γενέτωρ

Forms

γενέτωρ (genétōr) m (genitive γενέτορος); third declension^[1] A Doric dative plural γενετόρεσσι is found in a 3rd-century BC inscription from Entella in Sicily.^[2]

Etymology

It is inherited from Proto-Hellenic *génetōr, inherited from Proto-Indo-European *ǵénh₁tōr (“begetter”), an agent noun formed from Proto-Indo-European *ǵenh₁- (“to beget, give birth”) with the suffix *-tōr.^[1][3] Within Greek it belongs with γίγνομαι (gígnomai, “to be born, become”), from the two-syllable form of the root, and it is the same formation as Latin genitor (“begetter”).^[4][5][1] Beside it stand γενετήρ (genetḗr), with another agent suffix, and the feminine γενέτειρα (genéteira, “mother”), which matches genetrix.^[4][3][6]

Earliest recorded meaning

The DGE's earliest example is in Eumelus, an epic poet it dates to the 8th–7th century BC, where a speaker calls Poseidon the begetter of Lamia, the speaker's mother.^[2]

Semantic evolution

In early poetry and prose it means a begetter or father, and also an ancestor: Xenophanes calls the sea the begetter of clouds and winds, Corinna speaks of “our father Orion”, Euripides pairs it with πατήρ, and Herodotus counts a king's seventh ancestor.^[2][7][8] The treatise On the Cosmos, which goes under Aristotle's name, calls God the begetter of all that happens in the world.^[2][7]

In the Roman period it appears in dedications, as to the emperor Hadrian at Aezani, and often in epitaphs.^[2][7] Of gods it could mean the protector of a family or race.^[5]

Timeline

• 8th–7th century BC – Eumelus uses it of Poseidon as the father of Lamia.^[2]
• 6th–5th century BC – Xenophanes calls the sea the begetter of clouds and winds.^[2][7]
• 5th century BC – Herodotus uses it for an ancestor, and Euripides for a father.^[7][8]
• 4th century BC – The treatise On the Cosmos uses it of God as the creator of the world.^[2][7]
• 2nd century AD – A dedication at Aezani honours Hadrian as begetter.^[2][7]

Meanings

Noun

1. A begetter, father.^[7][8][2]
2. An ancestor, forefather; in the plural, ancestors.^[8][2]
3. A creator, of gods and natural forces.^[2][7]
4. Of gods, the protector of a family or race.^[5]

Related words

• γενετήρ (genetḗr)
• γενέτειρα (genéteira)
• γίγνομαι (gígnomai)
• γένος (génos)
• Latin genitor

References

1. ^ a b c d e f Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l Rodríguez Adrados, Francisco, et al., eds. (1980–), Diccionario Griego-Español, Madrid: CSIC, http://dge.cchs.csic.es/xdge
3. ^ a b Wodtko, Dagmar S.; Irslinger, Britta; Schneider, Carolin (2008), Nomina im indogermanischen Lexikon, Heidelberg: Winter
4. ^ a b 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
5. ^ a b c Πάπυρος–Larousse–Britannica, Μέγα Λεξικό της Ελληνικής Γλώσσας, Athens: Πάπυρος
6. ^ Pokorny, Julius (1959), Indogermanisches etymologisches Wörterbuch, Bern; Munich: Francke
7. ^ a b c d e f g h i Liddell, Henry George; Scott, Robert; Jones, Henry Stuart (1940), A Greek-English Lexicon, 9th ed., Oxford: Clarendon Press
8. ^ a b c d Diggle, James, et al., eds. (2021), The Cambridge Greek Lexicon, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press