Etymology help: Crio- and Hieracosphinx

[Gez]

I'm somewhat supposing "crio" stands for "ram" and "hieraco" for "falcon," the same way as "andro" is "man" and "gyno" is "woman," but I'm not sure; and I can't find a decent online dictionary.

If anybody knows enough of ancient Greek and can tell me, that'll be appreciated.

 

[BOZ]

that is an interesting question. i've kind of always wondered myself, but i wouldn't be in the least bit surprised if they have nothing at all to do with animals...

 

[Dogbrain]

I'm somewhat supposing "crio" stands for "ram" and "hieraco" for "falcon," the same way as "andro" is "man" and "gyno" is "woman," but I'm not sure; and I can't find a decent online dictionary.

If anybody knows enough of ancient Greek and can tell me, that'll be appreciated.

You can't find it because it's been mangled through the damnable Latinization filter. The Attic Greek words were κριός, which meant "ram", and ἱέραξ, which meant "falcon".

 

[Gez]

As expected, then. OK, thanks!

 

[Joshua Randall]

I've always thought that criosphinx was an alternate spelling of cryosphinx, which would mean cold-sphinx (cryo = cold; see http://dictionary.reference.com/search?q=cryo ). Although admittedly that doesn't make a whole lot of sense.

Hieraco- seems close to the root of the word hierarch, which is from the Greek for high priest -- see http://dictionary.reference.com/search?r=2&q=hierarch .

Of course I could be completely wrong!

Edit: okay, I'm an idiot. I should have known to use a better dictionary.

http://www.bartleby.com/61/98/C0749800.html
criosphinx
SYLLABICATION:cri·o·sphinx
NOUN:A sphinx with the head of a ram. ETYMOLOGY:Greek krhttp://www.bartleby.com/images/pronunciation/imacr.gifos, ram.
See ker-1 in Appendix I + sphinx.


http://www.bartleby.com/61/92/H0189200.html
[size=+2]hierarch[/size]
[size=-1]SYLLABICATION:[/size]hi·er·arch
[size=-1]NOUN:[/size]1. One who occupies a position of authority in a religious hierarchy.
2. One who occupies a high position in a hierarchy: governmental hierarchs.
[size=-1]ETYMOLOGY:[/size]From Middle English jerarchis, hierarchs, from Medieval Latin
hierarcha, dignitary, prelate, from Greek hierarkhhttp://www.bartleby.com/images/pronunciation/emacr.gifs, high priest : hieros, holy; see eis- in Appendix I + - arkhhttp://www.bartleby.com/images/pronunciation/emacr.gifs, -arch.

 

[Dogbrain]

I've always thought that criosphinx was an alternate spelling of cryosphinx, which would mean cold-sphinx (cryo = cold; see http://dictionary.reference.com/search?q=cryo ). Although admittedly that doesn't make a whole lot of sense.

Hieraco- seems close to the root of the word hierarch, which is from the Greek for high priest -- see http://dictionary.reference.com/search?r=2&q=hierarch .

Of course I could be completely wrong!

You are. The roots are "κριός" and "ἱέραξ", which mean "ram" and "falcon", respectively. These are distinct from the Greek roots "κρύος" (to chill) and
"ἱερεύς" (priest).

 

[BOZ]

i have been known to be wrong before.