κρεμάννυμι + νόος

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No

Last modification

Sun, 09/11/2022 - 11:30

Word-form

κρανίον

Transliteration (Word)

kranion

English translation (word)

skull

Transliteration (Etymon)

kremannumi + noos

English translation (etymon)

to hang up + mind

Author

Orion?

Source

Etym. Gudianum

Ref.

Etym. Gudianum, kappa, p. 343

Ed.

F. Sturz, Etymologicum Graecae linguae Gudianum et alia grammaticorum scripta e codicibus manuscriptis nunc primum edita, Leipzig: Weigel, 1818

Quotation

Κρανίον, ἐν ᾧ κρέμ<α>ταινοῦς (The Gudianum has κρέμεται)

Translation (En)

Kranion "skull", in which the mind (nous) is hanging up (krematai)

Comment

Compositional etymology relying on a segmentation κρα-ν-ἰον, where κρα- is identified as a form of κρεμάννυμι and the -ν- as the initial consonant of νόος. Νόος is an equivalent for "brain", which can be described as suspended in the skull. Meletius  reformulates this etymology and substitutes νόος by ἐγκέφαλος, thereby losing the etymon. The fact the etymology is found both in Meletius (with a secondary modification) and the Gudianum makes it likely that it goes back to Orion. However, where Orion took it from is unclear. It may be from Soranus but there is no positive evidence

Parallels

Scholion to Anastasius Sin., Viae dux 2.8 (Κρανίον γάρ, ἐν ᾧ κρέμαται ὁ νοῦς, εἴρηται); Meletius, De natura hominis, p. 52 (ἢ κράνιον παρὰ τὸ κραίνειν καὶ βασιλεύειν τοῦ ἄλλου σώματος· ἢ διὰ τὸ κρέμασθαι ἐκεῖ τὸν ἐγκέφαλον)

Modern etymology

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

Persistence in Modern Greek

MG still has κρανίο "skull" in the anatomical vocabulary

Entry By

Le Feuvre