βουλή

Forms

βουλή (boulḗ) f (genitive βουλῆς); first declension^[1] Doric βωλά, Aeolic βόλλα.^[2][3][4]

Etymology

It is probably an action noun from Ancient Greek βούλομαι (boúlomai, “to wish, want”).^[4][1][5] Beekes notes that βουλή itself may have helped spread the ⟨ου⟩ of the verb, but he too thinks the noun is derived from the present.^[5] Frisk explains the verb from a short-vowel subjunctive of an s-aorist, *βόλσομαι (*bólsomai), and the noun from *βολσά (*bolsá).^[6]

The verb's prehistory is disputed: Beekes says only that the root must have been Proto-Indo-European *gʷel-, and Peters proposed a root ending in a laryngeal, *gʷelh₃-, to explain its o-vowel.^[5] Its dialect forms differ widely: Arcadian and Cyprian βόλομαι (bólomai), Lesbian βόλλομαι (bóllomai), Thessalian βέλλομαι (béllomai) and West Greek δήλομαι (dḗlomai).^[5] Plato's Cratylus links βουλή with βολή (bolḗ, “a throw”), as aiming at something.^[7]

Earliest recorded meaning

The proem of the Iliad has it of the will of Zeus being accomplished, and Homer also uses it of counsel and of the council of the elders.^[2][8][3]

Semantic evolution

In Homer and Hesiod the word is will, purpose and plan, counsel given to others, and the council of leading men or of the gods.^[3][2] In the city-states it became a council with decision-making power, and at Athens the Council of 500 set up by Cleisthenes, which prepared the business of the Assembly.^[3][2] Philosophers used it of deliberation, and the orators of a decree.^[2]

In early Christian texts it is above all the purpose or decision of God.^[9] Medieval Greek kept the word.^[10] Modern Greek has βουλή (voulí) in two senses: “will, decision”, continuing the ancient word, and, as a learned borrowing from it, the parliament.^[11]

Timeline

• Homer – The Iliad opens with the will of Zeus being fulfilled and uses the word of a council of elders.^[2][3]
• Before the 6th century BC – Hesiod uses it of counsel and of the council of the gods.^[3][2]
• 5th century BC – Herodotus uses it of the Athenian Council of 500.^[2][3]
• 4th century BC – Aristotle uses it of deliberation.^[2][4]
• 1st–2nd century AD – Christian writings use it of God's purpose.^[9]
• Modern Greek – βουλή (voulí) means both a decision and the parliament.^[11]

Meanings

Noun

1. Will, determination, purpose, especially of the gods.^[2][3]
2. Counsel, design, a plan; advice given to others.^[2][3]
3. Deliberation, consideration.^[2][3]
4. A decision, resolution; a decree.^[2][3]
5. A council of elders or leaders; in the city-states, a deliberative body.^[2][3]
6. (Athens) The Council of 500.^[2][3]

Word family

• βαθύβουλος (bathúboulos)
• βουλεύω (bouleúō)
• βουληφόρος (boulēphóros)
• ἐπιβουλή (epiboulḗ)
• εὔβουλος (eúboulos)

Related words

• βούλομαι (boúlomai)
• βούλευμα (boúleuma)

References

1. ^ a b c d e Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o Liddell, Henry George; Scott, Robert; Jones, Henry Stuart (1940), A Greek-English Lexicon, 9th ed., Oxford: Clarendon Press
3. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m Diggle, James, et al., eds. (2021), The Cambridge Greek Lexicon, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press
4. ^ a b c Rodríguez Adrados, Francisco, et al., eds. (1980–), Diccionario Griego-Español, Madrid: CSIC, http://dge.cchs.csic.es/xdge
5. ^ a b c d 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
6. ^ Frisk, Hjalmar (1960–1972), Griechisches etymologisches Wörterbuch, 3 vols, Heidelberg: Carl Winter
7. ^ Etygram: ancient etymologies of Greek words, CEPAM, Université Côte d'Azur, http://appsweb-cepam.unice.fr/etygram
8. ^ Babiniotis, Georgios (2010), Ετυμολογικό λεξικό της νέας ελληνικής γλώσσας [Etymological Dictionary of Modern Greek], Athens: Κέντρο Λεξικολογίας
9. ^ a b 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. ^ Kriaras, Emmanuel, Επιτομή του Λεξικού της μεσαιωνικής ελληνικής δημώδους γραμματείας 1100–1669, Κέντρο Ελληνικής Γλώσσας, https://www.greek-language.gr
11. ^ a b Ινστιτούτο Νεοελληνικών Σπουδών (Ίδρυμα Μανόλη Τριανταφυλλίδη) (1998), Λεξικό της κοινής νεοελληνικής, Thessaloniki: Aristotle University of Thessaloniki