βάπτω

Forms

βᾰ́πτω (báptō) ^[1]

Etymology

In Wiktionary's view it is inherited from Proto-Indo-European *gʷh₂bʰ-yé-ti, a present in *-ye- of *gʷeh₂bʰ- (“to dip, dive in”).^[1][2] It is often compared with Old Norse kvefja (“to press down, immerse, choke”), as Frisk does, but Beekes objects that this leaves the /a/ unexplained, and he leaves the origin open.^[3][4] The DGE and Babiniotis connect it with the root of βαθύς (bathús, “deep”).^[5][6] Wiktionary adds Proto-Germanic *kwēbijaną and Sanskrit गभीर (gabhīrá, “deep”) as cognates.^[1]

The gloss βύπτειν (búptein) “to dip” in Hesychius is perhaps an analogical form after δύπτω (dúptō), not an old zero grade.^[3] Ancient grammarians derived βάπτω from βαίνω (baínō, “to go”), because dye “goes down” into the cloth.^[7]

Earliest recorded meaning

In the Odyssey a smith plunges an axe into cold water to temper it.^[4][8][3]

Semantic evolution

Tragedy uses it of plunging a sword into flesh, and Sophocles of dipping arrows and a robe in poison.^[4] From dipping cloth into a vat it came to mean “to dye”, in Aeschylus, Herodotus and Plato, and later to dye the hair or glaze pottery.^[4][3] It also meant to draw water by dipping a vessel, and, used intransitively, of a ship plunging under the waves.^[4][8] Aristophanes joked about being dyed in the red of Sardis (a bloody head) and in the dye of Cyzicus (cowardice).^[4]

In the New Testament it is used of dipping a fingertip in water and a morsel in a dish.^[9][8] Epictetus uses the passive participle of one who has been “dipped”, that is, has become a Jew; the usual word for baptism was the derivative βαπτίζω (baptízō).^[4][9][3] Medieval Greek remade it as Modern Greek βάφω (váfo) from the aorist έβαψα, on the model of verbs such as αλείφω; in Modern Greek it means “to dye, paint”.^[10][6] Medieval vernacular Greek also kept βάπτω.^[11]

Timeline

• Homer – The Odyssey uses it of tempering an axe in water.^[4][12]
• 6th–5th century BC – Aeschylus uses it of a sword dyeing a robe red.^[4]
• 5th century BC – Herodotus speaks of dyed garments.^[4]
• 1st century AD – The New Testament uses it of dipping a morsel in a dish.^[9]
• 2nd century AD – Arrian's Epictetus uses it of becoming a Jew.^[4][9]
• Medieval Greek – The new present βάφω replaces it.^[10][6]

Meanings

Verb

1. To dip or plunge, as red-hot iron into water to temper it; to plunge a weapon into flesh.^[4][8]
2. To dip in poison.^[4]
3. To dye; to dye the hair; to glaze pottery.^[4]
4. To draw water by dipping a vessel.^[4][8]
5. To wet or drench.^[8]
6. (intransitive) Of a ship, to sink or plunge under the waves.^[4][8]
7. (late) To baptize.^[4]

Word family

• βαπτίζω (baptízō)
• βαπτός (baptós)
• βαφεύς (bapheús)
• ἁλίβαπτος (halíbaptos)
• πελεθοβάψ (pelethobáps)
• χρυσοβαφής (khrūsobaphḗs)

Related words

• βαθύς (bathús)

References

1. ^ a b c d e f Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ Rix, Helmut, et al. (2001), Lexikon der indogermanischen Verben, 2nd ed., Wiesbaden: Reichert
3. ^ 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
4. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q Liddell, Henry George; Scott, Robert; Jones, Henry Stuart (1940), A Greek-English Lexicon, 9th ed., Oxford: Clarendon Press
5. ^ Rodríguez Adrados, Francisco, et al., eds. (1980–), Diccionario Griego-Español, Madrid: CSIC, http://dge.cchs.csic.es/xdge
6. ^ a b c Babiniotis, Georgios (2010), Ετυμολογικό λεξικό της νέας ελληνικής γλώσσας [Etymological Dictionary of Modern Greek], Athens: Κέντρο Λεξικολογίας
7. ^ Etygram: ancient etymologies of Greek words, CEPAM, Université Côte d'Azur, http://appsweb-cepam.unice.fr/etygram
8. ^ a b c d e f g Diggle, James, et al., eds. (2021), The Cambridge Greek Lexicon, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press
9. ^ a b c d 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
10. ^ a b Ινστιτούτο Νεοελληνικών Σπουδών (Ίδρυμα Μανόλη Τριανταφυλλίδη) (1998), Λεξικό της κοινής νεοελληνικής, Thessaloniki: Aristotle University of Thessaloniki
11. ^ Kriaras, Emmanuel, Επιτομή του Λεξικού της μεσαιωνικής ελληνικής δημώδους γραμματείας 1100–1669, Κέντρο Ελληνικής Γλώσσας, https://www.greek-language.gr
12. ^ Keersmaekers, Alek (2021–2025), GLAUx: The Greek Language Automated corpus, https://github.com/alekkeersmaekers/glaux