κνέφος

κνέφᾰς, τό, [dialect] Att. gen.

A

κνέφους Ar.Ec. 290

, Com.Adesp.35, later

κνέφατος Plb.8.26.10

; dat.

κνέφᾳ X.HG7.1.15

,

κνέφεϊ AP7.633

(Crin.), as if from [full] κνέφος, cited by Hsch., Suid., Phot.: (cf. δνόφος):— darkness, Hom. (only in nom. and acc.), of the evening dusk, twilight,

εἰς ὅ κε.. δύῃ τ' ἠέλιος καὶ ἐπὶ κ. ἱερὸν ἔλθῃ Il.11.194

, 209: later, generally, darkness,

δυσάλιον κ. A.Eu. 396

(lyr.);

νυκτός Id.Pers. 357

, cf. E.Ba. 510, etc.;

τὸ κατὰ γᾶς κ. Id.Hipp. 836

(lyr.): metaph.,

τοῖον ἐπὶ κ. ἀνδρὶ μύσος πεπόταται A.Eu. 378

(lyr.).

2 morning twilight,

πρῲ πάνυ τοῦ κνέφους Ar.Ec. 290

; ἅμα κνέφᾳ at dawn, X.l.c., Cyr.4.2.15.

Grammatical information: n.

Meaning: `evening dusk, dark, morning twilight' (Il., X.); on the inflection Schwyzer 514f.; second. nom. acc. κνέφος (H., Suid., Phot.; from κνέφους, - ει?).

Other forms: - αος, - ους etc.

Derivatives: κνεφαῖος `of the dusk, dark' (trag., com., Hippon.); κνεφάζω `get dark' (A. Ag. 131 [lyr.]).

Origin: PG [a word of Pre-Greek origin]

Etymology: Several hypotheses, all problematic. Often connected with the Indo-Iran. word for `night', Skt. kṣap-, Av. xšap- with Hitt. išpant- `id'), e.g. Petersen AmJPh 56, 57 (cross of *ξέπας or *κτέπας and νέφος). Others compared Lat. creper `dusk', crepusculum `id.' assuming Sabinic (evt. Etruscan) development. Not better Meillet BSL 23, 259f., Studia Indo-iranica for W. Geiger 234ff. and Grošelj Živa Ant. 2, 210f. - Rhyming is ψέφας, s. v.; cf. also δνόφος. The varying anlaut through taboo, Specht Ursprung 11. See Pok. 649), W.-Hofmann s. creper. The word is no doubt Pre-Greek, but the variation is not known from elsewhere.

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