κρέξ

Ancient Greek

Etymology

According to Beekes, perhaps from a Proto-Indo-European root (of possible onomatopoeic origin) common to Sanskrit कृकर (kṛkara, a kind of partridge), Russian кре́чет (kréčet, gyrfalcon), Old Prussian kerko (diver, loon), and Irish cearc (hen). The word has also been compared with κερκάς (kerkás, crake), κερκιθαλίς (kerkithalís, stork) and κέρκνος (kérknos, hawk or cock).[1]

Pronunciation

 

Noun

κρέξ • (kréx) f (genitive κρεκός); third declension

  1. long-legged bird, perhaps:
    1. corncrake (Crex crex)
    2. ruff (Philomachus pugnax)
  2. name of ill omen to the newly married
  3. noisy braggart

Declension

Descendants

  • Translingual: Crex

References

  1. Beekes, Robert S. P. (2010) “κρέξ, κρεκός”, in Etymological Dictionary of Greek (Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series; 10), with the assistance of Lucien van Beek, Leiden, Boston: Brill, →ISBN, page 776

Further reading

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