γάργαρα

Forms

γάργαρα (gárgara) n pl (genitive γαργάρων); second declension, plural only.^[1][2] With dissimilation γάργαλα, and with another vowel γέργερα, both glossed “many” by Hesychius.^[3][4]

Etymology

Beekes calls it an onomatopoeic formation with reduplication.^[3] Chantraine likewise sees an expressive reduplicated word, found only in comedy and the lexicographers, and allows that γαργαρίζω (gargarízō, “to gargle”) may have influenced it by folk etymology.^[4]

Whether it belongs with ἀγείρω (ageírō, “to gather”) is disputed.^[3][1] The DGE and Pokorny place it with that verb's root Proto-Indo-European *ger- (“to gather”), beside Latin grex (“herd, flock”).^[1][5] Frisk counts it in a group of similar words that resist exact analysis, including that verb and perhaps ἀγοστός (agostós).^[6] Beekes rejects the link with both, and Chantraine says nothing proves it.^[3][4]

The closest parallels are Baltic: Lithuanian gurgulỹs (“tangle of threads, swarm of birds”) and Lithuanian gùrguolė (“crowd of people or bees”), which Beekes takes as independent formations of the same kind.^[3][4][6]

Earliest recorded meaning

The comic poets of the 5th and 4th centuries BC use it for heaps or crowds of people: Aristomenes of men and Alcaeus of people.^[7][1]

Semantic evolution

It never left the comic stage: Chantraine counts only the comic poets and the lexicographers, among them a compound in Aristophanes.^[4] A tragic fragment uses it of money.^[1] The derived verb γαργαίρω (gargaírō, “to swarm”) is also comic.^[3][4] Photius explains the word as meaning a crowd.^[8]

Timeline

• 5th–4th century BC – Aristomenes and the comic poet Alcaeus use it of crowds of people.^[7][1]
• 5th–4th century BC – Aristophanes builds a comic compound on it.^[4][1]
• 5th century AD (probably) – Hesychius records the forms γάργαλα (gárgala) and γέργερα (gérgera) with the gloss “many”.^[3][1]
• 9th century AD – Photius explains it as meaning a multitude.^[8]

Meanings

Noun

1. Heaps, lots, plenty, a crowd (of people, of money).^[7][1][2]

Word family

• γαργαίρω (gargaírō)
• γαργαρίς (gargarís)

Related words

• ἀγείρω (ageírō)

Usage notes

Hesychius has the derivative γαργαρίς (gargarís) glossed “tumult”, and the doubtful γαργάρται (gargártai) glossed “natural stones”, which Chantraine leaves out of the group.^[3][4][9]

References

1. ^ a b c d e f g h i Rodríguez Adrados, Francisco, et al., eds. (1980–), Diccionario Griego-Español, Madrid: CSIC, http://dge.cchs.csic.es/xdge
2. ^ a b Korinthios, J. (2025), Grande Dizionario Greco Classico: Greco–Italiano, digital ed., Milan: Hoepli
3. ^ a b c d e f g h 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 Chantraine, Pierre (2009), Dictionnaire étymologique de la langue grecque: histoire des mots, new ed. with a supplement (Chroniques d'étymologie grecque 1–10), Paris: Klincksieck
5. ^ Pokorny, Julius (1959), Indogermanisches etymologisches Wörterbuch, Bern; Munich: Francke
6. ^ a b Frisk, Hjalmar (1960–1972), Griechisches etymologisches Wörterbuch, 3 vols, Heidelberg: Carl Winter
7. ^ a b c Liddell, Henry George; Scott, Robert; Jones, Henry Stuart (1940), A Greek-English Lexicon, 9th ed., Oxford: Clarendon Press
8. ^ a b Photius, Lexicon, ed. Christos Theodoridis, vol. 1 (Α–Δ) (Berlin: De Gruyter, 1982); ed. Richard Porson (Cambridge, 1822)
9. ^ Hesychius of Alexandria, Lexicon, ed. Kurt Latte (Α–Ο, Copenhagen 1953–1966) and Moritz Schmidt (Π–Ω, Jena 1858–1868)