κύπτω

Validation

No

Last modification

Wed, 05/03/2023 - 13:30

Word-form

γυμνός

Transliteration (Word)

gumnos

English translation (word)

naked

Transliteration (Etymon)

kuptō

English translation (etymon)

to bend forward, to stoop

Author

Etym. Parvum

Century

9 AD

Source

idem

Ref.

kappa 13

Ed.

R. Pintaudi, Etymologicum parvum quod vocatur [Testi e documenti per lo studio dell'antichità 42. Milan: Istituto Editoriale Cisalpino, 1973]

Quotation

Κύπτω· παρὰ τὸ γυῖον, ὃ σημαίνει τὸ μέλος· καὶ γίνεται γύπτω καὶ κύπτω· καὶ τί μετέχει; οἱ γὰρ γυμνοί, κύπτοντες, τὰ ἑαυτῶν μόρια συγκαλύπτουσι

Translation (En)

kuptō "to stoop": from guon, which means "limb". And one obtains *gupō and kuptō. And what does it have to do <with gumnos>? For those who are naked (gumnoi) hide their genitals by bending forward (kuptontes)

Comment

Derivational etymology, containing two etymologies of two different words, that of κύπτω, derived from γυῖον, and that of γυμνός, derived from κύπτω. But only the former one is explicit in his wording. The etymology of γυμνός is explicit in the Gudianum (see Parallels). It relies on the correct observation that a sequence [pn] yields [mn] (two parallels are provided in the Gudianum) and on a formal change, as the voiceless [k] is assumed to become a voiced [g] (reversing the change assumed in the etymology of κύπτω from γυῖον, see κύπτω / γυῖον). From the semantic point of view, two interpretations are provided: the naked man either hangs his head from shame, which seems to be Choeroboscus' interpretation, of he walks bending forward in order to hide his genitals, which is the Parvum's explanation.

Parallels

Choeroboscus, Epimerismi in Psalmos, p. 118 (Κύψει, ἐκ τοῦ κύπτω· τοῦτο παρὰ τὸ γύον, ὃ σημαίνει τὸ μέλαν (μέλος,) γίνεται γύπω καὶ κύπτω· οἱ γὰρ γυμνοὶ αἰσχυνόμενοι κύπτουσι); Etym. Gudianum, gamma, p. 325 (Γυμνός· ὁ ἄνευ ἱματίων. ὥσπερ παρὰ τὸ σκύζω σκυμνός καὶ σέβω σεμνός, οὕτως καὶ παρὰ τὸ κύπτω κυμνός καὶ γυμνός· ὁ γὰρ τοιοῦτος κύπτει κρύβων τὰ αἰδοῖα ὑπὸ αἰδοῦς "gumnos: without clothes. As from skuzō comes skumnos and from sebō semnos, thus from kuptō comes *kumnos and gumnos. Because such a man walks bending forward, hiding his genitals out of shame"); Etym. Magnum, Kallierges, p. 242 (idem); Etym. Symeonis, gamma 178 (idem); Ps.-Zonaras, Lexicon, gamma, p. 457 (idem); Etym. Gudianum, kappa, p. 355 (Κύπτω, παρὰ τὸ γυῖον, ὃ σημαίνει τὸ μέλος τοῦ σώματος, γίνεται γύπτω καὶ κύπτω· οἱ γὰρ γυμνοὶ ὄντες, κύπτοντες τὰ ἑαυτῶν αἰσχυντικὰ μόρια συγκαλύπτουσι· ἐτυμολογεῖται δὲ παρὰ τὸ τὰ γυῖα κάμπτειν, ἤγουν τὰ μέλη); 

Modern etymology

Inherited PIE adjective for "naked" (*nogw-no-). Cognate with Engl. naked, OCS nagъ Ved. nagná-, Hitt. nekumanza- (Beekes, EDG)

Persistence in Modern Greek

Yes

Entry By

Le Feuvre