βρόγχος

Forms

βρόγχος (brónkhos) m (genitive βρόγχου); second declension^[1]

Etymology

Beekes considers it Pre-Greek, because the nasal before the stop cannot be explained if the word is Indo-European, but is easily understood as a prenasalization typical of that substrate.^[2] He connects it with βρόξαι (bróxai, “to gulp down”) and βρόχθος (brókhthos, “throat”), and with βράγχος (bránkhos), which shows the typical Pre-Greek variation of α and ο.^[2] Frisk also links it, more cautiously, with both of these, leaving the nasal infix unexplained.^[3]

Earliest recorded meaning

It first appears in the Hippocratic writings, for the windpipe and, more loosely, the throat.^[4][5][2]

Semantic evolution

Aristotle and later Galen use it for the windpipe, and Aretaeus for the throat.^[4] Arrian's record of Epictetus quotes it for a gulp of cold water.^[4] Hesychius records it as a name of the frog.^[4]

Its derivative βρόγχια (brónkhia) named the bronchial tubes in the Hippocratic writings.^[2] The word passed into Late Latin as Latin bronchus, whence the English word bronchus (1706) for either main branch of the trachea.^[1][6] The modern βρόγχος (vrónchos) is a learned revival in that anatomical sense.^[7]

Timeline

• 5th century BC – The Hippocratic writings use it for the windpipe and the throat.^[4][5][8]
• 4th century BC – Aristotle's Problems use it for the windpipe.^[4][8]
• 2nd century AD – Galen uses it for the trachea, and Aretaeus for the throat.^[4][8]
• 5th century AD (probably) – Hesychius glosses it as a frog.^[4][8]
• 1706 – English borrows bronchus from its Latinized form.^[6]
• Modern Greek – βρόγχος (vrónchos), a learned word, names a bronchus.^[7]

Meanings

Noun

1. The trachea, windpipe.^[4][1]
2. More generally, the throat.^[4]
3. A gulp, a draught of liquid.^[4]
4. A frog.^[4]

Word family

• βρόγχια (brónkhia)
• βρογχωτήρ (bronkhōtḗr)

Related words

• βρόχθος (brókhthos)
• Latin bronchus
• English bronchus

References

1. ^ a b c d e f Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d Beekes, Robert S. P. (2010), Etymological Dictionary of Greek, with the assistance of Lucien van Beek, Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series 10, Leiden; Boston: Brill
3. ^ Frisk, Hjalmar (1960–1972), Griechisches etymologisches Wörterbuch, 3 vols, Heidelberg: Carl Winter
4. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l Liddell, Henry George; Scott, Robert; Jones, Henry Stuart (1940), A Greek-English Lexicon, 9th ed., Oxford: Clarendon Press
5. ^ a b Keersmaekers, Alek (2021–2025), GLAUx: The Greek Language Automated corpus, https://github.com/alekkeersmaekers/glaux
6. ^ a b Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
7. ^ a b Ινστιτούτο Νεοελληνικών Σπουδών (Ίδρυμα Μανόλη Τριανταφυλλίδη) (1998), Λεξικό της κοινής νεοελληνικής, Thessaloniki: Aristotle University of Thessaloniki
8. ^ a b c d Rodríguez Adrados, Francisco, et al., eds. (1980–), Diccionario Griego-Español, Madrid: CSIC, http://dge.cchs.csic.es/xdge