πτίσσω

Forms

πτῐ́σσω (ptíssō) ^[1]

Etymology

It is inherited from Proto-Indo-European *peys- (“to crush, pound”), an Indo-European agricultural verb.^[2][3][1] Its ⟨πτ⟩ has no exact match: the other languages have /p/.^[2] The verbal adjective ἄπτιστος (áptistos) “unpounded” corresponds to Latin pistus (“pounded”) and to a Sanskrit participle, while the present πτίσσω was formed after verbs such as πλάσσω (plássō) and πάσσω (pássō).^[2][4] Latin has a nasal present, pīnsō (“to pound”).^[2][4][5] Chantraine notes that the root applied to pounding with a pestle and mortar and to husking, as against grinding with a millstone.^[4]

Cognate also with Lithuanian paisýti (“to thresh off ears of grain”).^[2]

Earliest recorded meaning

Herodotus uses it of the Egyptians pounding the middle of the lotus to make loaves.^[5][6][7] The Hippocratic writers speak of shelled grain.^[5][7]

Semantic evolution

In comedy it is used of winnowing grain, and Aristophanes mentions a song of women winnowing.^[5] Its derivative πτισάνη (ptisánē) “barley groats”, in the Hippocratic writers, comedy and papyri, came to mean a decoction, and was borrowed as Latin tisana.^[4] Plutarch uses the participle for shelled barley.^[6] The Attic form is πτίττω, found in Lucian.^[5]

Timeline

• 5th century BC – Herodotus uses it of pounding lotus seeds.^[5][8]
• 5th century BC – The Hippocratic writers and Pherecrates use it of shelling grain.^[5][8]
• 5th–4th century BC – Aristophanes names a song of women winnowing grain.^[5][8]
• 4th century BC – Aristotle uses the perfect passive.^[5][8]
• 2nd century AD – Lucian uses the Attic form πτίττω.^[5][8]

Meanings

Verb

1. To husk or winnow grain.^[5][6]
2. To pound or crush in a mortar.^[5][6]

Word family

• περιπτίσσω (periptíssō)
• πτισάνη (ptisánē)
• διαπτίσσω (diaptíssō)
• ἐκπτίσσω (ekptíssō)
• ἐμπτίσσω (emptíssō)
• ἐπιπτίσσομαι (epiptíssomai)
• καταπτίσσω (kataptíssō)
• πτίσις (ptísis)
• πτίσμα (ptísma)
• πτισμός (ptismós)
• ὑποπτίσσω (hupoptíssō)

References

1. ^ a b c d e Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d e 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. ^ Rix, Helmut, et al. (2001), Lexikon der indogermanischen Verben, 2nd ed., Wiesbaden: Reichert
4. ^ a b c d 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
5. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l Liddell, Henry George; Scott, Robert; Jones, Henry Stuart (1940), A Greek-English Lexicon, 9th ed., Oxford: Clarendon Press
6. ^ a b c d Diggle, James, et al., eds. (2021), The Cambridge Greek Lexicon, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press
7. ^ a b Keersmaekers, Alek (2021–2025), GLAUx: The Greek Language Automated corpus, https://github.com/alekkeersmaekers/glaux
8. ^ a b c d e Rodríguez Adrados, Francisco, et al., eds. (1980–), Diccionario Griego-Español, Madrid: CSIC, http://dge.cchs.csic.es/xdge