σφηνός

σφήν, σφηνός

Grammatical information: m.

Meaning: `wedge' (A. Pr. 64, Ar., Arist., hell. pap.).

Compounds: Some compp., e.g. σφηνό-πους, -ποδος `with wedge-shaped feet' (κλίνη; Ceos V<sup>a</sup>; cf. σφανίον below and Sommer Nominalkomp. 30), ἐπί-σφηνος `wedge-shaped' (Lebadeia, Strömberg Prefix Studies 100), ἀντι-σφήν `counter-wedge' (Ph. Bel.).

Derivatives: 1. Dimin. σφην-ίσκος m. (Hp. a.o.), -άριον n. (late medic.), uncertain -ίς, -ίδιον (Hero). 2. σφανίον κλινίδιον and ἐν σφανίῳ ἐν κλιναρίῳ H. (Schulze KZ 45, 190f. = Kl. Schr. 379); but παρα-σφήν-ιον n. `side-wedge' (hell. inscr. a. pap.) hypostasis. 3. -όομαι, -όω, often w. prefix, e.g. ἀπο-, δια-, παρα-, `wedged in, to be wedged, to wedge (in)' (Arist., medic., hell. a. late) with σφήνωσις (ἀπο-, δια-, ἐπι-) f. `the wedging in' (medic. a.o.), ἀποσφήν-ωμα n. `wedge-shaped block' (pap. II^p).

Origin: XX [etym. unknown]

Etymology: From σφανίον and Cean σφηνόπους, of which the Η cannot render PGr. ē but must contain a PGr. a-sound, we get for σφήν a basic form *σφά̄ν, if need be *σφανσ- (cf. χήν) or *σφα-ην (WP. 2, 652f., Pok. 980, Schwyzer 487 n. 7 w. lit.; diff. Wahrmann Glotta 6, 162ff.). Through this the traditional identification (since Kuhn KZ 4, 15) with a Germ. word for `chip' in OHG spān, OE spōn, OWNo. spānn, spōnn, PGm. *spēn-u-, must be given up. The words given sub σπάθη may be compared. -- Skt. sphyá- n. m. approx. `slice, kind of oar etc.' (on the meaning Janert KZ 79, 89ff.) remains far; hypothesis by Thieme Die Heimat d. idg. Gemeinspr. 16 (agreeing Janert l.c.): to NHG Espe etc.; against this Hiersche Ten. aspiratae 164 f. -- So no etym.

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