κνέφαλλον

Ancient Greek

Alternative forms

• γνάφαλλον (gnáphallon), γνόφαλλον (gnóphallon), κνάφαλλον (knáphallon)

Etymology

Ultimately from κνάπτω (knáptō, “to card wool”), compared with Proto-Celtic *knawī (“fleece”), but the variation in forms suggests a Pre-Greek origin instead.^[1][2] See also κνάφος (knáphos, “prickly teasel”).

Pronunciation

 

• IPA^(key): /kné.pʰal.lon/ → /ˈkne.ɸal.lon/ → /ˈkne.fa.lon/

• (5^th BCE Attic) IPA^(key): /kné.pʰal.lon/
• (1^st CE Egyptian) IPA^(key): /ˈkne.pʰal.lon/
• (4^th CE Koine) IPA^(key): /ˈkne.ɸal.lon/
• (10^th CE Byzantine) IPA^(key): /ˈkne.fal.lon/
• (15^th CE Constantinopolitan) IPA^(key): /ˈkne.fa.lon/

Noun

κνέφᾰλλον • (knéphăllon) n (genitive κνεφᾰ́λλου); second declension

1. wool torn off in carding or fulling cloth
2. flock used for stuffing pillows and cushions
3. (in general) cushion, pillow

Inflection

Case / #	Singular	Dual	Plural
Nominative	τὸ κνέφᾰλλον tò knéphăllon	τὼ κνεφᾰ́λλω tṑ knephắllō	τᾰ̀ κνέφᾰλλᾰ tằ knéphăllă
Genitive	τοῦ κνεφᾰ́λλου toû knephắllou	τοῖν κνεφᾰ́λλοιν toîn knephắlloin	τῶν κνεφᾰ́λλων tôn knephắllōn
Dative	τῷ κνεφᾰ́λλῳ tôi knephắllōi	τοῖν κνεφᾰ́λλοιν toîn knephắlloin	τοῖς κνεφᾰ́λλοις toîs knephắllois
Accusative	τὸ κνέφᾰλλον tò knéphăllon	τὼ κνεφᾰ́λλω tṑ knephắllō	τᾰ̀ κνέφᾰλλᾰ tằ knéphăllă
Vocative	κνέφᾰλλον knéphăllon	κνεφᾰ́λλω knephắllō	κνέφᾰλλᾰ knéphăllă
Notes:	This table gives Attic inflectional endings. For declension in other dialects, see Appendix:Ancient Greek dialectal declension.

Second declension of τὸ κνέφᾰλλον; τοῦ κνεφᾰ́λλου (Attic)

Derived terms

• γναφάλλιον (gnaphállion)
• γναφαλλίς (gnaphallís)
• γναφαλλολόγος (gnaphallológos)
• γναφαλλοπώλης (gnaphallopṓlēs)
• γναφαλλοϋφάντης (gnaphalloüphántēs)
• γναφαλώδης (gnaphalṓdēs)

 

References

1. Beekes, Robert S. P. (2010) Etymological Dictionary of Greek (Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series; 10), with the assistance of Lucien van Beek, Leiden, Boston: Brill, →ISBN, pages 721-22
2. Matasović, Ranko (2009) “knawi”, in Etymological Dictionary of Proto-Celtic (Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series; 9), Leiden: Brill, →ISBN, page 211

Further reading

• “κνέφαλλον”, in Liddell & Scott (1940) A Greek–English Lexicon, Oxford: Clarendon Press
• κνέφαλλον in Bailly, Anatole (1935) Le Grand Bailly: Dictionnaire grec-français, Paris: Hachette