βαρύς

Forms

βᾰρῠ́ς (barús) m (feminine βᾰρεῖᾰ, neuter βᾰρῠ́); first/third declension^[1]

Etymology

It is inherited from Proto-Hellenic *gʷarus, inherited from Proto-Indo-European *gʷréh₂us (“heavy”).^[1] Beekes reconstructs the zero grade Proto-Indo-European *gʷr̥h₂-u-, the same formation as Sanskrit गुरु (gurú, “heavy”) and the Gothic word for “heavy”, while Latin gravis goes back to the full grade.^[2] brūtus (“heavy, dull”), from an extended Proto-Indo-European *gʷrH-u-to-, was originally an Oscan word.^[2] Within Greek, βάρος (báros, “weight”), βριαρός (briarós, “strong”) and βρίθω (bríthō, “to be heavy”) belong to the same family.^[2][3]

Earliest recorded meaning

In the Iliad it is first used of the heavy, powerful hands of a warrior: Achilles promises Calchas that no one will lay heavy hands on him.^[3][4] Homer also uses it of grievous ruin and grim fate, and of the deep voice of the Cyclops.^[3][5]

Semantic evolution

Heavy in weight, the word was soon used of anything that weighs on a person: harsh enemies and gods, bitter grief, oppressive rule, and, more weakly, troublesome people and serious charges.^[5] Of the senses it means overpowering: a foul smell in Herodotus, strong wine and venom, heavy sleep.^[5] In music and phonetics it means deep, low, opposed to ὀξύς (oxús, “high, sharp”).^[5] Plato applies it to syllables with the grave accent, the βαρεῖα.^[5][1] Plato and Polybius use it of heavy-armed troops, and Herodotus of unwieldy ships.^[5]

In the New Testament it is used of heavy burdens laid on people and, figuratively, of weighty letters and fierce wolves.^[6]

Medieval vernacular Greek used it for heavy, slow, strong, oppressive and hard to digest.^[7] It survives as Modern Greek βαρύς (varís) (feminine βαριά), with a learned feminine βαρεία.^[8] Modern Greek has added such senses as “sad” (a heavy heart) and “deep” (of sleep).^[8][9]

Timeline

• Homer – The Iliad uses it of heavy, powerful hands, and of grievous ruin.^[3][4]
• 5th century BC – Herodotus uses it of a foul smell.^[5][10]
• 5th–4th century BC – Plato uses it of deep sounds and of syllables with the grave accent.^[5][10]
• 2nd century BC – Polybius uses it of heavy-armed troops.^[5][10]
• 1st century AD – The New Testament speaks of “heavy burdens”.^[6]
• Middle Ages – The vernacular uses it for heavy, slow and oppressive.^[7]
• Modern Greek – Modern Greek βαρύς (varís) continues the ancient word.^[8]

Meanings

Adjective

1. Heavy, of great weight.^[5][11]
2. Of men and their hands: heavily built, powerful.^[5][3]
3. Weighed down, laden; of troops, heavy-armed; of ships, unwieldy.^[5]
4. Heavy to bear, burdensome; harsh, oppressive, grievous.^[5][3][6]
5. Troublesome, difficult; of things said, serious.^[5]
6. Overpowering to the senses: of a smell, foul; of sleep, heavy; of wine, strong.^[5]
7. Of sound: deep, low; of a voice, booming.^[5][3]
8. (grammar) Of a syllable: bearing the grave accent.^[5]

Word family

• βαρύτης (barútēs)
• βαρύτονος (barútonos)
• χαλκοβαρής (khalkobarḗs)
• βαρεῖα (bareîa)
• βάρημα (bárēma)
• βαρύνω (barúnō)

Related words

• βάρος (báros)

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. ^ a b c d e f g Cunliffe, Richard John (1924), A Lexicon of the Homeric Dialect, London: Blackie and Son
4. ^ a b Keersmaekers, Alek (2021–2025), GLAUx: The Greek Language Automated corpus, https://github.com/alekkeersmaekers/glaux
5. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q Diggle, James, et al., eds. (2021), The Cambridge Greek Lexicon, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press
6. ^ a b c 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
7. ^ a b Kriaras, Emmanuel, Επιτομή του Λεξικού της μεσαιωνικής ελληνικής δημώδους γραμματείας 1100–1669, Κέντρο Ελληνικής Γλώσσας, https://www.greek-language.gr
8. ^ a b c Ινστιτούτο Νεοελληνικών Σπουδών (Ίδρυμα Μανόλη Τριανταφυλλίδη) (1998), Λεξικό της κοινής νεοελληνικής, Thessaloniki: Aristotle University of Thessaloniki
9. ^ Πάπυρος–Larousse–Britannica, Μέγα Λεξικό της Ελληνικής Γλώσσας, Athens: Πάπυρος
10. ^ a b c Rodríguez Adrados, Francisco, et al., eds. (1980–), Diccionario Griego-Español, Madrid: CSIC, http://dge.cchs.csic.es/xdge
11. ^ Liddell, Henry George; Scott, Robert; Jones, Henry Stuart (1940), A Greek-English Lexicon, 9th ed., Oxford: Clarendon Press