κνάφος

Ancient Greek

Alternative forms

• γνάφος (gnáphos)

Etymology

According to Beekes, the variation κν-/γν- points to a Pre-Greek origin of the word. Not related to κνίζω (knízō, “to scratch, gash”), nor to κνύω (knúō, “to scratch”).

Pronunciation

 

• IPA^(key): /kná.pʰos/ → /ˈkna.ɸos/ → /ˈkna.fos/

• (5^th BCE Attic) IPA^(key): /kná.pʰos/
• (1^st CE Egyptian) IPA^(key): /ˈkna.pʰos/
• (4^th CE Koine) IPA^(key): /ˈkna.ɸos/
• (10^th CE Byzantine) IPA^(key): /ˈkna.fos/
• (15^th CE Constantinopolitan) IPA^(key): /ˈkna.fos/

Noun

κνᾰ́φος • (knáphos) m (genitive κνᾰ́φου); second declension

1. prickly teasel, used by fullers to card or clean cloth
2. carding-comb, also used as an instrument of torture

Inflection

Second declension of ὁ κνᾰ́φος; τοῦ κνᾰ́φου (Attic)

Case / #	Singular	Dual	Plural
Nominative	ὁ κνᾰ́φος ho knáphos	τὼ κνᾰ́φω tṑ knáphō	οἱ κνᾰ́φοι hoi knáphoi
Genitive	τοῦ κνᾰ́φου toû knáphou	τοῖν κνᾰ́φοιν toîn knáphoin	τῶν κνᾰ́φων tôn knáphōn
Dative	τῷ κνᾰ́φῳ tôi knáphōi	τοῖν κνᾰ́φοιν toîn knáphoin	τοῖς κνᾰ́φοις toîs knáphois
Accusative	τὸν κνᾰ́φον tòn knáphon	τὼ κνᾰ́φω tṑ knáphō	τοὺς κνᾰ́φους toùs knáphous
Vocative	κνᾰ́φε knáphe	κνᾰ́φω knáphō	κνᾰ́φοι knáphoi
Notes:	This table gives Attic inflectional endings. For declension in other dialects, see Appendix:Ancient Greek dialectal declension.

Derived terms

• κναφεῖον (knapheîon)
• κναφεύς (knapheús)
• κναφευτική (knapheutikḗ)
• κναφευτικός (knapheutikós)
• κναφεύω (knapheúō)
• κναφικός (knaphikós)
• κνάφισσα (knáphissa)
• κνάφω (knáphō)

 

Further reading

• “κνάφος”, in Liddell & Scott (1940) A Greek–English Lexicon, Oxford: Clarendon Press
• “κνάφος”, in Liddell & Scott (1889) An Intermediate Greek–English Lexicon, New York: Harper & Brothers
• κνάφος in Bailly, Anatole (1935) Le Grand Bailly: Dictionnaire grec-français, Paris: Hachette
• Beekes, Robert S. P. (2010) Etymological Dictionary of Greek (Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series; 10), with the assistance of Lucien van Beek, Leiden, Boston: Brill, →ISBN