Etymologically
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βάσκω

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Pronunciation

  • 5th-century BC Attic: /bás.kɔː/[1]
  • 4th-century AD Koine: /ˈβas.ko/[1]
  • 10th-century Byzantine: /ˈvas.ko/[1]

Forms

βᾰ́σκω (báskō) [1]

Etymology

It is inherited from Proto-Hellenic *gʷəskō, inherited from Proto-Indo-European *gʷm̥-sḱé-ti, a present in *-sḱe- made from the zero grade of *gʷem- (“to step, come”).[1][2][3] It matches Sanskrit गच्छति (gácchati, “goes”) exactly.[2][1] Βαίνω (baínō), from the same root, is a present in *-ye- like Latin veniō (“to come”), and the full grade is seen in Gothic 𐌵𐌹𐌼𐌰𐌽 (qiman, “to come”).[2]

Earliest recorded meaning

In Homer it occurs only in the imperative, together with the imperative of εἶμι (eîmi, “to go”), “away, go!”, addressed to the Dream, to Iris and to Hermes.[4][5]

Semantic evolution

Later poets kept it as a rare poetic imperative: Aeschylus has it in lyric for “come!”, Aristophanes uses the plural, “be on your way”, and Apollonius of Rhodes takes up the Homeric use.[6][7] A gloss of Hesychius with the sense “go” is probably a false reading.[6]

Timeline

  • Homer – The Iliad uses the imperative to send a messenger on its way.[4][5]
  • 6th–5th century BC – Aeschylus uses the imperative in lyric for “come!”.[6][7][8]
  • 5th–4th century BC – Aristophanes uses the plural imperative.[6][7][8]
  • 3rd century BC – Apollonius of Rhodes uses it.[7][8]

Meanings

Verb

  1. (imperative only) Go, be on your way; hurry.[6][7][4]
  2. (imperative only) Come; step forth.[6][7]

Usage notes

The DGE has a separate verb of this spelling, known only from a gloss of Hesychius, “to speak, to speak ill”, which it derives from the root of βάζω (bázō).[8][9]

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c 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
  3. ^ Rix, Helmut, et al. (2001), Lexikon der indogermanischen Verben, 2nd ed., Wiesbaden: Reichert
  4. ^ a b c Cunliffe, Richard John (1924), A Lexicon of the Homeric Dialect, London: Blackie and Son
  5. ^ a b Autenrieth, Georg (1891), A Homeric Dictionary for Schools and Colleges, tr. Robert P. Keep, New York: Harper and Brothers
  6. ^ a b c d e f Liddell, Henry George; Scott, Robert; Jones, Henry Stuart (1940), A Greek-English Lexicon, 9th ed., Oxford: Clarendon Press
  7. ^ a b c d e f Diggle, James, et al., eds. (2021), The Cambridge Greek Lexicon, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press
  8. ^ a b c d Rodríguez Adrados, Francisco, et al., eds. (1980–), Diccionario Griego-Español, Madrid: CSIC, http://dge.cchs.csic.es/xdge
  9. ^ Hesychius of Alexandria, Lexicon, ed. Kurt Latte (Α–Ο, Copenhagen 1953–1966) and Moritz Schmidt (Π–Ω, Jena 1858–1868)