στόρνυμι

Forms

στόρνῡμι (stórnūmi) ^[1]

Etymology

It is inherited from Proto-Hellenic *stórnūmi,^[1] inherited from Proto-Indo-European *str̥néh₃ti, a nasal present of the root *sterh₃- (“to spread out”).^[1][2][3] The verb has three stems, ⟨στορ-⟩ in the present, ⟨στορε-⟩ in the aorist στορέσαι (storésai) and ⟨στρω-⟩ in the perfect ἔστρωμαι (éstrōmai) and the adjective στρωτός (strōtós); the later presents στρώννυμι (strṓnnumi) and στορέννυμι (storénnumi) level them.^[3] ⟨στορε-⟩ shows the same metathesis of an expected ⟨στερο-⟩ as κορέννυμι (korénnumi).^[3]

Other nasal presents of the root are Latin sternō (“to spread out”), Old Irish sernim and Albanian shtrin; the adjective in ⟨στρω-⟩ corresponds to Latin strātus.^[3][2]

Earliest recorded meaning

In Homer it is used of making up a bed by spreading coverings over it, of spreading out embers in the Iliad, and, in the Odyssey, of the sea made smooth and calm.^[4][5]

Semantic evolution

In Herodotus and Sophocles one spreads a couch or a bed;^[4] Herodotus also says the waves were “laid flat”.^[4] In the New Testament the crowds spread branches on the road, and in Acts a sick man is told to make his own bed.^[4] The verb was used of strewing and paving.^[3]

Medieval and Modern Greek στρώνω (stróno) “spread, lay, make the bed” was remade from στρωννύω (strōnnúō) on the aorist stem στρωσ-, after verbs such as φθάνω.^[6][7]

Timeline

• Homer – The Iliad uses it of making a bed and spreading embers; the Odyssey of calming the sea.^[4][5]
• 5th century BC – Herodotus uses it of spreading a couch and of a sea laid flat.^[4][8]
• 5th century BC – Sophocles and Euripides use it of spreading a bed.^[4][8]
• 4th–3rd century BC – Theocritus uses the middle often.^[4][8]
• New Testament – Mark uses it of spreading branches on the road.^[4]
• Modern Greek – Modern Greek στρώνω (stróno) continues it.^[6][7]

Meanings

Verb

1. To spread the coverings over a bed; to make a bed.^[4]
2. To spread out, strew: embers, branches, garments.^[4][3]
3. To make smooth, level; of the sea, to calm.^[4]
4. To pave.^[3]

Word family

• στρῶμα (strôma)
• στρωμνή (strōmnḗ)
• στρωτός (strōtós)

Related words

• Latin sternō
• English stratum

References

1. ^ a b c d e f Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b Rix, Helmut, et al. (2001), Lexikon der indogermanischen Verben, 2nd ed., Wiesbaden: Reichert
3. ^ a b c d e f g 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
4. ^ 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
5. ^ a b Keersmaekers, Alek (2021–2025), GLAUx: The Greek Language Automated corpus, https://github.com/alekkeersmaekers/glaux
6. ^ a b Ινστιτούτο Νεοελληνικών Σπουδών (Ίδρυμα Μανόλη Τριανταφυλλίδη) (1998), Λεξικό της κοινής νεοελληνικής, Thessaloniki: Aristotle University of Thessaloniki
7. ^ a b Πάπυρος–Larousse–Britannica, Μέγα Λεξικό της Ελληνικής Γλώσσας, Athens: Πάπυρος
8. ^ a b c Rodríguez Adrados, Francisco, et al., eds. (1980–), Diccionario Griego-Español, Madrid: CSIC, http://dge.cchs.csic.es/xdge