κόγχος

Ancient Greek

Alternative forms

Etymology

Unknown. Speculated to be from Proto-Indo-European *ḱongʰ- (“shell, mussel”) because of its striking similarity to Sanskrit शङ्ख (śaṅkhá, “conch, mussel”), but the phonological correspondence between Ancient Greek ⟨χ⟩ (⟨kh⟩) and Sanskrit ⟨ख⟩ (⟨kh⟩) is irregular. More likely from Pre-Greek; compare the similar words καγκύλας (kankúlas, “mussel”) and especially κόχλος (kókhlos, “spiral conch, snail”) and its variants, and note the cluster ⟨γχ⟩ (⟨nkh⟩) which is common in Pre-Greek–derived terms. The Sanskrit word may thus be from a related loan source or substrate.[1]

Alternatively connected to Akkadian 𒅆𒄖𒇲 (IGI.GU.LA₂ /⁠qūqānu⁠/, “an insect; a disease; a parasitic worm”), whence also Jewish Babylonian Aramaic קוּקָנָא (qūqānā) and distorted Classical Syriac ܩܘܪܩܥܐܢ, ܩܘܠܝܘܢ (“parasitic worm”) derive (distinguished from the borrowings of κογχύλιον (konkhúlion) ܩܘܟܐܠܝܘܢ (qūkāliyawn), ܩܘܟܠܝܘܢ (qūkaliyawn), ܩܘܟܠܝܐ (qūkaliyā), ܩܘܚܠܝܐ (qūḥaliyā, “spiral shape”)); for the form-meaning connection compare also Arabic قَوْقَن (qawqan, “shell of a mollusk; mollusk of a shell”) which is allegedly from κοχλίας (kokhlías, “snail with a spiral-shell; spiral”) from Ancient Greek κόχλος (kókhlos, “spiral-shelled mollusk”) or the present word.

According to Lipiński a rendering of Aramaic כּוּכָא (kūḵā, “burial chamber, niche for a grave”) from Akkadian 𒆠𒈤 (KI.MAḪ /⁠kimaḫḫu, kimāḫu⁠/, “burial chamber, sepulchre, grave”).

Pronunciation
 

Noun

κόγχος • (kónkhos) m (genitive κόγχου); second declension

  1. mussel, cockle
  2. small measure (especially of liquid)
  3. mussel shaped container for liquid
  4. The upper part of the skull
  5. lentil soup

Inflection
Second declension of ὁ κόγχος; τοῦ κόγχου (Attic)
Case / # Singular Dual Plural
Nominative ὁ κόγχος
ho kónkhos		 τὼ κόγχω
tṑ kónkhō		 οἱ κόγχοι
hoi kónkhoi
Genitive τοῦ κόγχου
toû kónkhou		 τοῖν κόγχοιν
toîn kónkhoin		 τῶν κόγχων
tôn kónkhōn
Dative τῷ κόγχῳ
tôi kónkhōi		 τοῖν κόγχοιν
toîn kónkhoin		 τοῖς κόγχοις
toîs kónkhois
Accusative τὸν κόγχον
tòn kónkhon		 τὼ κόγχω
tṑ kónkhō		 τοὺς κόγχους
toùs kónkhous
Vocative κόγχε
kónkhe		 κόγχω
kónkhō		 κόγχοι
kónkhoi
Notes:
  • This table gives Attic inflectional endings. For declension in other dialects, see Appendix:Ancient Greek dialectal declension.

Derived terms

References
  1. Beekes, Robert S. P. (2010) “κόγχη”, in Etymological Dictionary of Greek (Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series; 10), with the assistance of Lucien van Beek, Leiden, Boston: Brill, →ISBN, page 728

Further reading
  • “κόγχος”, in Liddell & Scott (1940) A Greek–English Lexicon, Oxford: Clarendon Press
  • κόγχος in Bailly, Anatole (1935) Le Grand Bailly: Dictionnaire grec-français, Paris: Hachette
  • κόγχος in Trapp, Erich, et al. (1994–2007) Lexikon zur byzantinischen Gräzität besonders des 9.-12. Jahrhunderts [the Lexicon of Byzantine Hellenism, Particularly the 9th–12th Centuries], Verlag der Österreichischen Akademie der Wissenschaften
  • Woodhouse, S. C. (1910) English–Greek Dictionary: A Vocabulary of the Attic Language‎, London: Routledge & Kegan Paul Limited.
  • “qwqn”, in The Comprehensive Aramaic Lexicon Project, Cincinnati: Hebrew Union College, 1986–
  • “qwkˀlywn”, in The Comprehensive Aramaic Lexicon Project, Cincinnati: Hebrew Union College, 1986–
  • “qwklywn”, in The Comprehensive Aramaic Lexicon Project, Cincinnati: Hebrew Union College, 1986–
  • “qwkln”, in The Comprehensive Aramaic Lexicon Project, Cincinnati: Hebrew Union College, 1986–
  • “kwk4”, in The Comprehensive Aramaic Lexicon Project, Cincinnati: Hebrew Union College, 1986– – the homonymous כּוּכָא (kūḵā, “hut”) known as Arabic كُوخ (kūḵ) is apparently distinct, see the Arabic for further connections. The other variants of the first word are collected at Kaufman, Stephen A. (1974) The Akkadian Influences on Aramaic (The Oriental Institute of the University of Chicago Assyriological Studies; 19)‎, Chicago and London: The University of Chicago Press, →ISBN, page 64, apparently only the Palmyrene and Nabataean present on CAL.
  • Brockelmann, Carl (1928) Lexicon Syriacum (in Latin), 2nd edition, Halle: Max Niemeyer, published 1995, page 665b
  • Beekes, Robert S. P. (2014) Stefan Norbruis, editor, Pre-Greek: Phonology, Morphology, Lexicon, Leiden: Brill, →ISBN
  • Lipiński, Edward (2001) Semitic Languages: Outline of a Comparative Grammar (Orientalia Lovaniensia Analecta; 80), 2nd edition, Leuven: Peeters, →ISBN, pages 563–564 Nr. 63.9
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