αἴρω

Forms

αἴρω (aírō); future ἀρῶ, aorist ἦρα, perfect ἦρκα; passive aorist ἤρθην.^[2][3]

Etymology

It is the Attic form of ἀείρω (aeírō, “to raise”), the verb of Homer.^[4][2][3] Frisk took it to be a recent formation on the Attic future ἀρῶ (arô), from earlier ἀερῶ (aerô).^[4] Beekes finds convincing Taillardat's view, which makes it inherited from Proto-Hellenic *awr̥-je/o-, a present with the zero grade of the same root.^[4] That root is reconstructed as Proto-Indo-European *h₂wer-, with no sure cognates.^[4][1] The DGE calls the origin unknown unless the verb is derived from the stem of ἀήρ (āḗr, “air”), but Beekes rejects that link, since the word for air has a long vowel.^[5][4]

Earliest recorded meaning

The Attic form is found in Aeschylus, who uses it for raising the head.^[5][2] Homer and some later writers keep ἀείρω (aeírō).^[3]

Semantic evolution

The Cambridge Greek Lexicon groups the senses of the verb in six families: lifting and raising (with the intransitive and passive “rise”), picking up and carrying, taking upon oneself or undertaking, increasing in importance or amount, raising to a heightened state of feeling, and starting a departure.^[2] Things raised include the hands in prayer or to vote, the head and eyes, masts, sails and signals, and weapons raised to strike.^[2][5] The middle meant to take up something for oneself, a burden or a war.^[2]

In the New Testament it is common for lifting up, carrying and taking away.^[3] Medieval Greek kept it only as a learned word.^[6] Modern Greek uses αίρω (éro) as a learned word, to lift, with senses modelled on French élever and lever.^[7]

Timeline

• 6th–5th century BC – Aeschylus has the Attic form, for raising the head.^[5][2]
• 5th century BC – Thucydides uses it of raising a wall and of signals raised.^[2][5]
• 5th–4th century BC – Andocides and Aristophanes use it for raising the hand to vote.^[2][5]
• 1st century AD – The New Testament uses it for lifting, carrying and taking away.^[3]
• Modern Greek – αίρω is a learned word, partly modelled on French.^[7]

Meanings

Verb

1. To lift, raise: an object, the hands (in prayer, to vote), the head or eyes, a mast or sail, a signal, a weapon.^[2][5]
2. (intransitive and passive) To rise, of dust, waves or winds.^[2]
3. To pick up and carry, take along; to take away.^[2][3]
4. (middle) To take upon oneself, undertake.^[2]
5. To increase or exalt; to excite feeling.^[2]
6. To start a departure, set out.^[2]

Related words

• ἀείρω (aeírō)
• ἄρσις (ársis)
• μετέωρος (metéōros)

References

1. ^ a b c d Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o Diggle, James, et al., eds. (2021), The Cambridge Greek Lexicon, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press
3. ^ a b c d e f Bauer, Walter; Danker, Frederick W., et al. (2000), A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament and Other Early Christian Literature, 3rd ed., Chicago: University of Chicago Press
4. ^ a b c d e Beekes, Robert S. P. (2010), Etymological Dictionary of Greek, with the assistance of Lucien van Beek, Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series 10, Leiden; Boston: Brill
5. ^ a b c d e f g Rodríguez Adrados, Francisco, et al., eds. (1980–), Diccionario Griego-Español, Madrid: CSIC, http://dge.cchs.csic.es/xdge
6. ^ Kriaras, Emmanuel, Επιτομή του Λεξικού της μεσαιωνικής ελληνικής δημώδους γραμματείας 1100–1669, Κέντρο Ελληνικής Γλώσσας, https://www.greek-language.gr
7. ^ a b Ινστιτούτο Νεοελληνικών Σπουδών (Ίδρυμα Μανόλη Τριανταφυλλίδη) (1998), Λεξικό της κοινής νεοελληνικής, Thessaloniki: Aristotle University of Thessaloniki