ἀνατέμνω

Forms

ἀνᾰτέμνω (anatémnō) ^[1]

Etymology

It is formed from Ancient Greek ἀνα- (ana-, “up”) + τέμνω (témnō, “to cut”).^[1][2] Herodotus and the Hippocratic writers have the Ionic form ἀνατάμνω (anatámnō).^[3]

Earliest recorded meaning

Herodotus (5th century BC), describing Egyptian embalming, uses it of cutting open a corpse, and the Hippocratic writers of cutting into the skin or a wound.^[4][3]

Semantic evolution

With scientific intent it means “to dissect”: a Hippocratic letter and Aristotle use it of dissecting animals, and Aristotle also of an operation on the rectum.^[4][3] The Septuagint's Tobit is told to cut open a fish, Lucian's Prometheus is cut open by a bird, and Artemidorus interprets dreams of being cut open.^[3][5]

Philo uses it of opening up roads and, figuratively, of an argument that takes sophisms apart, and an inscription from Egypt speaks of opening a new road; a later author speaks of marking out a strange way of life for oneself.^[3][4] It also means “to cut off”, of vine branches (in Aeschines) and of part of a building in an inscription.^[4][3]

Modern Greek ανατέμνω (anatémno) is a learned word, rare for dissecting a body and usually figurative, “to analyse in depth”, a sense taken from French disséquer.^[6]

Timeline

• 5th century BC – Herodotus uses it of cutting open the dead for embalming.^[4][3]
• 5th century BC – The Hippocratic writers use it of cutting into skin and wounds, and of dissecting animals.^[3][4]
• 4th century BC – Aristotle uses it of dissecting animals, and an inscription of cutting off part of a building.^[4][3]
• 1st century BC to 1st century AD – Philo uses it of opening roads and of taking sophisms apart.^[3][4]
• 1st century AD – An inscription from Egypt uses it of opening a new road.^[3][4]
• 2nd century AD – Lucian and Artemidorus use it of cutting a body open.^[3]
• Modern Greek – The learned word means to dissect, and to analyse in depth.^[6]

Meanings

Verb

1. To cut open, cut up (a body, the skin, a wound, a fish).^[4][3]
2. To dissect.^[4][3]
3. (figurative) To take apart, refute (sophisms).^[3]
4. To open up, clear (roads); figuratively, to mark out (a way of life).^[4][3]
5. To cut off (branches, part of a building).^[4][3]

Related words

• ἀνατομή (anatomḗ)
• τομή (tomḗ)

References

1. ^ a b c d e Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ Korinthios, J. (2025), Grande Dizionario Greco Classico: Greco–Italiano, digital ed., Milan: Hoepli
3. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q Rodríguez Adrados, Francisco, et al., eds. (1980–), Diccionario Griego-Español, Madrid: CSIC, http://dge.cchs.csic.es/xdge
4. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m Liddell, Henry George; Scott, Robert; Jones, Henry Stuart (1940), A Greek-English Lexicon, 9th ed., Oxford: Clarendon Press
5. ^ Lust, Johan; Eynikel, Erik; Hauspie, Katrin (2003), Greek-English Lexicon of the Septuagint, rev. ed., Stuttgart: Deutsche Bibelgesellschaft
6. ^ a b Ινστιτούτο Νεοελληνικών Σπουδών (Ίδρυμα Μανόλη Τριανταφυλλίδη) (1998), Λεξικό της κοινής νεοελληνικής, Thessaloniki: Aristotle University of Thessaloniki