κενός + φάος
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Transliteration (Etymon)
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Parallels
Hesychius, Lexicon, kappa 3096 (κνέφας· ἑσπέρα, σκοτία νύξ, κενὴ φάους); Photius, Bibliotheca 530b (Ὅτι τὸ κνέφας οἱ μέν φασιν ἀπὸ τοῦ κενέφας γενέσθαι (κενὸν γάρ ἐστι φάους), οἱ δὲ κατὰ πλεονασμὸν τοῦ κ· νέφος γὰρ εἶναι καὶ νέφας τὸ αὐτοτελές, διὰ τοῦ νε στερητικοῦ τὸ ἐστερημένον τοῦ φωτὸς ὑποσημαῖνον); Epimerismi homerici Il. 1, 475b (κνέφας: εἴρηται παρὰ τὸ κενὸν εἶναι φάους.); Suda, nu 278 (Νέφος: οἱονεὶ νέφαος, τὸ ἐστερημένον φωτός. οὕτω καὶ κνέφας, τὸ κενὸν φάους); Etym. Gudianum, kappa p. 330 (Κνέφας σημαίνει τὸ σκότος, παρὰ τὸ κενὸν ὄφασι, κένεφας καὶ ἐν συγκοπῇ κνέφας, ἢ παρὰ τὸ νη στερητικὸν καὶ τὸ φάος γίνεται νήφας καὶ κατὰ συστολὴν καὶ πλεονασμῷ τοῦ κ κνέφας); Eustathius, Comm. Il. 1, 213 (Ὅτι καὶ ἄλλως μὲν δῆλον ὡς φωτὸς στέρησίς ἐστι τὸ σκότος—διὸ καὶ κνέφας λέγεται ὡς κενὸν φάους—Ὅμηρος δὲ σαφέστερον δηλοῖ αὐτὸ εἰπών· «ἦμος δ’ ἠέλιος κατέδυ καὶ ἐπὶ κνέφας ἦλθεν»); ibid. 4, 917 (Ἰστέον δὲ ὅτι τοῦ «κνέφας» γενικὴ [πρὸς ἀναλογίαν οὐχ’ εὕρηται, κνέφους δὲ κεῖται παρὰ Ἀριστοφάνει ἐν Ἐκκλησιαζούσαις ὡς ἀπὸ τοῦ κνέφος πρὸς ἀναλογίαν τοῦ γῆρος γήρους, οὗ κοινότερον τὸ γῆρας γήραος, καὶ ὅτι τοῦ φάος τὸ μὲν ἄλφα φυλάσσεται ἐν τῷ κνέφας, ὅπερ ἐστὶ κενότης φάους, τὸ δὲ ο τηρεῖται ἐν τῷ νέφος, ὃ στέρησις φάους ἐστί.]); Etym. Magnum, Kallierges p. 521 (Κνέφας: Τὸ σκότος· παρὰ τὸ κενὸν φάους εἶναι, κενέφας, καὶ συγκοπῇ. Ἢ ἀπὸ τοῦ ΝΗ στερητικοῦ μορίου καὶ τοῦ φάους γίνεται νήφας, καὶ κατὰ συστολὴν καὶ πλεονασμῷ τοῦ κ, κνέφας); Tzetzes, Exegesis in Homeri Iliadem A, 474 (κνέφας· νύξ, σκότος παρὰ τὸ κενὸν καὶ ἐστερημένον φάους εἶναι); Ps.-Zonaras, Lexicon, kappa p. 1225 (Κνέφας. τὸ σκότος. διὰ τὸ κενὸν εἶναι φάους, κενέφας καὶ ἐν συγκοπῇ κνέφας. καὶ κνέφος); Scholia in Euripidis Hippolytum 836 (κνέφας: σκότος. παρὰ τὸ κενὸν εἶναι φάους); Scholia in Odysseam γ 329b1 Pontani (κνέφας] ἀπὸ τοῦ κενὸν φάους εἶναι, “<κε>νέφας” καὶ “κνέφας”); Scholia in Odysseam γ 329b2 Pontani (κνέφας: τὸ σκότος παρὰ τὸ κενὸν ἤτοι ἐστερημένον φάους εἶναι); Scholia in Oppianum, Hal. 661 (Κνέφας· νύκτα· κνέφας λέγεται τὸ σκότος, τὸ κενὸν φάους, ὅπερ ἐστὶν ἡ νύξ)
Comment
The word is parsed as a compound of "empty" + "light". The compound is built on the model of privative compounds, where the privative prefix is replaced by an adjective which can account for the initial syllable [kne], while the meaning "empty" is reduced to a value "privation". From the semantic point of view, it is a consequence of the fact that in the pair light / darkness, light is the fundamental element, and that darkness can be defined as the absence of light (and often is in modern dictionaries), but light is never defined as the absence of darkness: this is probably a cognitive universal, consequence of the fact that man is a diurnal animal. From the formal point of view, this etymology starts from the Homeric uncontracted form φάος [phaos], instead of the usual Ionic-Attic form φῶς which could not provide the sequence [pha]. On the other hand, the parallel etymology of νέφος "cloud", which follows immediately, probably starts from the contracted form φῶς and relies on the usual alternation between ο and ω. However, Eustathius, Comm. Il. 4, 917 (see Parallels), explains that, from a starting point [phaos], without contraction, the [a] is preserved in κνέφας whereas the [o] is preserved in νέφος. For the first element, the etymology implies a syncope of the [e] of [kenos].