κέσ-τρα

Grammatical information: v.

Meaning: `sting' (Pi.).

Other forms: aor. κένσαι (Ψ 337), κεντῆσαι (Hp., κέντᾱσα Theoc. 19, 1), pass. κεντηθῆναι (Arist.) with κεντηθήσομαι (Hdt.), κεντήσω (S.), κεκέντημαι (Hp.),

Compounds: also with prefix, e. g. κατα-, παρα-, ἀπο-, δια-,

Derivatives: 1. κένσαι for *κέντ-σαι (Schwyzer 287) points to κεντ- (present or aorist?; s. below) of which the dental before dental gave κεσ-. Thus κεσ-τός (\< *κεντ-τός) `stitched' (ep.; Ammann Μνήμης χάριν 1, 17); κέσ-τρον `pointed iron ' (Plin.) with κεστρωτός and κέστρωσις (H.; *κεστρόω), κέσ-τρος `kind of arrow etc.' (Plb., D. H., H.) with dimin. κεστρίον (Attica) and κέστρειον `stock of arrows (?)' (Delos III^a); κέσ-τρα f. `sharp hammer, arrow' (S., Ph. Bel., Hero), also a fishname = σφύραινα (Ar.; after te form of the body, Strömberg Fischnamen 35); here κεστρεύς `mullet' (IA.; Bosshardt Die Nom. auf - ευς 51) and κεστρῖνος, - ινίσκος `id.' (Com.). - 2. Through reshaping after κεντ-έω (not with ρο-suffix as Fraenkel KZ 42, 118 n. 1) rose κέντρον `sting', as geometrical term. techn. `resting bone of a compass, center of a cirkel' (Il.), with many compounds and derivv., e. g. κεντρ-ηνεκής `driven by the sting' (Il.; cf. with diff. function δουρ-, ποδ-ηνεκής); subst. κέντρων s. v.; adj. like κεντρικός, κεντρώδης, κεντρήεις; fish- and plant names as κεντρίνης, κεντρίσκος, κεντρίτης (Strömberg Fischnamen 47, Redard Les noms grecs en - της 83, 111); denomin. verbs κεντρόω `with a sting, sting' (IA), κεντρίζω `sting' (X.); from κέντρον as backformation κέντωρ m. `goader, driver' (Il., AP; Fraenkel Glotta 2, 32). - 3. From κεντέω ( κεντῆ-σαι, - σω): κέντημα `the sting, the mosaic' (Arist., inscr. Smyrna [Rom. Emp.]), κεντητής `mosaic-worker' ( Edict. Diocl.), κεντητήριον `picker' (Luc.), κεντητικός `stingy' (Thphr.), κεντητός `stitched, with mosaic' (Epikt., pap.). - 4. With old ablaut κοντός m. "the stinger", `pole, crutch, staf to drive on cattle' (ι 487; LW [loanword] Lat. contus with percontor) with κοντά-κιον, - άριον, - ίλος, - ωτός a. o.; here κοντός `short' (Adam.) from κοντο-μάχος, - βόλος, - βολέω, where κοντός was taken as `short'; thus in κοντο-πορεία (Plb.), s. Hatzidakis Festschrift Kretschmer 35ff.

Origin: IE [Indo-European] [567] *ḱent- `sting'

Etymology: To the sigmatic aorist κένσαι \< *κέντ-σαι was after unknown example a present κεντ-έω created (cf. Schwyzer 706), to which came κεντῆ-σαι, κεντή-σω etc. - Other languages have only isolated nominal formations: OHG hantag `pointed', deriv. from PGm. * handa- (formally = κοντός), Latv. sīts `hunting spear' (= Lith. *šiñtas \< IE. *ḱentos- n.?), and some Celtic words, e. g. Bret. kentr `spur', Welsh cethr `nail', but these are all prob. loans from Lat. centrum. - See W.-Hofmann 2, 423, Pok. 567.

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