κερκίς

Ancient Greek

Etymology

Unclear; related to Ancient Greek κρέκω (krékō, “weave; strike, strum”) +‎ -ίς (-ís). According to Mallory and Adams, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *krek-, with English reel as a cognate;^[1] But possibly a diminutive form of κέρκος (kérkos, “tail”).^[2] According to Beekes, from Pre-Greek.^[3].

Pronunciation

(5^th BCE Attic) IPA^(key): /ker.kís/
(1^st CE Egyptian) IPA^(key): /kerˈkis/
(4^th CE Koine) IPA^(key): /cerˈcis/
(10^th CE Byzantine) IPA^(key): /cerˈcis/
(15^th CE Constantinopolitan) IPA^(key): /cerˈcis/

Noun

κερκῐ́ς • (kerkĭ́s) f (genitive κερκῐ́δος); third declension

(weaving) a relatively small, handheld device, used to strike the weft upwards after each pass, for better density and uniformity; weaver's pin beater; sley
any taper rod, of wood or ivory
measuring rod, gnomon
rod for stirring liquids
iron dowel
(carpentry, architecture) any object or device forming an angle
an oblique part of a truss
(architecture) wedge shaped division of the seats in the theatre
(anatomy) tibia
aspen (Populus tremula)
Judas tree (Cercis siliquastrum)
Synonym: σημύδα (sēmúda)
white bryony

Usage notes

In the context of weaving, the word is traditionally identified as a weaver's shuttle. However the textual descriptions and allusions match the pin beater or sley better, especially if a warp-weighted loom is concerned. A weaver's comb or reed have similar functions, but appear in later designs. A κανών (kanṓn) also appear as some kind of loom fixture, possibly a type of heddle-bar. The weaving-κερκίς is translated in the Latin as radius.^[4]^[5]

The weaving-κερκίς and its verb κρέκειν (krékein) are often used as a metonym for weaving and for craftsmanship in general, but also as a methaphor for music-making and song. This is so either due to some onomatopoeiac aspect of the craft, or to the visual similarity of looms and string instruments, or yet to the abstract idea of design and composition of discreet parts.^[6]

Declension

Third declension of ἡ κερκῐ́ς; τῆς κερκῐ́δος (Attic)

Case / #	Singular	Dual	Plural
Nominative	ἡ κερκῐ́ς hē kerkĭ́s	τὼ κερκῐ́δε tṑ kerkĭ́de	αἱ κερκῐ́δες hai kerkĭ́des
Genitive	τῆς κερκῐ́δος tês kerkĭ́dos	τοῖν κερκῐ́δοιν toîn kerkĭ́doin	τῶν κερκῐ́δων tôn kerkĭ́dōn
Dative	τῇ κερκῐ́δῐ tēî kerkĭ́dĭ	τοῖν κερκῐ́δοιν toîn kerkĭ́doin	ταῖς κερκῐ́σῐ / κερκῐ́σῐν taîs kerkĭ́sĭ(n)
Accusative	τὴν κερκῐ́δᾰ tḕn kerkĭ́dă	τὼ κερκῐ́δε tṑ kerkĭ́de	τᾱ̀ς κερκῐ́δᾰς tā̀s kerkĭ́dăs
Vocative	κερκῐ́ς kerkĭ́s	κερκῐ́δε kerkĭ́de	κερκῐ́δες kerkĭ́des
Notes:	This table gives Attic inflectional endings. For declension in other dialects, see Appendix:Ancient Greek dialectal declension. Nominative singular -ς (-s) arose by reduction of the original cluster *-ds.

Derived terms

κερκιδιαῖον (kerkidiaîon)
κερκίδιον (kerkídion)
κερκίζω (kerkízō)
κέρκισις (kérkisis)
κέρκιστρα (kérkistra)
παρακερκίς (parakerkís)

Descendants

Cercis

References

^ Mallory, J. P., Adams, D. Q., editors (1997), Encyclopedia of Indo-European Culture, London, Chicago: Fitzroy Dearborn Publishers, page 572
^ Vendryes, Joseph (1912) “Emile Boisacq. Dictionnaire étymologique de la langue grecque étudiée dans ses rapports avec les autres langues indo-européennes”, in Revue des Études Grecques‎^[1], volume XXV, number 115, page 461
^ 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
^ Edmunds, Susan T. (2 November 2020) “Picturing Homeric Weaving”, in The Center for Hellenic Studies‎^[2]
^ Stella Spantidaki (2017) “Remarks on the Interpretation of Some Ambiguous Greek Textile Terms”, in Salvatore Gaspa, Cécile Michel, Marie-Louise Nosch, editors, Textile terminologies from the Orient to the Mediterranean and Europe, 1000 BC to 1000 AD‎^[3], Lincoln, Nebraska: Zea Books, →ISBN, pages 263-264
^ Giovanni Fanfani (2017) “Weaving a Song. Convergences in Greek Poetic Imagery between Textile and Musical Terminology. An Overview on Archaic and Classical Literature”, in Salvatore Gaspa, Cécile Michel, Marie-Louise Nosch, editors, Textile terminologies from the Orient to the Mediterranean and Europe, 1000 BC to 1000 AD‎^[4], Lincoln, Nebraska: Zea Books, →ISBN

“κερκίς”, in Liddell & Scott (1940) A Greek–English Lexicon, Oxford: Clarendon Press
“κρέκω”, in Liddell & Scott (1940) A Greek–English Lexicon, Oxford: Clarendon Press
“κερκίς”, in Liddell & Scott (1889) An Intermediate Greek–English Lexicon, New York: Harper & Brothers
κερκίς in Bailly, Anatole (1935) Le Grand Bailly: Dictionnaire grec-français, Paris: Hachette
Woodhouse, S. C. (1910) English–Greek Dictionary: A Vocabulary of the Attic Language‎^[5], London: Routledge & Kegan Paul Limited.
- shuttle idem, page 772.
Martin, R. (1967) “Note Sur La Charpenterie Grecque d'après I.G., II², 1668, ll. 45-59”, in Revue des Études Grecques, volume 80, number 379/383, →ISSN, →JSTOR, pages 319-320

[1] Mallory, J. P., Adams, D. Q., editors (1997), Encyclopedia of Indo-European Culture, London, Chicago: Fitzroy Dearborn Publishers, page 572

[2] Vendryes, Joseph (1912) “Emile Boisacq. Dictionnaire étymologique de la langue grecque étudiée dans ses rapports avec les autres langues indo-européennes”, in Revue des Études Grecques‎^[1], volume XXV, number 115, page 461

[3] 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

[4] Edmunds, Susan T. (2 November 2020) “Picturing Homeric Weaving”, in The Center for Hellenic Studies‎^[2]

[5] Stella Spantidaki (2017) “Remarks on the Interpretation of Some Ambiguous Greek Textile Terms”, in Salvatore Gaspa, Cécile Michel, Marie-Louise Nosch, editors, Textile terminologies from the Orient to the Mediterranean and Europe, 1000 BC to 1000 AD‎^[3], Lincoln, Nebraska: Zea Books, →ISBN, pages 263-264

[6] Giovanni Fanfani (2017) “Weaving a Song. Convergences in Greek Poetic Imagery between Textile and Musical Terminology. An Overview on Archaic and Classical Literature”, in Salvatore Gaspa, Cécile Michel, Marie-Louise Nosch, editors, Textile terminologies from the Orient to the Mediterranean and Europe, 1000 BC to 1000 AD‎^[4], Lincoln, Nebraska: Zea Books, →ISBN

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