Origin and metonymic development of the term γυῖον and its cognates

Abstract

This paper delves into the origin of the term γυῖον and its potential cognates within the Greek language, aiming to determine the cognitive-associative processes involved and to provide a semantically plausible explanation for their development. To achieve this objective, we will first specify the anatomical referent to which this term alludes, with a particular focus on Homeric Greek. Subsequently, an analysis of the potential cognates of γυῖον will be conducted, followed by an investigation into the original meaning of the root *guH-. This analysis will demonstrate that these terms derive from the notion of “curved” and have their origin in a metonymy based on their form. As a result, it will be elucidated that γυῖον originally referred to the knee, and subsequently, through a synecdoche, expanded its meaning to encompass the entire leg—a development that mirrors what is observed in the case of ἀγκών ‘elbow’ and ἀγκάλη ‘arm’ within the domain of the upper limbs—.