- ὄνος
- ὄνοςGrammatical information: m. f.Meaning: `ass, female ass' (Λ 558), often metaph., e.g. `windlass, winch, the upper millstone' (ὄ. ἀλέτης; cf. Fraenkel Nom. ag. 2, 58), as fishname (after the grey colour or the great head as sign of stupidity?), s. Strömberg 100;Other forms: Myc. ono \/onos\/.Compounds: Very often as 1. member, a.o. in plantnames as ὀνο-θήρα, -κάρδιον, -πορδον (Rohlfs ByzZ 37, 53f.), ὄνοσμα (s. Strömberg 138 a. 61); on ὄνιννος s. v., on ὄναγρος = ὄ. ἄγριος `wild ass' Risch IF 59, 286 f.; as 2. member in ἡμί-ονος f. (m) `mule' (Il.), cf. Risch l.c. 22f.Derivatives: 1. Several diminut., partly in metaph. meaning: ὀν-ίσκος m. (Hp., Ph. Bel.), -ιον (-ίον?) n. (pap.), -ίδιον (Ar.), -άριον (Diphil. Com.), -αρίδιον (pap.), -ύδιν (?; pap. IV p). 2. Other subst.: ὀνίς f. `donkey droppings' (IA.); ὀνῖτις f. `kind of marjoram, Origanum heracleoticum' (Nic., Dsc. Gal.; Redard 75, Andrews ClassPhil. 56, 75f.); ὀνίας m. `kind of σκάρος' (Ath.; on the meatnames in -ίας Chantraine Form. 94); ὀνεῖον n. `donkey stable' (Suid.). 3. Adj.: ὄν-ειος `of a donkey' (Ar., Arist.), -ικός `belonging to a donkey' (NT, pap., inscr.), -ώδης `donkey-like' (Arist.). 4. Verb ὀνεύω `to draw with a windlass, to draw up' (Th., Stratt.). On ὄνωνις s.v.Origin: PG [a word of Pre-Greek origin]X [probably]Etymology: Foreign word. After Brugmann IF 22, 197ff. (s. Kretschmer Glotta 2, 351) from *osonos (through *ohonos \> *hoonos = ὁ ὄνος[?]) and with Lat. asinus a loan from a southpontic language; here after B. also Arm. ēš, gen. iš-oy. One considers also Sumer. anšu `ass' (s. Neumann, IF 69, 61). -- Schrader-Nehring Reallex. 1, 271ff. with important details; further lit. in W.-Hofmann s. asinus. -- Not to Lat. onus `burden' (thus still Grégoire Byzantion 13, 287ff.), also not to Hebr. ā̂tōn `female ass'. - Prob. a Pre-Greek word.Page in Frisk: 2,397-398
Greek-English etymological dictionary (Ελληνικά-Αγγλικά ετυμολογική λεξικό). Robert S.P.. 2010.