- πεσσός
- πεσσόςGrammatical information: m.Meaning: `the oval stone in board games', most pl. `gaming piece, board game, checkers', often metaph. in several meanings (α 107).Other forms: Att. πεττός.Compounds: As 1. member in πεσσο-νομέω `to arrange the gaming pieces', also metaph. (A., com.).Derivatives: πεσσάριον n. `pessary' (medic.); πεσσ-ικός, -ττ- `belonging to board games' (Apion); -εύω, rarely w. δια-, μετα-, `to play with the gaming pieces on a board' (IA.) with -εία, -ευτής, -ευτικός, -ευτήριον (Pl., pap.).Origin: PG [a word of Pre-Greek origin]X [probably]Etymology: Foreign word of unknown origin; Semit. etym. (Aram. pīs(s)ā `stone, small table') by Lewy Fremdw. 159f., Grimme Glotta 14, 18. Skt. pāśaḥ m. `die', pāśī f. (rather pāṣī; cf. on πέλλα) `stone' remain far; s. Mayrhofer s. vv. w. lit. On further proposals which are to be rejected s. Lidén Arm. Stud. 55 ff., where, also improbable, also Arm. yesan `whetstone' is adduced. -- Furnée 270 cites Hitt. piššu n. 14 `rock, block of stone' (without conclusion). The word may well be Pre-Greek (*peky-?)Page in Frisk: 2,519
Greek-English etymological dictionary (Ελληνικά-Αγγλικά ετυμολογική λεξικό). Robert S.P.. 2010.