Learn Greek › B2 › κόπανος
κόπανος
blockhead (idiot, dolt) /koˈpanos/
nounB2#2625 most common
Also: pestle, mallet/beetle (pounding tool), klutz
Example sentences
Είσαι κόπανος!
You're an idiot!
Ο κόπανος είναι δίπλα στο γουδί.
The pestle is next to the mortar.
Μη γίνεσαι κόπανος, σκέψου πριν μιλήσεις.
Don't be a blockhead, think before you speak.
Τον είπε κόπανο μπροστά σε όλους τους συναδέλφους του.
He called him a dolt in front of all his colleagues.
Παρά την ευφυΐα του, συμπεριφέρθηκε σαν κόπανος όταν αρνήθηκε να ακούσει τις συμβουλές τους.
Despite his intelligence, he behaved like a blockhead when he refused to listen to their advice.
Ο γέρος χωρικός έλιωνε το σκόρδο με έναν φθαρμένο ξύλινο κόπανο που είχε κληρονομήσει από τον παππού του.
The old villager crushed the garlic with a worn wooden pestle he had inherited from his grandfather.
Declension
| Case | Singular | Plural |
|---|---|---|
| Nominative | ο κόπανος | οι κόπανοι |
| Genitive | του κόπανου | των κοπάνων |
| Accusative | τον κόπανο | τους κόπανους |
| Vocative | κόπανε | κόπανοι |
Word family
κόπτωto cut, strike, beat
κοπανίζωto pound, crush, mash
κοπανιστό (τυρί)pounded or whipped, as in a cheese spread
κοπανιστήριmortar and pestle set
κάνω κοπάναto play truant, skip school
Etymology
Κόπανος comes from the verb κόπτω, meaning to strike or pound, joined with the instrument-forming suffix -ανος. It first named a wooden beetle or pestle used to pound grain, laundry, or garlic in a mortar. Over time, Greek speakers began using the word as an insult for a person, comparing a dull-witted or clumsy man to a blunt, heavy pounding tool.
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