κάνναβις

Ancient Greek

Alternative forms

κάνναβος (kánnabos)

Etymology

A Kulturwort or Wanderwort of unknown ultimate origin:

perhaps Scythian or Thracian^[1] (according to a remark made by Herodotus, that Scythians and Thracians knew the plant^[2])
or possibly “belonging to the pre-Indo-European agricultural layer”.^[3] A proposal going back to Schrader derives the word from Proto-Finno-Ugric *kana-pis: compare Eastern Mari кыне́ (kyńé), Western Mari кӹне (kÿńe, “hemp”) and Komi-Permyak пыш (pyš), Udmurt пыш (pyš, “hemp”),^[4]^[5] but Finno-Ugricists deny the existence of such a compound.^[6]

Compare (within the Indo-European language family) Albanian kërp, Old Armenian կանեփ (kanepʻ), կանափ (kanapʻ),^[7] Proto-Slavic *konopь,^[2]^[6] Lithuanian kanãpė, Latvian kaņepe, Old Prussian knapios, Proto-Germanic *hanapiz (> English hemp),^[3] Middle Persian [script needed] (kʾnb /⁠kā̆naβ⁠/), Persian (kanab), (kanav), (kanaf, “kenaf”),^[8] Northern Kurdish kinif,^[9] Sogdian 𐼸𐼷‎𐼻𐼾𐼰 (ky‎npʾ /⁠kēnapā⁠/),^[10] Khwarezmian 𐾻𐾾𐾲-𐾺𐾾𐾻 (knβ-ynk), Ossetian гӕн (gæn), гӕнӕ (gænæ), Khotanese 𐨐𐨎𐨱 (kaṃha), 𐨐𐨂𐨎𐨦𐨌 (kuṃbā),^[11] Wakhi kəm,^[12] perhaps also to Sanskrit श॒ण (śaṇá), Middle Persian [script needed] (šn' /⁠šan⁠/), the satem variants of the same etymon, and to Sanskrit भाङ्ग (bhāṅga), Persian (bang), the reverse forms of it (due to a taboo).

Compare further Neo-Assyrian Akkadian 𒋆𒄣𒌦𒈾𒁍 (qunnabu), Classical Syriac ܩܢܦܐ (qnpʾ),^[3] Arabic قِنَّب (qinnab), Georgian კანაფი (ḳanapi), Svan ქან (kan), Mingrelian კიფი (ḳipi), Laz კერფი (ǩerpi), West Circassian кӏэп (kʼɛp), East Circassian щӏэп (śʼɛp), Abkhaz ақәны (akʷnə), Eastern Mari кыне (kyńe), Karakalpak [script needed] (kenep), Turkish kendir. The interrelationship of all these forms is disputed.

More at Etymology of cannabis.

Pronunciation

(5^th BCE Attic) IPA^(key): /kán.na.bis/
(1^st CE Egyptian) IPA^(key): /ˈkan.na.bis/
(4^th CE Koine) IPA^(key): /ˈkan.na.βis/
(10^th CE Byzantine) IPA^(key): /ˈkan.na.vis/
(15^th CE Constantinopolitan) IPA^(key): /ˈka.na.vis/

Noun

κάννᾰβῐς • (kánnăbĭs) f (genitive καννάβῐος or καννάβεως or καννάβῐδος); third declension

(uncountable) hemp (Cannabis sativa)
Synonym: θᾰλᾰσσαίγλη (thălăssaíglē)
(countable) hemp seed

Declension

Third declension of ἡ κάνναβῐς; τῆς καννάβῐος / καννάβεως (Attic)

Case / #	Singular
Nominative	ἡ κάνναβῐς hē kánnabĭs
Genitive	τῆς καννάβῐος / καννάβεως tês kannábĭos / kannábeōs
Dative	τῇ καννάβει tēî kannábei
Accusative	τὴν κάνναβῐν tḕn kánnabĭn
Vocative	κάνναβῐ kánnabĭ
Notes:	This table gives Attic inflectional endings. For declension in other dialects, see Appendix:Ancient Greek dialectal declension.

