σχίζω
Pronunciation
- 5th-century BC Attic: /skʰíz.dɔː/[1]
- 4th-century AD Koine: /ˈsçi.zo/[1]
- 10th-century Byzantine: /ˈsçi.zo/[1]
Forms
σχῐ́ζω (skhízō) [1]
Etymology
It is inherited from Proto-Hellenic *skʰíd͏̌d͏̌ō, inherited from Proto-Indo-European *skid-yé-ti, from Proto-Indo-European *skeyd- (“to split, separate”).[1][2] The present with -yō is a Greek innovation; older formations are matched elsewhere: ἀποσχίδες (aposkhídes) matches a Sanskrit noun meaning “clipping”, σχιστός (skhistós) matches Latin scissus, and the s-aorist ἔσχισα (éskhisa) a Sanskrit middle aorist.[3][2] Latin scindō (“to tear, split”) and Sanskrit छिनत्ति (chinátti) keep an old nasal present.[3][1]
Cognate further with Lithuanian skíesti (“to separate”) and Old Armenian ցտեմ (cʻtem).[3][1]
Earliest recorded meaning
Its first use is in the Odyssey, where Poseidon splits the Gyraean rock with his trident.[4][5] The present appears from Pindar and Herodotus on.[3]
Semantic evolution
It is used of splitting wood, a head with an axe, or tree-bark, and of tearing a hide or a garment.[6] Herodotus has it of a river dividing a country, and Plato of dividing classes in logic; the passive is used of divided roads, armies and opinions.[6] From it come σχίζα (skhíza, “split wood”) and σχίσμα (skhísma, “split, division”).[3]
In the New Testament the rocks split and the temple curtain is torn at the death of Jesus, and crowds are divided in opinion.[7] The sense “division in the church” of σχίσμα is Hellenistic, from Paul's letters.[8]
Modern Greek uses the medieval form Modern Greek σκίζω (skízo) beside σχίζω.[8]
Timeline
- Homer – The Odyssey uses the aorist of Poseidon splitting a rock.[4][5]
- 5th century BC – Herodotus uses it of a river dividing a country and of divided opinions.[6][9]
- 5th–4th century BC – Plato uses it of logical division.[6][9]
- 1st century AD – The New Testament uses it of the torn temple curtain and of a divided crowd.[7]
- Modern Greek – The medieval form Modern Greek σκίζω (skízo) is used beside σχίζω.[8]
Meanings
Verb
- To split by cutting, cleave: wood, rock, a head.[6][4]
- To split by tearing, rend: a hide, a garment.[6][7]
- To divide into parts; of a river, to divide a country.[6]
- To make a logical division.[6]
- (passive) Of people or opinions: to be divided.[6][7]
Word family
- ἀνασχίζω (anaskhízō)
- ἀποσχίζω (aposkhízō)
- διασχίζω (diaskhízō)
- ἐπισχίζω (episkhízō)
- κατασχίζω (kataskhízō)
- παρασχίζω (paraskhízō)
- περισχίζω (periskhízō)
- ἀσχιδής (askhidḗs)
- ἐκσχίζω (ekskhízō)
- εὐσχιδής (euskhidḗs)
- προσχίζω (proskhízō)
- συσχίζω (suskhízō)
- ὑποσχίζω (huposkhízō)
Related words
- σχέδη (skhédē)
- σχίδαξ (skhídax)
- σχίδιον (skhídion)
- σχίζα (skhíza)
- σχινδύλησις (skhindúlēsis)
- σχίσις (skhísis)
- σχίσμα (skhísma)
- σχισμός (skhismós)
- σχιστός (skhistós)
References
- ^ a b c d e f g Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
- ^ a b Rix, Helmut, et al. (2001), Lexikon der indogermanischen Verben, 2nd ed., Wiesbaden: Reichert
- ^ 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
- ^ a b c Cunliffe, Richard John (1924), A Lexicon of the Homeric Dialect, London: Blackie and Son
- ^ a b Keersmaekers, Alek (2021–2025), GLAUx: The Greek Language Automated corpus, https://github.com/alekkeersmaekers/glaux
- ^ a b c d e f g h i Diggle, James, et al., eds. (2021), The Cambridge Greek Lexicon, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press
- ^ a b c d 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
- ^ a b c Babiniotis, Georgios (2010), Ετυμολογικό λεξικό της νέας ελληνικής γλώσσας [Etymological Dictionary of Modern Greek], Athens: Κέντρο Λεξικολογίας
- ^ a b Rodríguez Adrados, Francisco, et al., eds. (1980–), Diccionario Griego-Español, Madrid: CSIC, http://dge.cchs.csic.es/xdge