κίνυμαι

Forms

κῑ́νυμαι (kī́numai), a middle verb found only in the present and imperfect.^[1][2]

Etymology

It is inherited from Proto-Indo-European *ḱih₂-néw- (“to set oneself in motion”), a present formed with a nasal suffix from the root *ḱeyh₂- (“to set in motion”).^[3][2] LIV and Beekes, following Harðarson, assume a root ending in a laryngeal because of the Hesychius gloss κίατο (kíato) “moved” and Homeric μετεκῐ́ᾰθον (metekíathon) “followed”.^[2][3] The same root is found in Latin cieō (“to set in motion, stir up”).^[3][4]

The active κινέω (kīnéō, “to set in motion”) is thought to go back to an older present with the same suffix, so that its other tenses are analogical formations.^[2][5] Beekes notes that κίνυμαι is a poetic verb that has only a middle, while the active belongs to Attic.^[2] Chantraine points out a difficulty: a present of this type should have a short ι, and the long vowel is unexplained unless the stem is taken to have ended in a laryngeal.^[6]

Earliest recorded meaning

It first occurs in Homer, meaning to move or to set off: in the Iliad the ranks of warriors “moved” to war, and the Odyssey has it too.^[1][7][8] Beekes describes its Homeric sense as moving to and fro or shaking.^[2]

Semantic evolution

The verb belongs to poetry and keeps only its present stem.^[2][1] The Iliad also uses it of something being stirred.^[1] Theognis has it in the 6th century BC, and the Hellenistic poets Callimachus, Aratus and Apollonius of Rhodes revived it.^[8][1] An epigram of the Greek Anthology uses it of dancing.^[1][9] The late epic poet Quintus of Smyrna formed compounds with the prefixes ἐν-, ἐπι- and ὑπο-.^[2][5]

From it comes the intensive κινύσσομαι (kinússomai, “to be violently stirred”), used by Aeschylus, with κίνυγμα (kínugma, “plaything”).^[2][5]

Timeline

• Homer – The Iliad uses it of ranks of warriors marching to war.^[1][8]
• 6th century BC – Theognis uses the present in his elegies.^[8][10]
• 3rd century BC – Apollonius of Rhodes revives it in his epic.^[1][10]
• 3rd century AD – Quintus of Smyrna uses compounds of it with prefixes.^[2][10]

Meanings

Verb

1. To move, go, set off; of troops, to march.^[1][7][11]
2. To be stirred or shaken.^[1][2]
3. To move in a dance.^[1][9]

Related words

• κινέω (kīnéō)
• κίνησις (kínēsis)
• Latin cieō

References

1. ^ 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
2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k 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. ^ a b c Rix, Helmut, et al. (2001), Lexikon der indogermanischen Verben, 2nd ed., Wiesbaden: Reichert
4. ^ Pokorny, Julius (1959), Indogermanisches etymologisches Wörterbuch, Bern; Munich: Francke
5. ^ a b c Frisk, Hjalmar (1960–1972), Griechisches etymologisches Wörterbuch, 3 vols, Heidelberg: Carl Winter
6. ^ 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
7. ^ a b Autenrieth, Georg (1891), A Homeric Dictionary for Schools and Colleges, tr. Robert P. Keep, New York: Harper and Brothers
8. ^ a b c d Keersmaekers, Alek (2021–2025), GLAUx: The Greek Language Automated corpus, https://github.com/alekkeersmaekers/glaux
9. ^ a b Malhadas, Daisi; Dezotti, Maria Celeste C.; Neves, Maria Helena de Moura, eds. (2006–2010), Dicionário Grego-Português, São Paulo: Ateliê; digital ed. 3 (2022), UNESP Araraquara
10. ^ a b c Rodríguez Adrados, Francisco, et al., eds. (1980–), Diccionario Griego-Español, Madrid: CSIC, http://dge.cchs.csic.es/xdge
11. ^ Korinthios, J. (2025), Grande Dizionario Greco Classico: Greco–Italiano, digital ed., Milan: Hoepli