# κνάω
## Ancient Greek
### Alternative forms

* κνήθω (knḗthō) — late
* κναίω (knaíō)

### Etymology

From Proto-Indo-European *kneh₂- (“to scratch”). Cognate with Proto-West Germanic *hnōjan, Proto-Celtic *knāyeti (“to bite, chew”), and Lithuanian knója (“to peel”).

### Pronunciation

* IPA: /kná.ɔː/ → /ˈkna.o/ → /ˈkna.o/
* (5th BCE Attic) IPA: /kná.ɔː/
* (1st CE Egyptian) IPA: /ˈkna.o/
* (4th CE Koine) IPA: /ˈkna.o/
* (10th CE Byzantine) IPA: /ˈkna.o/
* (15th CE Constantinopolitan) IPA: /ˈkna.o/

### Verb

κνάω • (knáō)
* to scrape, scratch
** 484 BCE – 425 BCE, Herodotus, The Histories 7.239.4:ἐπεὶ δὲ καὶ ἀπίκετο ἐς τὴν Λακεδαίμονα, οὐκ εἶχον συμβαλέσθαι οἱ Λακεδαιμόνιοι, πρίν γε δή σφι, ὡς ἐγὼ πυνθάνομαι, Κλεομένεος μὲν θυγάτηρ Λεωνίδεω δὲ γυνὴ Γοργὼ ὑπέθετο ἐπιφρασθεῖσα αὐτή, τὸν κηρὸν κνᾶν κελεύουσα, καὶ εὑρήσειν σφέας γράμματα ἐν τῷ ξύλῳ.epeì dè kaì apíketo es tḕn Lakedaímona, ouk eîkhon sumbalésthai hoi Lakedaimónioi, prín ge dḗ sphi, hōs egṑ punthánomai, Kleoméneos mèn thugátēr Leōnídeō dè gunḕ Gorgṑ hupétheto epiphrastheîsa autḗ, tòn kēròn knân keleúousa, kaì heurḗsein sphéas grámmata en tôi xúlōi.(please add an English translation of this quotation)
** 800 BCE – 600 BCE, Homer, Illiad 11.638-639:ἐν τῷ ῥά σφι κύκησε γυνὴ ἐϊκυῖα θεῇσιν οἴνῳ Πραμνείῳ, ἐπὶ δʼ αἴγειον κνῆ τυρὸνen tôi rhá sphi kúkēse gunḕ eïkuîa theêisin oínōi Pramneíōi, epì d aígeion knê turòn(please add an English translation of this quotation)
** 380 BCE, Plato, Gorgias 494c:καὶ πρῶτον μὲν εἰπὲ εἰ καὶ ψωρῶντα καὶ κνησιῶντα, ἀφθόνως ἔχοντα τοῦ κνῆσθαι, κνώμενον διατελοῦντα τὸν βίον εὐδαιμόνως ἔστι ζῆν.kaì prôton mèn eipè ei kaì psōrônta kaì knēsiônta, aphthónōs ékhonta toû knêsthai, knṓmenon diateloûnta tòn bíon eudaimónōs ésti zên.(please add an English translation of this quotation)
** 460 BCE – 370 BCE, Hippocrates of Kos, De Fracturis 21:γίνεται δὲ οὐδὲν τοιοῦτο, ἢν μὴ ἄγαν τις πιέζῃ τὸ κάτηγμα, ἢ κατακρεμάμενον ἔχῃ, ἢ κνῆται τῇ χειρὶ, ἢ ἄλλο τι προσπίπτῃ ἐρεθιστικὸν πρὸς τὸν χρῶτα.gínetai dè oudèn toioûto, ḕn mḕ ágan tis piézēi tò kátēgma, ḕ katakremámenon ékhēi, ḕ knêtai têi kheirì, ḕ állo ti prospíptēi erethistikòn pròs tòn khrôta.(please add an English translation of this quotation)
* to tickle
** 125 CE – 200 CE, Lucian, De Saltatione 2:ὥστε ἔγωγε πυθόμενος ὡς ἐπὶ τοιαύτῃ θέᾳ σχολάζοις, οὐκ ᾐδέσθην μόνον ὑπὲρ σοῦ ἀλλὰ καὶ ἠνιάθην εἰ Πλάτωνος καὶ Χρυσίππου καὶ Ἀριστοτέλους ἐκλαθόμενος κάθησαι τὸ ὅμοιον πεπονθὼς τοῖς τὰ ὦτα πτερῷ κνωμένοις, καὶ ταῦτα μυρίων ἄλλων ὄντων ἀκουσμάτων καὶ θεαμάτων σπουδαίων, εἰ τούτων τις δέοιτο, τῶν κυκλίων αὐλητῶν καὶ τῶν κιθάρᾳ τὰ ἔννομα προσᾳδόντων, καὶ μάλιστα τῆς σεμνῆς τραγῳδίας καὶ τῆς φαιδροτάτης κωμῳδίας, ἅπερ καὶ ἐναγώνια εἶναι ἠξίωται.hṓste égōge puthómenos hōs epì toiaútēi théāi skholázois, ouk ēidésthēn mónon hupèr soû allà kaì ēniáthēn ei Plátōnos kaì Khrusíppou kaì Aristotélous eklathómenos káthēsai tò hómoion peponthṑs toîs tà ôta pterôi knōménois, kaì taûta muríōn állōn óntōn akousmátōn kaì theamátōn spoudaíōn, ei toútōn tis déoito, tôn kuklíōn aulētôn kaì tôn kithárāi tà énnoma prosāidóntōn, kaì málista tês semnês tragōidías kaì tês phaidrotátēs kōmōidías, háper kaì enagṓnia eînai ēxíōtai.(please add an English translation of this quotation)

