πήγνυμι

Forms

πήγνῡμῐ (pḗgnūmi) ^[1]

Etymology

It is inherited from Proto-Indo-European *peh₂ǵ- (“to become firm, coagulate”),^[2][1][3] with the full grade in ⟨πηγ-⟩ and the zero grade *ph₂ǵ- in ⟨παγ-⟩ (aorist passive ἐπάγην (epágēn)).^[2] LIV takes the present as a nasal-infix formation *ph₂-né-ǵ-, with a question mark, and the perfect πέπηγα (pépēga) “is stuck fast” as *pe-póh₂ǵ-.^[3]

Cognate with Latin pangō (“to fix firmly”), from *ph₂-n-ǵ-, compāgēs (“joint”), pāgus (“district”) and pāgina (“column”), and with Old English fōn (“to seize”).^[2][1]

Earliest recorded meaning

Homer uses it for driving a spear into a forehead (Iliad 4.460), fixing heads on stakes and building ships (νῆας πῆξαι, Iliad 2.664).^[4][5]

Semantic evolution

Besides sticking and fixing, it meant to fit parts together and build, in the middle “to build for oneself”, and to pitch a tent.^[4][5] Of liquids it meant “to make solid, freeze”: Aeschylus has a god freeze every stream, and the passive means “to freeze, set”.^[4] Figuratively it was used of fixing one's eyes on something and of fixing boundaries, and astrologers spoke of fixing a nativity.^[4]

The Septuagint and early Christian texts use it for pitching a tent and for God's fixing of the heavens.^[6] Medieval Greek replaced it with new presents: Modern Greek μπήγω (bígo) “to drive in”, from the compound ἐμπήγνυμι (empḗgnumi), and Modern Greek πήζω (pízo), formed on the aorist stem ⟨πηξ-⟩.^[7][8][9]

Timeline

• Homer – The Iliad uses it for fixing a spear and building ships.^[4][10]
• Before the 6th century BC – Hesiod has the middle for building a wagon and for fixing a plough-tree in the stock.^[4][5][11]
• 6th–5th century BC – Aeschylus uses it for freezing a river.^[4][11]
• 5th century BC – Herodotus uses it for pitching a tent.^[5][11]
• 5th century BC – Thucydides uses it for planting a palisade.^[5][11]
• 2nd century BC – Polybius uses it for pitching tents.^[6][11]
• Medieval Greek – Modern Greek μπήγω (bígo) and Modern Greek πήζω (pízo) take its place.^[7][8]

Meanings

Verb

1. To stick or fix in; to plant firmly (an oar, a sword, a spear, stakes).^[4][5]
2. To fix on; to impale (a head on a stake).^[4][5]
3. To fix (one's eyes) on something.^[4]
4. To fasten together, build (ships, a wagon); to pitch (a tent).^[4][5][6]
5. To make solid or stiff, especially of liquids: to freeze, curdle; in the passive, to freeze, set.^[4]
6. (figurative) To fix, establish (boundaries).^[4]

Word family

• ναυπηγός (naupēgós)
• εὐπαγής (eupagḗs)
• ἀπαγής (apagḗs)
• ἐμπήγνυμι (empḗgnumi)
• πηκτός (pēktós)

Related words

• ἅπαξ (hápax)
• ἀπηξία (apēxía)
• παγερός (pagerós)
• πάγη (págē)
• πάγιος (págios)
• παγίς (pagís)
• πάγος (págos)
• πάσσαλος (pássalos)
• πάχνη (pákhnē)
• πηγάς (pēgás)
• Latin pangō

References

1. ^ a b c d e f Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c 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 Rix, Helmut, et al. (2001), Lexikon der indogermanischen Verben, 2nd ed., Wiesbaden: Reichert
4. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m Liddell, Henry George; Scott, Robert; Jones, Henry Stuart (1940), A Greek-English Lexicon, 9th ed., Oxford: Clarendon Press
5. ^ a b c d e f g h Diggle, James, et al., eds. (2021), The Cambridge Greek Lexicon, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press
6. ^ a b c Bauer, Walter; Danker, Frederick W., et al. (2000), A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament and Other Early Christian Literature, 3rd ed., Chicago: University of Chicago Press
7. ^ a b Ινστιτούτο Νεοελληνικών Σπουδών (Ίδρυμα Μανόλη Τριανταφυλλίδη) (1998), Λεξικό της κοινής νεοελληνικής, Thessaloniki: Aristotle University of Thessaloniki
8. ^ a b Babiniotis, Georgios (2010), Ετυμολογικό λεξικό της νέας ελληνικής γλώσσας [Etymological Dictionary of Modern Greek], Athens: Κέντρο Λεξικολογίας
9. ^ Kriaras, Emmanuel, Επιτομή του Λεξικού της μεσαιωνικής ελληνικής δημώδους γραμματείας 1100–1669, Κέντρο Ελληνικής Γλώσσας, https://www.greek-language.gr
10. ^ Keersmaekers, Alek (2021–2025), GLAUx: The Greek Language Automated corpus, https://github.com/alekkeersmaekers/glaux
11. ^ a b c d e Rodríguez Adrados, Francisco, et al., eds. (1980–), Diccionario Griego-Español, Madrid: CSIC, http://dge.cchs.csic.es/xdge