Third declension of ἡ κάνναβῐς; τῆς καννάβῐδος (Attic)

Case / #	Singular	Plural
Nominative	ἡ κάνναβῐς hē kánnabĭs	αἱ καννάβῐδες hai kannábĭdes
Genitive	τῆς καννάβῐδος tês kannábĭdos	τῶν κανναβῐ́δων tôn kannabĭ́dōn
Dative	τῇ καννάβῐδῐ tēî kannábĭdĭ	ταῖς καννάβῐσῐ / καννάβῐσῐν taîs kannábĭsĭ(n)
Accusative	τὴν κάνναβῐν tḕn kánnabĭn	τᾱ̀ς καννάβῐδᾰς tā̀s kannábĭdăs
Vocative	κάνναβῐ kánnabĭ	καννάβῐδες kannábĭdes
Notes:	This table gives Attic inflectional endings. For declension in other dialects, see Appendix:Ancient Greek dialectal declension. Nominative singular -ς (-s) arose by reduction of the original cluster -δς (-ds).

Derived terms

κανναβάριος (kannabários)
καννάβινος (kannábinos)
καννάβιον (kannábion)
κανναβίς (kannabís)
κανναβισθῆναι (kannabisthênai)
κανναβίσκα (kannabíska)

Descendants

→ Greek: κάνναβη (kánnavi) (learned)
- → Aromanian: cãnavi
→ Latin: cannabis, cannaba, cannabum, cannabus, canapa, canapis, canapus, canava, canva (Late Latin, Vulgar Latin) (see there for further descendants)

References

^ Beekes, Robert S. P. (2010), “κάνναβις”, in Etymological Dictionary of Greek (Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series; 10), volume I, with the assistance of Lucien van Beek, Leiden, Boston: Brill, →ISBN, pages 636-7
↑ ^2.0 ^2.1 Vasmer, Max (1964–1973), “конопля”, in Oleg Trubachyov, transl., Этимологический словарь русского языка [Etymological Dictionary of the Russian Language] (in Russian), Moscow: Progress
↑ ^3.0 ^3.1 ^3.2 Kroonen, Guus (2013), “hanipa-”, in Etymological Dictionary of Proto-Germanic (Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series; 11)‎^[1], Leiden, Boston: Brill, →ISBN
^ Schrader, Otto (1901), Reallexikon der indogermanischen Altertumskunde: Grundzüge einer Kultur- und Völkergeschichte Alteuropas (in German), Strasbourg: Karl J. Trübner, page 331
^ Berneker, Erich (1908–1913), Slavisches etymologisches Wörterbuch (in German), volume I, Heidelberg: Carl Winter's Universitätsbuchhandlung, page 559
↑ ^6.0 ^6.1 Trubachyov, Oleg et al., editors (1963, 1974–2021), “188”, in Этимологический словарь славянских языков [Etymological dictionary of Slavic languages] (in Russian), Moscow: Nauka, page 10
^ Ačaṙean, Hračʻeay (1973), “կանեփ”, in Hayerēn armatakan baṙaran [Armenian Etymological Dictionary] (in Armenian), 2nd edition, a reprint of the original 1926–1935 seven-volume edition, volume II, Yerevan: University Press, page 513ab
^ Edelʹman, D. I. (2011), Etimologičeskij slovarʹ iranskix jazykov [Etymological Dictionary of Iranian Languages] (in Russian), volume IV, Moscow: Vostochnaya Literatura, pages 218–220
^ Cabolov, R. L. (2001), Etimologičeskij slovarʹ kurdskovo jazyka [Etymological Dictionary of the Kurdish Language] (in Russian), volume I, Moscow: Russian Academy Press Vostochnaya Literatura, pages 552–553
^ Abajev, V. I. (1958), Историко-этимологический словарь осетинского языка [Historical-Etymological Dictionary of the Ossetian Language] (in Russian), volume I, Moscow and Leningrad: Academy Press, pages 512–513
^ Bailey, H. W. (1979), Dictionary of Khotan Saka, Cambridge, London, New York, Melbourne: Cambridge University press, pages 51–52, 62
^ Steblin-Kamenskij, I.M. (1999), Etimologičeskij slovarʹ vaxanskovo jazyka [Etymological Dictionary of the Wakhi Language] (in Russian), Saint Petersburg: Peterburgskoje Vostokovedenije, →ISBN, page 216