krínō
From Proto-Hellenic *kríňňō, from Proto-Indo-European *kri-n-ye-, from *krey-. Cognates include English rinse, Latin cernō (“I separate, discern”), and Welsh gogrynu.
The root of the verb was originally short, but the Attic–Ionic–Doric present tense κρῑ́νω (krī́nō) has a long ῑ (ī) because the vowel of the root was compensatorily lengthened after the shortening of Proto-Hellenic *ňň, and the aorist ἔκρῑνᾰ (ékrīna) has long ῑ (ī) because of compensatory lengthening after the loss of the aorist tense-marker /s/ in the original form /ekrin-sa/. The Aeolic present κρῐ́ννω (krínnō) and aorist ἔκρῐννε (ékrinne) have a short ῐ (i) and doubled νν (nn) because the consonant ν (n) was compensatorily lengthened instead of the vowel.
Pronunciation
Verb
κρῑ́νω • (krī́nō) first-singular present indicative
- (transitive) to separate, divide, part, distinguish between two things or people or among a group of things or people
- (transitive) to order, arrange
- to inquire, investigate
- to select, choose, prefer
- (transitive) to decide a dispute or contest, with accusative of the contest or dispute, or accusative of a person involved in the contest or dispute; (intransitive) to pass judgement, come to a decision
- (middle voice, passive voice) to have a contest decided
- (middle voice and passive voice) to contend, dispute, quarrel
- to decide or judge [+accusative and infinitive = that something does something], [+accusative and accusative = that something is something]
- to discern between good and bad
- to judge, pronounce
- to bring to court, accuse
- to pass sentence on, condemn, criticize
- to secrete