- πρόχνυ
- πρόχνυGrammatical information: Adv.Meaning: `kneeling, on the knees' (Ι 570 πρόχνυ καθεζομένη), approx. `fully, thoroughly, entirely' (Φ 460, ξ 69 πρόχνυ (ἀπ-)ολέσθαι; A. R. 1,1118; 2,249), meaning uncertain Antim. Col. 2 P.Origin: IE [Indo-European] [381] *ǵonu `knee'Etymology: In the meaning `kneeling' clearly from γόνυ with zero grade as in γνύξ a.o., so prop. "with the knees in front", frozen acc. n. for *πρό-γνυ = Skt. (gramm.) pra-jñú- meaning not quite certain (Wackernagel Unt. 74) with unclear aspiration, for which several explanations have been attempted (s. Schwyzer 328). The meaning `fully' v. t. must, if at all from `kneeling', come from reinterpretation of an ep. expression. For independent origin Brugmann -Thumb 127n.1, who, not very convincing, derived πρόχνυ `fully' from χναύω `plane, gnaw off'; an orig. *πρό-γνυ `kneeling' would have coalesced with it (accepted by Wackernagel l.c.). -- Details in Meringer WuS 11, 119f., Picard Rev. Archéologique 1959: T. 1, 211ff.Page in Frisk: 2,605
Greek-English etymological dictionary (Ελληνικά-Αγγλικά ετυμολογική λεξικό). Robert S.P.. 2010.