κινητικός

Forms

κῑνητῐκός (kīnētikós) m (feminine κῑνητῐκή, neuter κῑνητῐκόν); first/second declension^[1]

Etymology

It is formed from Ancient Greek κίνησις (kī́nēsis, “motion”) + -ικός (-ikós).^[1] Etymonline and Πάπυρος derive it instead from the verbal adjective κινητός (kīnētós, “moved, movable”).^[2][3] Either way its base is κινέω (kīnéō, “to move”).^[1][2]

Beekes notes that the active verb is found only in Attic, beside the Homeric middle κίνυμαι (kínumai); following Harðarson, the LIV derives the verb from Proto-Indo-European *ḱeyh₂- (“to set oneself in motion”).^[4]

Earliest recorded meaning

The Hippocratic Aphorisms use it in medicine for what brings on coughing, and Xenophon and Plato use it in the 4th century BC.^[5][6]

Semantic evolution

In the classical period it has two sides: active, “causing motion” or “stirring”, and, with a passive sense, “movable”.^[5][7] Plato calls water mobile, Xenophon uses it of a woman's appearance that arouses desire, and Aristotle of the parts of an animal's body used for moving and of lively rhythms.^[7][5] Polybius and Diodorus use it of turbulent, seditious people, and Galen calls the motor nerves κινητικά.^[5] The Wisdom of Solomon uses it once, meaning mobile.^[8]

In medieval Greek it meant both “stirring, urging” and “movable”, and the neuter plural was used for movable property.^[9] In Modern Greek κινητικός (kinitikós) is a learned word for what relates to movement, its sense influenced by French moteur, and the feminine names the science of kinetics after French cinétique.^[10][11] English kinetic was formed from it in 1841.^[2]

Timeline

• 5th century BC – The Hippocratic Aphorisms use it of what provokes coughing.^[5][12]
• 5th–4th century BC – Plato uses it of mobile water, and Xenophon of an alluring appearance.^[7][5][12]
• 4th century BC – Aristotle uses it of what causes motion and of the parts of the body used in moving.^[5][7][12]
• 2nd century BC – Polybius uses it of seditious people.^[5][12]
• 2nd century AD – Galen names the motor nerves with it.^[5][12]
• 1100–1669 – Vernacular texts use the neuter plural for movable property.^[9]
• 1841 – English kinetic is formed from it.^[2]
• Modern Greek – The learned word κινητικός (kinitikós) means relating to movement.^[10][11]

Meanings

Adjective

1. Causing motion; of parts of the body, used in moving; of nerves, motor.^[5][7]
2. (medicine) Bringing on, provoking (with a genitive): coughing, sweating, urine.^[5]
3. Stirring, stimulating: of an appearance, alluring; of rhythms, lively; of speech, rousing.^[7][5]
4. Of persons: turbulent, seditious.^[5]
5. Movable, mobile.^[5][7][8]

Related words

• κινέω (kīnéō)
• κίνησις (kī́nēsis)
• κινητός (kīnētós)
• English kinetic

References

1. ^ a b c d e f Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
3. ^ Πάπυρος–Larousse–Britannica, Μέγα Λεξικό της Ελληνικής Γλώσσας, Athens: Πάπυρος
4. ^ 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 l m n Liddell, Henry George; Scott, Robert; Jones, Henry Stuart (1940), A Greek-English Lexicon, 9th ed., Oxford: Clarendon Press
6. ^ Keersmaekers, Alek (2021–2025), GLAUx: The Greek Language Automated corpus, https://github.com/alekkeersmaekers/glaux
7. ^ a b c d e f g Diggle, James, et al., eds. (2021), The Cambridge Greek Lexicon, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press
8. ^ a b Lust, Johan; Eynikel, Erik; Hauspie, Katrin (2003), Greek-English Lexicon of the Septuagint, rev. ed., Stuttgart: Deutsche Bibelgesellschaft
9. ^ a b Kriaras, Emmanuel, Επιτομή του Λεξικού της μεσαιωνικής ελληνικής δημώδους γραμματείας 1100–1669, Κέντρο Ελληνικής Γλώσσας, https://www.greek-language.gr
10. ^ a b Ινστιτούτο Νεοελληνικών Σπουδών (Ίδρυμα Μανόλη Τριανταφυλλίδη) (1998), Λεξικό της κοινής νεοελληνικής, Thessaloniki: Aristotle University of Thessaloniki
11. ^ a b Ακαδημία Αθηνών (2014), Χρηστικό Λεξικό της Νεοελληνικής Γλώσσας, Athens: Academy of Athens
12. ^ a b c d e Rodríguez Adrados, Francisco, et al., eds. (1980–), Diccionario Griego-Español, Madrid: CSIC, http://dge.cchs.csic.es/xdge