ἱκνέομαι
Word
Validation
Word-form
Word-lemma
Etymon-lemma
Transliteration (Word)
English translation (word)
Transliteration (Etymon)
English translation (etymon)
Century
Source
Ref.
Ed.
Quotation
Ἰγνύα. τὸ ὄπισθεν τοῦ γόνατος. ἐπεὶ αἴτιον ἐστὶν ἡμῖν τοῦ ἱκνεῖσθαι, ὅ ἐστι πορεύεσθαι.
Translation (En)
Ignua "ham", the back part of the knee, for it is what allows us to reach (hikneisthai), that is, to walk
Parallels
bT Schol. Il. 13.212a (ἰγνύη τὸ ὀπίσω μέρος τοῦ γόνατος, παρὰ τὸ ἱκνεῖσθαι); Etym. Gudianum, iota, p. 270 (Ἰγνύες, τὰ σκέλη. αἱ κόξαι, τὰ ὀπίσθια τῶν γονάτων. παρὰ τὸ ἰκνύσθαι ποιεῖν); Eustathius, Comm. Il., vol. 3, p. 461 (Ἰγνύη δὲ τὸ κατόπιν ἤτοι ὀπίσω μέρος τοῦ γόνατος, ὅπερ καὶ ἀγκύλη λέγεται. γίνεται δὲ παρὰ τὸ ἱκνεῖσθαι, ἱκνύη τις οὖσα, ἐπεὶ καμπτομένης αὐτῆς ἱκνούμεθα); Etym. Magnum, Kallierges, p. 464 (Ἰγνύη: Ἀπὸ τοῦ τὴν καμπὴν ἰκνεῖσθαι τῶν γονάτων. Ἰγνύαι, τὰ ὄπισθεν τῶν γονάτων· ἢ ὅτι αἰτία ἡμῖν ἐστι τοῦ ἱκνεῖσθαι καὶ βαδίζειν. Ἢ διὰ τὸ ἥκειν ἐν ταῖς κάμψεσι καὶ συνικνεῖσθαι. Ἢ ἡ τὸ γόνυ συνέχουσα γαστροκνήμη. Λέγεται καὶ ἰγνύς· ὅθεν καὶ ταῖς ἰγνύσι, καὶ ταῖς ἰγνύαις); Ps.-Zonaras, Lexicon, iota, p. 1084 (Ἰγνύς. ὁ ὑπὸ τὸ γόνυ τόπος, ὁ ὀπίσω τοῦ γόνατος. ἔστι δὲ καὶ ἡ ἰγνύη. ἀπὸ τοῦ τὴν καμπὴν ἱκνεῖσθαι τῶν γονάτων. ὅτι αἱ ἰγνύες αἴτιάι εἰσι τοῦ ἱκνεῖσθαι καὶ βαδίζειν)
Comment
Derivational etymology relying on a formal change, that of /k. in the etymon to /g/ in the lemma. The initial aspiration of ἱκνέομαι is not taken into account. The noun is derived from the present stem. The semantic justification is typical of Greek grammarians: the alleged etymon is assumed to be a hyponym of a verb with a more general meaning (here, "to walk"), and the semantic relationship is between the lemma and this hypernym of the "etymon". The back part of the knee is involved in motion, therefore it allows us to walk. In other words, the etymology needs three words: the lemma, the etymon, which accounts for the formal aspect, and the relationship of hyperonymy, which provides the semantic justification