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χναύω. In DICTIOUS you will not only get to know all the dictionary meanings for the word
χναύω, but we will also tell you about its etymology, its characteristics and you will know how to say
χναύω in singular and plural. Everything you need to know about the word
χναύω you have here. The definition of the word
χναύω will help you to be more precise and correct when speaking or writing your texts. Knowing the definition of
χναύω, as well as those of other words, enriches your vocabulary and provides you with more and better linguistic resources.
Ancient Greek
Etymology
This verb agrees in its vocalism with ψαύω (psaúō, “to touch lightly”), θραύω (thraúō, “to break”) and χραύω (khraúō, “to scrape, graze, wound lightly”), while the gloss χνίει (khníei, “drips, breaks into pieces”) reminds of ψίω (psíō, “to feed on pap”) and χρίω (khríō, “to touch, graze”). The original etymology is unclear, but compare χνόη (khnóē, “axle-box”) and χνόος (khnóos, “incrustation from salt water; powder”).
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /kʰnǎu̯.ɔː/ → /ˈxna.βo/ → /ˈxna.vo/
Verb
χναύω • (khnaúō)
- to gnaw off, nibble
Inflection
Derived terms
Further reading
- “χναύω”, in Liddell & Scott (1940) A Greek–English Lexicon, Oxford: Clarendon Press
- “χναύω”, in Liddell & Scott (1889) An Intermediate Greek–English Lexicon, New York: Harper & Brothers
- χναύω in Bailly, Anatole (1935) Le Grand Bailly: Dictionnaire grec-français, Paris: Hachette
- 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