#### Usage notes

* One text contains the corrupted infinitive κνεῖν (kneîn)
* The Doric forms κνᾷ (knâi), κνῆν (knên), and κνάσαιο (knásaio) are attested
* The Ionic form κνᾶν (knân) is attested
* The Epic form κνῆ (knê) is attested

#### Derived terms

* ἀνακνάω (anaknáō)
* εἰσκνάω (eisknáō)
* ἐκκνάω (ekknáō)
* ἐπικνάω (epiknáō)
* κατακνάω (kataknáō)

#### Related terms

* ἄκνησμος (áknēsmos)
* ἀπόκνησις (apóknēsis)
* κατακνῆστις (kataknêstis)
* κνησιάω (knēsiáō)
* κνῆσις (knêsis)
* κνησίχρυσος (knēsíkhrusos)
* κνῆσμα (knêsma)
* κνησμονή (knēsmonḗ)
* κνησμός (knēsmós)
* κνησμώδης (knēsmṓdēs)
* κνηστέον (knēstéon)
* κνηστήρ (knēstḗr)
* κνηστικός (knēstikós)
* κνῆστις (knêstis)
* κνηστός (knēstós)
* κνηστρίον (knēstríon)
* ὀφρύκνηστον (ophrúknēston)
* τυρόκνηστις (turóknēstis)

### References

* “κνάω”, in Liddell & Scott (1940) A Greek–English Lexicon, Oxford: Clarendon Press
* “κνάω”, in Liddell & Scott (1889) An Intermediate Greek–English Lexicon, New York: Harper & Brothers
* κνάω in Cunliffe, Richard J. (1924) A Lexicon of the Homeric Dialect: Expanded Edition, Norman: University of Oklahoma Press, published 1963
* “κνάω”, in Autenrieth, Georg (1891) A Homeric Dictionary for Schools and Colleges, New York: Harper and Brothers
* κνάω in Bailly, Anatole (1935) Le Grand Bailly: Dictionnaire grec-français, Paris: Hachette
* κνάω, in ΛΟΓΕΙΟΝ [Logeion] Dictionaries for Ancient Greek and Latin (in English, French, Spanish, German, Dutch and Chinese), University of Chicago, since 2011
* 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, page 721