σκέπαρνος
ἐν πίθῳ τὴν κεραμείαν μανθάνειν → in breaking many pots, the potter learns his craft | of those who undertake the most difficult tasks without learning the elements of the art | don't run before you can walk
German (Pape)
[Seite 892] ὁ, = σκέπαρνον; Soph. frg. 787 bei Hdn. περὶ μον. λ. p. 34, 3; Phot.
Russian (Dvoretsky)
σκέπαρνος: ὁ Soph. = σκέπαρνον.
Frisk Etymological English
Grammatical information: m.
Meaning: axe for working wood, chip-axe (Od., S. Fr. 797, hell. a. late), metaph. as des. of a chirurgical bandage (Hp.).
Other forms: -ον n.
Compounds: As 2. member a.o. in ἀμφι-σκέπαρνος smoothened on both sides (Miletos, Didyma).
Derivatives: σκεπάρν-ιον n. pillar (Didyma IIa), -ηδόν adv. like a kind of σ.-bandage (Hp.), -ίζω to work with a σ. (Hero), with (ἀπο-)-ισμός m. (medic.).
Origin: PG [a word of Pre-Greek origin] (S)
Etymology: An IE etymology can be constructed, if one accepts a combination of ρ- and ν-suffixes (Solmsen Wortforsch. 210; cf. Bechtel Lex. s. v. and Specht Ursprung 350) and connects a in Balto-Slavic widely represented group of words, e.g. Russ. ščepátь split, crumble, diminish, Latv. šk̨ẽpele split off piece, sherd. To this are also to be connected the words discussed under κόπτω and σκάπτω; s. vv. w. lit.; to this Vasmer s. ščepá and Fraenkel s. skẽpeta. To avoid the anyhow awkward ρν-suffix, Niedermann IF 37, 149 f. assumes a metathesis from *σκέρπανος, to IE sker-p- in NHG Scherbe, schürfen etc. etc. (cf. κρώπιον and σκορπίος w. lit.); a hypotetical supposition. So like many other instrument names a LW [loanword] (Schwyzer 491 w. lit.)? -- To be rejected Güntert Reimwortbild. 128. -- No doubt a Pre-Greek word.
