κοντός

From the o-grade κοντ‑ of the root κεντ‑ underlying κεντέω, -ῶ (kentéō, -ô, “prick”), κέντρον (kéntron, “centre”).^[1]

The Hellenistic Koine "short" sense is derived from the ancient "pole" sense, which referred to shorter kinds of spears, poles, hence "(short) pole" > "shortness". Compare κοντοφόρος (kontophóros, “carrying a (short) pole”) in contrast to δορῠφόρος (dorŭphóros, “carrying a (long) spear”).^[2]

Not related to ἀκόντιον (akóntion, “javelin”).

κοντός • (kontós) m (feminine κοντή, neuter κοντόν); first/second declension (Koine)

1. short

   Synonym: βρᾰχῠ́ς (brăkhŭ́s)

• κονδός (kondós)

• Medieval and Modern Greek: κοντός (kontós) (sense: short)

κοντός • (kontós) m (genitive κοντοῦ); second declension

1. pole
2. pike
3. (medicine) (in plural): crutch
4. goad

• κοντάριον (kontárion, diminutive)
• κοντᾰριοθήκη f (kontăriothḗkē, “spear-case”)
• κονταφόρος m (kontaphóros), κοντοφόρος m (kontophóros, “carrying a (short) pole”)
• κόντῐλος (kóntĭlos, diminutive) (obscure sense)
• κοντοβολέω, ῶ (kontoboléō, ô, “strike with a pole”)
• κοντοκῠνηγέσιον n (kontokŭnēgésion, “hunt with pikes”)
• κοντοπαίκτης m (kontopaíktēs, “acrobat on a pole”)
• κοντοπλεύριον n (kontopleúrion, “short side”) (usually in plural)
• κοντοπορεία f (kontoporeía, “short road”)
• κόντωσις f (kóntōsis, “fishing with a pole”)
• κοντωτῐ́της m (kontōtĭ́tēs, “puntsman”)
• κοντωτός (kontōtós, “furnished with a pole”)

• ⇒ Ancient Greek: κοντάριον (kontárion, diminutive)
  • Medieval Byzantine Greek: κοντάριον (kontárion), κοντάριν^[3]
    • Modern Greek: κοντάρι (kontári), κοντός (noun)
• → Latin: contus
• → Arabic: قُنْطَرِيَّة (qunṭariyya)

• Also see the different etymological field of ἀκόντιον n (akóntion, “javelin”)

• “κοντός”, in Liddell & Scott (1940) A Greek–English Lexicon, Oxford: Clarendon Press
• “κοντός”, in Liddell & Scott (1889) An Intermediate Greek–English Lexicon, New York: Harper & Brothers
• “κοντός”, in Autenrieth, Georg (1891) A Homeric Dictionary for Schools and Colleges, New York: Harper and Brothers
• κοντός in Bailly, Anatole (1935) Le Grand Bailly: Dictionnaire grec-français, Paris: Hachette

• Sense pole: from Ancient Greek κοντός (“pole”) (noun).
• Sense short: from the Hellenistic Koine Greek κοντός (kontós, “short”) (adjective) from the ancient sense Ancient Greek κοντός (“pole”) which referred to shorter kinds of poles, hence the sense shortness.^[1]

• IPA^(key): /konˈdos/
• Hyphenation: κο‧ντός

κοντός • (kontós) m (feminine κοντή, neuter κοντό)

1. short (in height)

Comparative κοντύτερος (kontýteros) & (and κοντότερος); no absolute superlative

• βραχύς (vrachýs, “short, brief”)
• βραχύσωμος (vrachýsomos, “with short body”)

• κοντά (kontá, “near”, adverb)
• κονταίνω (kontaíno, “shorten”)
• κοντεύω (kontévo)
• κοντινός (kontinós, “nearby, adjacent, close”)
• κοντο- (konto-, “short-”) compounds

• απότομος (apótomos, “short conversationally”)
• λιγοστός (ligostós, “short, scarce”)
• μικρός (mikrós, “short in length”)
• σύντομος (sýntomos, “short in time”)

κοντός • (kontós) m

1. (formal) pole

   Synonym: κοντάρι (kontári)

• άλμα επί κοντώ n (álma epí kontó, “pole vault”)