ἀκίνητος
Word
Validation
Yes
Word-form
ὄκνος
Word-lemma
Etymon-lemma
Transliteration (Word)
oknos
English translation (word)
shrinking, hesitation
Transliteration (Etymon)
akinētos
English translation (etymon)
motionless
Century
5 AD
Source
Idem
Ref.
Etymologicum, omicron, p. 113
Ed.
F. Sturz, Orionis Thebani etymologicon, Leipzig, Weigel, 1820
Quotation
Ὄκνος. ὁ ποιῶν ἀκινήτους. τροπῇ τοῦ α εἰς ο, οἷον ἄκινός τις ὢν, καὶ συγκοπῇ ἄκνος καὶ ὄκνος, ὡς ἀκριόεις ὀκριόεις, ἀρχὴ ἄρχαμος ὄρχαμος
Translation (En)
Oknos "hesitation": that which makes people akinētous "motionless". With change of [a] into [o], *akinos as it were, and with syncope, *aknos and oknos, like *akrioeis okrioeis, arkhē *arkhamos orkhamos
Parallels
Etym. Gudianum, omicron, p. 424 (Ὄκνος, ὁ ποιῶν ἀκινήτους· τροπῇ τοῦ α εἰς ο); Scholia in Sophoclis Ajacem, 139a (<ὄκνον:> ὄκνος ἀπὸ τοῦ ἀκίνητός τις ὢν καὶ ἐν συγκοπῇ ἄκνος καὶ τροπῇ τοῦ α εἰς ο, ὄκνος)
Modern etymology
Unknown (Beekes, EDG)
Persistence in Modern Greek
MG still has οκνός as an adjective meaning "hesitating" and "slow"
Entry By
Arthur de Tocqueville
Comment
Derivational etymology implying heavy formal manipulations. It provides parallels for the change of [a] into [o], all of which are incorrect by modern standards. From the semantic point of view, the relationship, rather loose, is that of cause (lemma) to consequence (etymon)