Ancient Greek

edit

Etymology

edit

From Proto-Hellenic *keřřō, from Proto-Indo-European *(s)kér-ye-, *ye-present from the root *(s)ker- (to cut). Cognate with Old English scieran (English shear), Old Armenian քերեմ (kʻerem, I scratch).[1]

Pronunciation

edit
 

Verb

edit

κείρω (keírō)

  1. to shear, shave, cut hair short
    • The Greek New Testament, Acts 8:32:
      ὡς πρόβατον ἐπὶ σφαγὴν ἤχθη· καὶ ὡς ἀμνὸς ἐναντίον τοῦ κείραντος αὐτὸν ἄφωνος, οὕτως οὐκ ἀνοίγει τὸ στόμα αὐτοῦ.
      He was led as a sheep to the slaughter; and like a lamb dumb before his shearer, so opened he not his mouth.
    • The Greek New Testament, Acts 18:18:
      κειράμενος τὴν κεφαλήν ἐν Κεγχρεαῖς· εἶχε γὰρ εὐχήν.
      having shorn his head in Cenchrea: for he had a vow.
  2. to ravage, waste
  3. to destroy, consume, devour
  4. to cut short, lessen, reduce

Inflection

edit

Derived terms

edit

References

edit
  1. ^ Beekes, Robert S. P. (2010) “κείρω”, in Etymological Dictionary of Greek (Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series; 10), with the assistance of Lucien van Beek, Leiden, Boston: Brill, →ISBN, page 665

Further reading

edit