*γῶ
Word
Validation
No
Word-form
κενός
Word-lemma
Etymon-lemma
Transliteration (Word)
kenos
English translation (word)
empty
Transliteration (Etymon)
*gō
English translation (etymon)
to give room [=χωρῶ]
Century
1 BC
Reference
fr. *111
Edition
C. Theodoridis, Die Fragmente des Grammatikers Philoxenos [Sammlung griechischer und lateinischer Grammatiker (SGLG) 2. Berlin: De Gruyter, 1976
Source
[Etymologicum Genuinum AB]
Ref.
fr. *111
Ed.
C. Theodoridis, Die Fragmente des Grammatikers Philoxenos [Sammlung griechischer und lateinischer Grammatiker (SGLG) 2. Berlin: De Gruyter, 1976
Quotation
Kενός· ... ἢ παρὰ τὸ γῶ, τὸ χωρῶ, γενὸς καὶ κενός, ὁ χωρῆσαι δυνάμενός τι διὰ τὸ μηδὲν ἔχειν.
Translation (En)
Kenos "empty": ...or from *gō, "to contain", *genos and kenos, that which is able to contain something because it holds nothing.
Other translation(s)
Kenos « vide » : ...ou bien à partir de *gō, « contenir », *genos et kenos, ce qui peut contenir quelque chose parce qu’il n’a rien.
Parallels
Etym. Gudianum, kappa, p. 314 (Κενὸς, [...] ἢ παρὰ τὸ γῶ τὸ χωρῶ γενὸς καὶ κενὸς, ὁ χωρῆσαι δυνάμενός τι, διὰ τὸ μηδὲν ἔχειν); Etym. Magnum, Kallierges, p. 503 (Κενός : [...] Ἢ παρὰ τὸ γῶ, τὸ χωρῶ, γενὸς καὶ κενὸς, ὁ χωρῆσαι δυνάμενος τὶ διὰ τὸ μηδὲν ἔχειν)
Modern etymology
Older *κενϝός, from a root *ken- "empty", cognate with Arm. sin, snoy "empty" (Beekes, EDG)
Persistence in Modern Greek
Yes
Entry By
Eva Ferrer
Comment
Derivational etymology implying one formal change, from [g] to [k]. The semantic aspect is interesting, as it converts the negation into a possibility: what contains nothing can contain something.