γάνος

Forms

γάνος (gános) n (genitive γάνεος); third declension^[1]

Etymology

It is a verbal noun from Ancient Greek γάνυμαι (gánumai, “to brighten up, rejoice”) + -ος (-os), made on the model of neuters such as γλῆνος (glênos).^[2][3][1] The same neuter s-stem is found in the Hesychian compound διηγανές (diēganés, “bright”).^[3]

The verb γάνυμαι (gánumai) is an old nasal present, Proto-Indo-European *gh₂-n-u-, from the root *geh₂u- (“to be bright, be glad”), which is also seen in γαίω (gaíō).^[4][3] It may also be related to γαῦρος (gaûros) and γηθέω (gēthéō).^[4][3]

Earliest recorded meaning

It is first found, perhaps, in Sappho, meaning brightness or sheen.^[5][2]

Semantic evolution

In tragedy it is the bright, refreshing quality of water, wine and honey, and so the liquid itself: Aeschylus speaks of the γάνος of the vine and of a spring, and calls the rain the god-given γάνος of the sown field.^[5][6] Aeschylus also uses it for the gleam of spoils nailed up in a temple, an old source of pride.^[5][6] The sense “gladness, joy” goes with the verb γάνυμαι.^[5][2]

Derivatives carry the idea of shine: γάνωμα (gánōma) is used like γάνος, γανώδης (ganṓdēs) means bright, and the verb γανόω (ganóō) means to make bright or polish, technically of metal.^[2][3]

Timeline

• 7th–6th century BC – Sappho perhaps uses it for brightness.^[5][7]
• 6th–5th century BC – Aeschylus uses it for the gleam of old spoils and for the refreshment of wine, water and rain.^[5][6][8]
• 5th century BC – Euripides uses it of wine and honey.^[5][6]
• 5th–4th century BC – Philoxenus of Leucas uses it.^[6][7]

Meanings

Noun

1. Brightness, sheen, gleam.^[5][6]
2. Gladness, joy; something to be proud of.^[5]
3. The refreshing liquid of water, wine or honey; of rain.^[5][6]

Word family

• γάνωμα (gánōma)
• γανόω (ganóō)
• γανώδης (ganṓdēs)

Related words

• γάνυμαι (gánumai)
• γηθέω (gēthéō)
• γαῦρος (gaûros)

Usage notes

A different word γάνος meant a garden: the Etymologicum Magnum calls it Cypriot, Hesychius has the plural γάνεα glossed as gardens, and it may also be found in inscriptions from Cyprus and Mytilene.^[4][5][3] It is a borrowing from a Semitic language, compare Biblical Hebrew גַּן (gan, “garden”), and probably from Phoenician, which fits its Cypriot origin.^[4][3][2]

The DGE also records a masculine γάνος, a hyena, in the manuscripts of Aristotle and in Hesychius, where the text may have to be read γλάνος (glános).^[7]

References

1. ^ a b c d e Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d e Frisk, Hjalmar (1960–1972), Griechisches etymologisches Wörterbuch, 3 vols, Heidelberg: Carl Winter
3. ^ a b c d e f g Chantraine, Pierre (2009), Dictionnaire étymologique de la langue grecque: histoire des mots, new ed. with a supplement (Chroniques d'étymologie grecque 1–10), Paris: Klincksieck
4. ^ 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
5. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k Liddell, Henry George; Scott, Robert; Jones, Henry Stuart (1940), A Greek-English Lexicon, 9th ed., Oxford: Clarendon Press
6. ^ a b c d e f g Diggle, James, et al., eds. (2021), The Cambridge Greek Lexicon, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press
7. ^ a b c Rodríguez Adrados, Francisco, et al., eds. (1980–), Diccionario Griego-Español, Madrid: CSIC, http://dge.cchs.csic.es/xdge
8. ^ Keersmaekers, Alek (2021–2025), GLAUx: The Greek Language Automated corpus, https://github.com/alekkeersmaekers/glaux