σχίδη

Forms

σχίδη (skhídē), feminine.^[1][2] Hesychius has the form σχίδα, which Pape takes as an irregular accusative of this word.^[1][3]

Etymology

It is from Ancient Greek σχίζω (skhízō, “to split”), from the same stem as σχίδαξ (skhídax, “split wood, splinter”).^[4][5][6] The verb goes back to Proto-Indo-European *skid- (“to cut, split, separate”).^[5] Beekes does not accept the reconstruction with an aspirate given in the LIV, and notes that the Greek ⟨χ⟩ has no explanation.^[5] A related formation is Latin scindō (“to split”), with a nasal present.^[5]

Earliest recorded meaning

Pape records it only from late writers, meaning a split piece of wood.^[1]

Semantic evolution

It names a piece of wood split off: a splinter, a log or a shingle.^[1][2][4] Hesychius' σχίδα is glossed as a strip of fine linen and a breakage.^[3][5]

Latin borrowed the word.^[7][5] Saalfeld derives Latin scida from it, and Beekes takes scheda (“strip of papyrus”) as a loan from σχίδη or σχίδα, its form influenced by schedium (“improvised speech, draft”).^[7][5]

Timeline

• 5th century AD (probably) – Hesychius glosses the form σχίδα as a strip of fine linen.^[3][5][8]

Meanings

Noun

1. A split piece of wood: a splinter, a log, a shingle.^[1][2][4]

Related words

• σχίζω (skhízō)
• σχίδαξ (skhídax)
• σχίσμα (skhísma)
• Latin scheda
• Latin scida
• Latin scindō

References

1. ^ a b c d e Pape, Wilhelm (1914), Griechisch-deutsches Handwörterbuch, 3rd ed., rev. Max Sengebusch, Braunschweig: Vieweg
2. ^ a b c Charbonnet, André (2025), Chæréphon, v4.7: supplement to Bailly from papyri, inscriptions and recent lexica
3. ^ a b c Hesychius of Alexandria, Lexicon, ed. Kurt Latte (Α–Ο, Copenhagen 1953–1966) and Moritz Schmidt (Π–Ω, Jena 1858–1868)
4. ^ a b c Köbler, Gerhard, Griechisch-deutsches Wörterbuch, online ed., https://www.koeblergerhard.de
5. ^ a b c d e f g h 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
6. ^ Πάπυρος–Larousse–Britannica, Μέγα Λεξικό της Ελληνικής Γλώσσας, Athens: Πάπυρος
7. ^ a b Saalfeld, Günther Alexander (1874), Index Graecorum vocabulorum in linguam latinam translatorum, Berlin: Weidmann
8. ^ Rodríguez Adrados, Francisco, et al., eds. (1980–), Diccionario Griego-Español, Madrid: CSIC, http://dge.cchs.csic.es/xdge