ ἡγεμονικοῦ τυγχάνοντος· ἢ κράνιον παρὰ τὸ κραίνειν καὶ βασιλεύειν τοῦ ἄλλου σώματος· ἢ διὰ τὸ κρέμασθαι ἐκεῖ τὸν ἐγκέφαλον); Leo Medicus, De natura hominum synopsis 25 (κάραν δὲ ἐκ τοῦ <τε>τριχῶσθαι· κέρας γὰρ ἡ θρίξ. ἢ κρᾶτα ἐκ τοῦ κράτους· ἢ κρανίον ἐκ τοῦ κραίνειν καὶ βασιλεύειν τοῦ ὅλου σώματος); Etym. Gudianum, kappa, p. 342 (Κραίνω, τὸ ἄρχω, ἐξ οὗ καὶ κρανίον, καὶ κέρατα, παρὰ τὸ ἄρχειν τοῦ σώματος ὅλου); ibid., p. 343 (Κράτα, τὴν κεφαλὴν, ἀπὸ τοῦ κράτος ἐνταῦθα τοῦ ἡγεμονικοῦ τυγχάνοντος· ἢ παρὰ τὸ κραίνειν καὶ βασιλεύειν τοῦ λοιποῦ σώματος, ὅθεν καὶ κρανίον καὶ κέρατα, τὰ ἐκ τοῦ κρανίου φυόμενα· οὕτως Ὦρος); Etym. Magnum, Kallierges, p. 535 (idem, except that οὕτως Ὣρος has been corrected into οὕτω Σωρανός)

Modern etymology

Derivative of κάρα "head", *kr̥h2s-n-io- (Beekes, EDG)

Persistence in Modern Greek

MGB still has κρανίο "skull" in the anatomical vocabulary

Entry By

Le Feuvre