Etymologically
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κρόκη

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Pronunciation

  • 5th-century BC Attic: /kró.kɛː/[1]
  • 4th-century AD Koine: /ˈkro.ci/[1]
  • 10th-century Byzantine: /ˈkro.ci/[1]

Forms

κρόκη (krókē) f (genitive κρόκης); first declension[1]

Etymology

It is from Ancient Greek κρέκω (krékō, “to weave”) with the noun suffix -η (-ē).[1][2][3] Beekes lists it with a root noun κρόξ (króx), of which the accusative κρόκα (króka) and the plural κρόκες (krókes) are found.[4] The verb was originally a weaving term, later also used of striking a stringed instrument.[4]

Beekes tentatively derives the verb from Proto-Indo-European *kreḱ- (“to strike”).[4][1] It stands alone in Greek, but Germanic nouns such as Old Norse hræll (“staff to fasten the cloth”) and Old English hrēol (“reel”) suggest that it is old, and Baltic has Lithuanian krẽklės (“rags”), but Beekes finds the Slavic verbs for striking fire the most promising comparison.[4]

Earliest recorded meaning

It is first found in Hesiod's Works and Days, where it means the woof; the form there is the accusative κρόκα.[2][3][5]

Semantic evolution

In classical prose the word is the technical term for the threads passed between the threads of the warp: Herodotus uses it, and Plato speaks of warp and woof in the Statesman and the Cratylus.[2][3] Aristotle has the phrase κρόκας ἐμβάλλειν, “to put in the woof”.[2]

The word could also mean any thread, and the nap or flock of woollen cloth: in Pindar and Sophocles the plural means soft woollen cloths and tufts of wool, and in a fragment of Euripides worn cloaks have lost their nap.[2][3] Derivatives include κροκύς (krokús, “flock of wool”) and κρόκιον (krókion, “woollen band”).[4]

Timeline

  • Before the 6th century BC – Hesiod uses the accusative κρόκα for the woof of a cloak.[2][5][6]
  • 6th–5th century BC – Pindar uses the plural for soft woollen cloths.[2][3][6]
  • 5th century BC – Herodotus uses it of the woof, and Sophocles uses the plural for tufts of wool.[2][6]
  • 5th–4th century BC – Plato uses it beside στήμων, “warp”, in the Statesman.[2][6]
  • 4th century BC – Aristotle has the phrase “to put in the woof”.[2][6]

Meanings

Noun

  1. The woof or weft, the threads woven between the threads of the warp.[2][3]
  2. A thread in general.[2][3]
  3. The nap or flock of woollen cloth; in the plural, woollen cloths or tufts of wool.[2][3]
  4. Woven cloth.[3]

Word family

  • κροκύς (krokús)
  • κρόκιον (krókion)
  • κρέκω (krékō)

Usage notes

A second κρόκη, a rounded pebble on the seashore, is found in Aristotle and Lycophron; it has no etymology, and comparisons with Sanskrit words for “gravel” and “pearl” are rejected by Beekes.[4][2]

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ 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
  3. ^ a b c d e f g h i Diggle, James, et al., eds. (2021), The Cambridge Greek Lexicon, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press
  4. ^ a b c d e f 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 Keersmaekers, Alek (2021–2025), GLAUx: The Greek Language Automated corpus, https://github.com/alekkeersmaekers/glaux
  6. ^ a b c d e Rodríguez Adrados, Francisco, et al., eds. (1980–), Diccionario Griego-Español, Madrid: CSIC, http://dge.cchs.csic.es/xdge