ψηφίζωpsēphizō
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Root
-pwanya
to smash, to crush, to pound to pieces
Greek psephizo traces through the grind root to Shona pwanya, to crush
- Confidence
- 34/100
- Root language
- Shona
- Descent begins
- ψηφίζωGreek
The consensus position
Mainstream comparative linguistics derives ψηφίζω as a denominative of ψῆφος 'pebble, voting stone', with the arithmetical sense from reckoning by pebbles and the political sense from balloting. The origin of ψῆφος itself is disputed: it is traditionally linked to PIE *bʰes- 'rub, grind' alongside ψάμμος and ψάω, but Beekes rejects that connection and classes the word as Pre-Greek substrate.
The working behind this.
The full descent — 7 links from the attested form down to the root — the segment-by-segment correspondences, the phonological breakdown and the case for the derivation are behind an account.
An account opens 10 entries in full, free.
Elsewhere in the corpus
- Pelagiaparato spread out, to lay out flat, to clear a surface level
- Kérberoskerekato be smeared, streaked, marked with dirt; causative kerekedza, to streak or daub
- ἀποκτείνω-tekanato be cut off, be broken off, be severed, to snap
- μάχαιραmhakamatter, case, dispute, cause of quarrel; fault, blame, the grounds on which one is answerable
- βλασφημία-bvato come out, to issue forth; in the derived bvuma, to give voice, to assent
- Theosmutsakindness, favour, mercy