κτείς

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Ancient Greek

Etymology

From Proto-Indo-European *pḱtén-s (comb), a derivative of Proto-Indo-European *peḱ- (to pluck). Cognate with Latin pecten, Persian شانه (šâne).[1]

Pronunciation

 

Noun

κτείς (kteísm (genitive κτενός); third declension

  1. comb (for hair, or in weaving)
    • 125 CE – 200 CE, Lucian, Amores (Affairs of the Heart) 44:
      ἀκόλουθοι δὲ καὶ παιδαγωγοὶ χορὸς αὐτῷ κόσμιος ἕπονται τὰ σεμνὰ τῆς ἀρετῆς ἐν χερσὶν ὄργανα κρατοῦντες, οὐ πριστοῦ κτενὸς ἐντομὰς κόμην καταψήχειν δυναμένας οὐδὲ ἔσοπτρα τῶν ἀντιμόρφων χαρακτήρων ἀγράφους εἰκόνας, ἀλλ’ ἢ πολύπτυχοι δέλτοι κατόπιν ἀκολουθοῦσιν ἢ παλαιῶν ἔργων ἀρετὰς φυλάττουσαι βίβλοι, κἂν εἰς μουσικοῦ δέῃ φοιτᾶν, εὐμελὴς λύρα.
      akólouthoi dè kaì paidagōgoì khoròs autôi kósmios hépontai tà semnà tês aretês en khersìn órgana kratoûntes, ou pristoû ktenòs entomàs kómēn katapsḗkhein dunaménas oudè ésoptra tôn antimórphōn kharaktḗrōn agráphous eikónas, all’ ḕ polúptukhoi déltoi katópin akolouthoûsin ḕ palaiôn érgōn aretàs phuláttousai bíbloi, kàn eis mousikoû déēi phoitân, eumelḕs lúra.
      • 1913 translation by A. M. Harmon (Loeb edition)
        He is followed by an orderly company of attendants and tutors, who grip in their hands the revered instruments of virtue, not the points of a toothed comb that can caress the hair nor mirrors that without artists’ aid reproduce the shapes confronting them, but behind him come many-leaved writing tablets or books that preserve the merit of ancient deeds, along with a tuneful lyre, should he have to go to a music master.
  2. rake
  3. horn of a lyre
  4. pubes
  5. scallop

Inflection

Derived terms

Descendants

See also

References

  1. ^ Beekes, Robert S. P. (2010) “κτείς”, in Etymological Dictionary of Greek (Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series; 10), with the assistance of Lucien van Beek, Leiden, Boston: Brill, →ISBN, page 790

Further reading