τένδω

Forms

τένδω (téndō) ^[1]

Etymology

Beekes and the LIV take it as an old primary thematic present, inherited from Proto-Indo-European *téndeti, from the root Proto-Indo-European *tend- (“to cut, split”).^[2][3][1] Latin has the iterative tondeō (“to shear, shave”), and Celtic several cognates, such as Middle Irish teinnid (“splits, breaks”).^[2][4] The traditional link with τέμνω (témnō, “to cut”), through an extended root, leaves the -m- unexplained.^[2]

Furnée instead connects it with τένθης (ténthēs, “glutton”) and takes the verb for Pre-Greek, since the variation of δ and θ is typical of Pre-Greek words; a variant reading of the Hesiod line has τένθει (ténthei).^[2][1][5] Beekes himself, in his article on the noun for a glutton, favours that link and its Pre-Greek origin;^[2] PHILOGLOSSA rates the Pre-Greek case as of medium reliability.^[2][5]

Earliest recorded meaning

The verb occurs once, in Hesiod's Works and Days, where in winter the octopus gnaws its own foot.^[6][4][7]

Semantic evolution

It stayed a rare poetic word: besides the Hesiod line it is a conjecture in an epigram of the Greek Anthology and a gloss in Hesychius.^[4][5] Its possible relative τένθης, a glutton, belongs to comedy.^[2][6]

Timeline

• Before the 6th century BC – Hesiod's Works and Days uses it of the octopus gnawing its foot.^[6][4][8]
• 5th–4th century BC – Aristophanes has the possibly related τένθης “glutton”.^[6][2][8]

Meanings

Verb

1. To gnaw, gnaw at.^[4][6]

Related words

• τένθης (ténthēs)
• Latin tondeō

References

1. ^ a b c d e f Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ 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
3. ^ Rix, Helmut, et al. (2001), Lexikon der indogermanischen Verben, 2nd ed., Wiesbaden: Reichert
4. ^ a b c d e Liddell, Henry George; Scott, Robert; Jones, Henry Stuart (1940), A Greek-English Lexicon, 9th ed., Oxford: Clarendon Press
5. ^ a b c Scarborough, Matthew (2025), PHILOGLOSSA: database of Pre-Greek and other non-Indo-European words in Ancient Greek, version 1.0
6. ^ a b c d e Diggle, James, et al., eds. (2021), The Cambridge Greek Lexicon, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press
7. ^ Keersmaekers, Alek (2021–2025), GLAUx: The Greek Language Automated corpus, https://github.com/alekkeersmaekers/glaux
8. ^ a b Rodríguez Adrados, Francisco, et al., eds. (1980–), Diccionario Griego-Español, Madrid: CSIC, http://dge.cchs.csic.es/xdge