νη- + φάος
Word
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Word-form
Word-lemma
Etymon-lemma
Transliteration (Word)
English translation (word)
Transliteration (Etymon)
English translation (etymon)
Century
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Ed.
Quotation
κνέφας […] οἱ μὲν κατὰ στέρησιν τοῦ φάους νέφας καὶ πλεονασμῷ τοῦ κ, ὡς ἐν τῷ κτύπος καὶ καυλός, κνέφας
Translation (En)
Knephas "darkness" […] some say it comes from the privation of phaos "light", and with adjunction of [k], as in ktupos "bang" and kaulos "stem (of a plant)", <one obtains> knephas
Parallels
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); Etym. Gudianum, kappa, p. 330 (Κνέφας σημαίνει τὸ σκότος, παρὰ τὸ κενὸν ὄ φασι, κένεφας καὶ ἐν συγκοπῇ κνέφας, ἢ παρὰ τὸ νη στερητικὸν καὶ τὸ φάος γίνεται νήφας καὶ κατὰ συστολὴν καὶ πλεονασμῷ τοῦ κ κνέφας); 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)
Comment
This etymology of κνέφας is parallel to that of νέφος, also parsed as a privative compound of φάος "light" (see νέφος / νη- + φάος), and probably built on the model of the latter. It requires a formal manipulation, the adjunction of a consonant, the initial [k] – this is justified through two parallels. It may have been designed as an alternative to the older etymology κενός + φάος restoring the standard structure with a privative prefix. That does not mean that κνέφας is derived from νέφος (the intermediate step is given as *νέφας, not νέφος)