γνάμπτω
Word
Validation
No
Word-form
γαμφηλή
Word-lemma
Etymon-lemma
Transliteration (Word)
gamphēlai
English translation (word)
jaws
Transliteration (Etymon)
gnamptō
English translation (etymon)
to curve
Century
5 AD
Source
idem
Ref.
Etymologicum, gamma, p. 42
Ed.
F. Sturz, Orionis Thebani etymologicon, Leipzig, Weigel, 1820
Quotation
Γαμφολή, παρὰ τὸ κνάμπτω καὶ γνάμπτω, καὶ γαμφὴ ὄνομα ῥηματικὸν, καὶ ἕτερον ἀπ’ αὐτοῦ παράγωγον γαμφηλή.
Translation (En)
Gampholē: from kamptō and gnamptō "to curve", and *gamphē, a deverbal noun, and another derivative from the verb is gamphēlē "jaw"
Parallels
Eustathius, Comm. Il., vol. 3, p. 225 (Τὸ δὲ «γναμπτῇσι γένυσιν» ἐτυμολογία ἐστὶ τοῦ γαμφηλαί, ἵνα ἐμφήνῃ, ὡς αἱ γένυς καὶ γαμφηλαί εἰσι, καὶ ἔστι καὶ τοῦτο γοργότητος μέθοδος. [Ἐκ τοῦ γνάμπτω δὲ ἡ γναμπτή, ὅ ἐστιν ἡ καμπτή])
Modern etymology
Unknown (Beekes, EDG)
Persistence in Modern Greek
No
Entry By
Le Feuvre
Comment
The word refers to the jaws of animals. It has a doublet γναμφαί, attested in Hesychius, and probably betraying the influence of γνάμπτω. It is a derivational descriptive etymology, referring to the shape of the jaws. Notice that the same etymon γνάμπτω to curve" is assumed to account for both γαμφηλαί "jaws" (because of their shape, descriptive etymology) and γομφίος "molar" (because the molars "curve" food, functional etymology) (see γομφίος / γνάμπτω)