καίω + πνοή

Word

Validation

No

Last modification

Wed, 12/24/2025 - 12:25

Word-form

καπνός

Word-lemma

LSJ

Etymon-lemma

LSJ-1 .
LAJ-2

Transliteration (Word)

kapnos

English translation (word)

smoke

Transliteration (Etymon)

kaiō + pnoē

English translation (etymon)

to burn + breath

Author

Choeroboscus

Century

9 AD

Source

idem

Ref.

Epimerisms in Psalmos

Ed.

T. Gaisford, Georgii Choerobosci epimerismi in Psalmos, vol. 3, Oxford, 1842

Quotation

Καπνός, παρὰ τὸ κάπος, ὃ σημαίνει τὸ πνεῦμα, ἐξ αὐτοῦ καπὸς καὶ καπνός· ἢ παρὰ καίω καὶ τὸ πνοή· κυρίως γὰρ καπνὸς λέγεται ἡ ἐκ τῆς καύσεως πνοή· ἐξ αὐτοῦ καὶ τὸ καπνίζω

Translation (En)

Kapnos "smoke", from *kápos, which means "breath", from this word *kapós and kapnos. Or from kaiō "to burn" and pnoē "breath". For properly speaking, kapnos refers to the breath (pnoē) produced by combustion (kausis). And from it is derived kapnizō "to produce smoke", too.

Comment

Compositional etymology, relying on the same metaphor as the derivational etymology advocated by Philoxenus (see καπνός / καπύω). The first syllable of the lemma is assumed to be the first member and related to the verb meaning "to burn", and the second syllable is assumed to be the second member and related to a noun meaning "breath", with o grade of the root. In Philoxenus' etymology the segmentation is καπ-νός, whereas in this one it is κα-πνός. This etymology probably derives from Aristotle (Meteor. 371a, ὅτι μὲν γὰρ ὅ τε καπνὸς πνεῦμα καὶ κάεται ὁ καπνός, φανερόν, καὶ εἴρηται ἐν ἑτέροις πρότερον: "it is clear that smoke is a breath and that smoke is burning, and it has already been said in other places before"), although in Aristotle it is not presented as an etymology

Parallels

Epimerismi homerici ordine alphabetico traditi, kappa 32 (καπνίζω (Β 399): ἐκ τοῦ καπνός· τοῦτο ἐκ τοῦ καίω καὶ τὸ πνοή· κυρίως γὰρ λέγεται καπνός ἡ ἐκ τῆς καύσεως πνοή καὶ ἐξ αὐτοῦ καπνίζω); Etym. Gudianum, kappa, p. 298 (Καπνίζω, παρὰ τὸ καπνὸς, τοῦτο παρὰ τὸ καίω καὶ τὸ πνοὴ, κυρίως γὰρ καπνὸς λέγεται ἡ ἐκ τῆς καύσεως πνοή. καὶ ἐξ αὐτοῦ ῥῆμα τὸ καπνίζω); Etym. Magnum, Kallierges, p. 489 (Καπνίζω: Ἐκ τοῦ καπνός· τοῦτο παρὰ τὸ καίω καὶ τὸ πνοή· κυρίως γὰρ καπνὸς λέγεται ἡ ἐκ τῆς καύσεως πνοή· ὅθεν καὶ καπνίζω. Ἢ παρὰ τὸ κάπω, τὸ πνέω, οὗ παράγωγον καπύω καπύσω. Καπνὸς οὖν ὁ ἀποπνέων τὸ πῦρ, ὡς ἐρέφω, ἐρεμνός· στίλβω, στιλπνός. Ἔνθεν πολλάκις φησὶ “πυρὸς ἀϋτμὴν” τὸν καπνόν. Ἢ παρὰ τὸ κάπος, τὸ πνεῦμα, καπὸς καὶ καπνός); Etym. Symeonis, vol. 1, p. 416 Lasserre=Livadaras (καπνὸς δὲ ἐπὶ καιομένων ξύλων, ἀπὸ τοῦ καίω καὶ τοῦ πνοή· κυρίως γὰρ καπνὸς ἡ ἐκ καιομένων ξύλων πνοή)

Modern etymology

Unclear. Mycenaean ka-pi-ni-ja has no /w/, which makes it difficult to keep the old comparison with Lith. kvãpas "breath" (Beekes, EDG)

Persistence in Modern Greek

MG still has καπνός

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