γαμψός

Forms

γαμψός (gampsós) m (feminine γαμψή, neuter γαμψόν); first/second declension^[1]

Etymology

It is clearly related to γνάμπτω (gnámptō, “to bend”), but the absence of the /n/ is hard to explain.^[2][3][4] Leumann's view, accepted by Frisk, Chantraine and the DGE, starts from the older compound meaning “with hooked talons”, made of the same verb and ὄνυξ (ónux, “claw”): an earlier γναμψῶνυξ (gnampsônux) would have lost its first /n/ by dissimilation, and γαμψός was then taken out of the compound as an adjective, from Ancient Greek γαμψῶνυξ (gampsônux, “with hooked talons”), joining the adjectives in -σός (-sós) such as βλαισός (blaisós) and λοξός (loxós).^[2][3][5][6]

Beekes finds this implausible and connects it rather with (a variant of) κάμπτω (kámptō, “to bend”); if that verb is related too, all these words may be Pre-Greek.^[4][1]

Earliest recorded meaning

It first appears in Aristophanes' Clouds, where it stands for birds “with hooked talons”, the meaning of the older compound.^[7][2][8]

Semantic evolution

In the Hippocratic writings it describes the curved folds of the womb, and Aristotle uses it of curved horns, beaks and claws.^[7][2] Lycophron applies it to sickles.^[7] Its derivatives are rare and technical: γαμψότης (gampsótēs) “curvature” and the verb γαμψόομαι (gampsóomai) “to be curved” in Aristotle.^[2][3]

It survives as Modern Greek γαμψός (gampsós), a learned word meaning “hooked”.^[9][6]

Timeline

• 5th century BC – Aristophanes' Clouds uses it of birds with hooked talons.^[7][8][5]
• 5th century BC – A Hippocratic treatise uses it of the curved folds of the womb.^[7][6]
• 4th century BC – Aristotle uses it of horns, beaks and claws.^[7][2]
• Modern Greek – It survives as a learned word meaning “hooked”.^[9]

Meanings

Adjective

1. Curved, crooked, hooked, of horns, beaks, claws or the folds of the womb.^[7][2]
2. Of birds of prey, with hooked talons.^[7][10]

Word family

• γαμψότης (gampsótēs)
• γαμψόομαι (gampsóomai)

Related words

• γνάμπτω (gnámptō)
• γαμψῶνυξ (gampsônux)
• κάμπτω (kámptō)

References

1. ^ a b c d e Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ 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
3. ^ a b c Frisk, Hjalmar (1960–1972), Griechisches etymologisches Wörterbuch, 3 vols, Heidelberg: Carl Winter
4. ^ a b 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 Rodríguez Adrados, Francisco, et al., eds. (1980–), Diccionario Griego-Español, Madrid: CSIC, http://dge.cchs.csic.es/xdge
6. ^ a b c Babiniotis, Georgios (2010), Ετυμολογικό λεξικό της νέας ελληνικής γλώσσας [Etymological Dictionary of Modern Greek], Athens: Κέντρο Λεξικολογίας
7. ^ a b c d e f g h Liddell, Henry George; Scott, Robert; Jones, Henry Stuart (1940), A Greek-English Lexicon, 9th ed., Oxford: Clarendon Press
8. ^ a b Keersmaekers, Alek (2021–2025), GLAUx: The Greek Language Automated corpus, https://github.com/alekkeersmaekers/glaux
9. ^ a b Ινστιτούτο Νεοελληνικών Σπουδών (Ίδρυμα Μανόλη Τριανταφυλλίδη) (1998), Λεξικό της κοινής νεοελληνικής, Thessaloniki: Aristotle University of Thessaloniki
10. ^ Diggle, James, et al., eds. (2021), The Cambridge Greek Lexicon, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press