χαράσσω

Ancient Greek

Alternative forms

  • χᾰρᾰ́ττω (kharáttō) Attic

Etymology

According to Pokorny, from some -k- extension to Proto-Indo-European *ǵʰer- (to scratch, scrape).[1] Beekes claims that the verb, although both earlier and more frequently attested than χάραξ (khárax), is a denominative formation from the latter. It can well be a borrowing from the Phoenician cognate to much-used Jewish Babylonian Aramaic חֲרַץ (ḥăraṣ, to cut into, to incise), Hebrew חָרַץ (ḥāraṣ, to cut or dig a cavity into; to sharpen), Arabic خَرَزَ (ḵaraza, to bore into),[2] exactly attested with the semantics of the Greek as active participle or occupational noun Punic 𐤇𐤓𐤔 (ḥrš, crafter; engraver).[3]

Pronunciation

 

Verb

χᾰρᾰ́σσω • (kharássō)

  1. to sharpen
  2. to engrave, carve, write, draw, stamp

Conjugation

Derived terms

References

  1. Pokorny, Julius (1959) Indogermanisches etymologisches Wörterbuch [Indo-European Etymological Dictionary] (in German), volume 2, Bern, München: Francke Verlag, page 441
  2. Müller, David Heinrich (1887) “Arabisch-aramäische Glossen”, in Wiener Zeitschrift für die Kunde des Morgenlandes (in German), volume 1, page 25
  3. Krahmalkov, Charles R. (2000) Phoenician-Punic Dictionary (Orientalia Lovaniensia Analecta; 90), Leuven: Uitgeverij Peeters en Departement Oosterse Studies Leuven, →ISBN, pages 198–199
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