γλοιός

Forms

γλοιός (gloiós) m (genitive γλοιοῦ); second declension^[1]

Etymology

It belongs to a family of words for sticky matter found in several European languages,^[2] inherited from Proto-Indo-European *gley- (“to glue, stick together”).^[1] Two pre-forms are possible: a form with a digamma would match Proto-Slavic *glěvъ (“slime”), while a form with a yod would correspond to Proto-Germanic *klajjaz (“clay”), the source of Old English clǣg.^[2][3][1]

A form with a nasal suffix appears in Greek γλίνη (glínē) and in Slavic words for mud and clay, and a nasal present in Old Irish glenim and Old High German klenan (“to stick, smear”).^[2][3] Greek words of the same root with other vowel grades are γλία (glía), γλίσχρος (glískhros) and γλίχομαι (glíkhomai); the DGE calls the root expressive.^[4][1]

Earliest recorded meaning

Semonides uses it for the oily sediment left in baths.^[5][6]

Semantic evolution

Herodotus applies it to the gum of trees, and Aristotle speaks of a “most glutinous” gum.^[5][6] It was used especially for the mixture of oil, sweat and dirt that athletes scraped off their skin with the strigil.^[5][2] In Aristophanes' Clouds it is a term of abuse for a slippery, knavish fellow.^[5][6]

Physicians kept the word: Soranus and Galen use it, and the veterinary writers mention a “children's” γλοιός as a substitute for butter in ointments.^[5][7] In papyri it is also used as an adjective.^[2]

Timeline

• 7th–6th century BC – Semonides uses it of the oily sediment in baths.^[5][4]
• 5th century BC – Herodotus uses it for the gum of trees.^[5][6][4]
• 5th–4th century BC – Aristophanes uses it as a term of abuse.^[6][4]
• 1st–2nd century AD – Soranus uses it in medicine.^[5][4]
• 3rd century AD – An Oxyrhynchus papyrus records it.^[5]

Meanings

Noun

1. Any glutinous or viscous substance; gum, slime.^[5][6]
2. The oil and dirt scraped off an athlete's skin with the στλεγγίς (stlengís); oily sediment in baths.^[5][2]
3. (of a person, as abuse) A slimy, slippery fellow.^[6][5]

Adjective

1. Slippery, knavish.^[5]

Related words

• γλία (glía)
• γλίνη (glínē)
• γλίσχρος (glískhros)
• γλίχομαι (glíkhomai)
• English clay

References

1. ^ a b c d e f g Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d e f 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 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
4. ^ a b c d e Rodríguez Adrados, Francisco, et al., eds. (1980–), Diccionario Griego-Español, Madrid: CSIC, http://dge.cchs.csic.es/xdge
5. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m Liddell, Henry George; Scott, Robert; Jones, Henry Stuart (1940), A Greek-English Lexicon, 9th ed., Oxford: Clarendon Press
6. ^ a b c d e f g Diggle, James, et al., eds. (2021), The Cambridge Greek Lexicon, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press
7. ^ Keersmaekers, Alek (2021–2025), GLAUx: The Greek Language Automated corpus, https://github.com/alekkeersmaekers/glaux