γλυκύς

Forms

γλῠκῠ́ς (glukús) m (feminine γλῠκεῖᾰ, neuter γλῠκῠ́); first/third declension^[1]

Etymology

Wiktionary reconstructs inherited from Proto-Hellenic *dlukús beside a full grade *dléukus.^[1] The usual comparison is with Latin dulcis (“sweet”), which requires an older *δλυκύς (*dlukús) with initial /dl/ becoming /gl/.^[2][3] Chantraine calls this an ingenious hypothesis with a narrow basis, and Frisk says the change can be neither proved nor disproved.^[4][5][2] The Mycenaean word Mycenaean Greek de-re-u-ko, perhaps /dleukos/ “must”, seems to support the initial /dl/.^[2][3] The vowel /u/ of the root is unexpected as a zero grade.^[2][5] Wiktionary suggests an Indo-European *dl̥kus, and notes that de Vaan prefers to see the Latin and Greek words as separate borrowings from one substrate source.^[1] Old Armenian քաղցր (kʻałcʻr, “sweet”) has sometimes been compared, tentatively.^[2][5][1]

The full-grade noun γλεῦκος (gleûkos, “must, sweet new wine”) looks like a later formation on the model of the many neuter s-stems, but the compound ἀγλευκής (agleukḗs) in Epicharmus seems to be old.^[2][5]

Earliest recorded meaning

Homer uses it of things sweet to the taste, such as nectar, and already figuratively of whatever is pleasant: sleep, desire, life, the return home.^[6][4][7]

Semantic evolution

In classical Greek the literal sense covers honey, grape-juice and any sweet food, and the medical writers set it against “sour” and “sharp”.^[7][6][4] After Homer it is also said of persons, as a term of affection, common in epitaphs, and in Attic the vocative superlative “sweetest” is a familiar address.^[4][7] The neuter noun names sweetness, and the masculine and feminine could name sweet wine and liquorice.^[7][4] The comparatives are Homeric γλυκίων (glukíōn) and Attic γλυκύτερος (glukúteros).^[4][7]

In the New Testament the Epistle of James sets sweet water against bitter, and in Revelation a book is sweet as honey in the mouth.^[8] Medieval Greek reshaped it as γλυκός (glykós), the everyday Modern Greek word, while the learned form γλυκύς (glykýs) survives mainly for coffee boiled with much sugar.^[9][10] Its combining form gave English glyco-, a learned element used of sugars.^[11]

Timeline

• Homer – The Iliad uses it of nectar and of sleep and desire.^[6][12]
• 5th century BC – The Hippocratic writers contrast sweet with sour tastes.^[6][4][3]
• 5th–4th century BC – Plato and Xenophon use it of any sweet substance, and the neuter as a noun for sweetness.^[7][3]
• 1st century AD – The New Testament uses it of fresh water and of a book sweet as honey.^[8]
• Medieval Greek – The form γλυκός (glykós) replaces the ancient one in common use.^[9][10]

Meanings

Adjective

1. Sweet to the taste or smell, as opposed to bitter or sour.^[6][7]
2. Pleasant to eat, delicious.^[7]
3. (figurative) Pleasant, delightful, welcome; of persons, dear.^[6][7][4]
4. (neuter as a noun) Sweetness.^[7]

Word family

• γλυκερός (glukerós)
• γλυκύτης (glukútēs)
• γλυκαίνω (glukaínō)
• γλύκων (glúkōn)

Related words

• γλεῦκος (gleûkos)
• Latin dulcis
• English glyco-

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 c d Rodríguez Adrados, Francisco, et al., eds. (1980–), Diccionario Griego-Español, Madrid: CSIC, http://dge.cchs.csic.es/xdge
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. ^ a b c d Frisk, Hjalmar (1960–1972), Griechisches etymologisches Wörterbuch, 3 vols, Heidelberg: Carl Winter
6. ^ a b c d e f Liddell, Henry George; Scott, Robert; Jones, Henry Stuart (1940), A Greek-English Lexicon, 9th ed., Oxford: Clarendon Press
7. ^ a b c d e f g h i j Diggle, James, et al., eds. (2021), The Cambridge Greek Lexicon, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press
8. ^ 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
9. ^ a b Ινστιτούτο Νεοελληνικών Σπουδών (Ίδρυμα Μανόλη Τριανταφυλλίδη) (1998), Λεξικό της κοινής νεοελληνικής, Thessaloniki: Aristotle University of Thessaloniki
10. ^ a b Babiniotis, Georgios (2010), Ετυμολογικό λεξικό της νέας ελληνικής γλώσσας [Etymological Dictionary of Modern Greek], Athens: Κέντρο Λεξικολογίας
11. ^ Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
12. ^ Keersmaekers, Alek (2021–2025), GLAUx: The Greek Language Automated corpus, https://github.com/alekkeersmaekers/glaux