γόνυ
Word
Validation
No
Word-form
γωνία
Word-lemma
Etymon-lemma
Transliteration (Word)
gōnia
English translation (word)
angle, corner
Transliteration (Etymon)
gonu
English translation (etymon)
knee
Century
5 AD
Source
idem
Ref.
Etymologicum, gamma, p. 42
Ed.
F.W. Sturz, Orionis Thebani etymologicon, Leipzig: Weigel, 1820 (repr. Hildesheim: Olms, 1973): 1-172
Quotation
Γωνία, παρὰ τὸ γόνυ, ὅπερ ἐπικάμπτεται, ἡ κεκλαμένη, πεποίηται φύσει κτητικῷ
Translation (En)
Gōnia "angle": from gonu "knee", which folds onto itself, the broken one, it is made as a ctetic
Parallels
Etym. Gudianum, gamma, p. 327 (Γωνία· διὰ τὸ τὰ γενόμενα ἵεσθαι ἤγουν φέρειν· ‖ ἢ παρὰ τὸ γόνυ γίνεται τὸ κτητικὸν γωνία κατ’ ἔκτασιν τοῦ ο εἰς ω, ὅπερ ἐπικαμπεῖ τε καὶ κεκλασμένῳ σχήματι φύσει πεποίηται); Eustathius, Comm. Il., vol. 2, p.106 (Ἡ δὲ γωνία ὅτι ἀπὸ τοῦ γόνυ κατ’ ἔκτασιν γίνεται, δηλοῦσι καὶ αὐτὸ οἱ παλαιοί); Etym. Symeonis, gamma 187 (Γωνία· παρὰ τὸ γόνυ γίνεται τὸ κτητικὸν γωνία, κατὰ ἔκτασιν τοῦ ο εἰς ω ὅπερ ἐπικαμπεῖ τε καὶ κεκλασμένῳ σχήματι μεταπεποίηται); Ps.-Zonaras, Lexicon, gamma, p. 461 (idem)
Modern etymology
Derived from γόνυ as a metaphoric designation (compare in French coude "elbow" meaning "bend". The phonetics are Doric because this is the dialect used by the Pythagorean mathematicians (Beekes, EDG)
Persistence in Modern Greek
MG still has γωνία "angle" (learned word) and γωνιά "corner" (usual)
Entry By
Le Feuvre
Comment
Derivational etymology, usually accepted by modern scholars. The [ō] is explained in other sources as a lengthening: modern scholars explain it as a Doric compensatory lengthening in *γονϝία