ἴς

ἴς, ἰ̄νός

Grammatical information: f.

Meaning: `sinew' (Hom., Hp., Archil., Ar.), `sinew of the neck' (Ρ 522), `vessels of the muscles, fibrine, of plants, ribs of leaves' (Pl., Arist., Thphr.); details of the botan. use in Strömberg Theophrastea 129ff.).

Other forms: mostly pl. ἶνες, dat. ἴνεσι, late ἰσίν, ἴναις.

Compounds: compp. ἄ-, πολύ-ϊνος `without, with many ἶνες' etc. (Thphr.; Strömberg 135).

Derivatives: ἰνίον n. `the sinews at the back of the head, the neck' (Il., Hp., Arist.; cf. κρανίον and Chantraine Formation 59); ἰνώδης `sinewy, fibrous' (X., Arist., Thphr.); prob. also ἰναία δύναμις H. (quite uncertain conj. Peripl. M. Rubr. 46); denomin. verbs: ἰνόω `provide with ἶνες, stengthen' (Hdn.), ἐξ-ινόω `remove the ἶνες, make powerless' (Lyc.), also ἐξ-ινίζω, -ινιάζω (Gal., Peripl. M. Rubr. a. o.).

Origin: XX [etym. unknown]

Etymology: The question rises, whether ἴς `sinew' arose from a remarkable concretization of ἴς `strength' or was a separate word. Old is the assumption (e. g. G. Meyer Gr.³ 418), that the ν-stem inflexion ἶν-α, ἶν-ες etc. arose from an expected acc. (Ϝ)ῖν-α; in formal respect this gives a possible solution. - Scheftelowitz IF 33, 158f. assumes an independent word (Ϝ)ί̄ς, (Ϝ)ῑνός `sinew' (cf. γίς ἱμάς H.), from a verb `bow, bend' (s. ἴτυς, ἶρις).