γυῖον
Word
Validation
No
Word-form
κύπτω
Word-lemma
Etymon-lemma
Transliteration (Word)
kuptō
English translation (word)
to bend forward
Transliteration (Etymon)
guion
English translation (etymon)
limb
Century
9 AD
Source
idem
Ref.
Etym. Parvm, 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)
Parallels
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); Etym. Magnum, Kallierges, p. 546 (Κύπτω: Παρὰ τὸ γυῖον γύπτω, καὶ κύπτω)
Modern etymology
Belongs with κυφός "bent forward", κύφων, κύβδα. Cognates in other IE languages irely on *kup- (Beekes, EDG)
Persistence in Modern Greek
No
Entry By
Le Feuvre
Comment
Derivational etymology. The formal aspect requires a change of voiced [g] into voiceless [k]. The semantic aspect is difficult: "to bend down" is not "to crouch" and the body is involved in the process, but the limbs are not directly involved. Probably "limbs" are understood metonymically as an equivalent for "body".