γυμνάσιον

Pronunciation

• IPA (5th-century BC Attic): /ɡym.ná.si.on/^[1]
• IPA (4th-century AD Koine): /ʝymˈna.si.on/^[1]
• IPA (10th-century Byzantine): /ʝymˈna.si.on/^[1]

Forms

γῠμνᾰ́σιον (gumnásion) n (genitive γῠμνᾰσίου); second declension^[1]

Etymology

It is derived from the stem of γυμνάζω (gumnázō, “to train, exercise”) with the suffix -ιον (-ion).^[1][2] The verb comes from γυμνός (gumnós, “naked”), since athletes trained naked.^[1][3] Etymonline traces γυμνός to a metathesis of Proto-Indo-European *nogʷ-mo-, from *nogʷ- (“naked”).^[1][4]

Earliest recorded meaning

Pindar, in a fragment, uses the plural for bodily exercises, as do Herodotus and the Hippocratic writings.^[3][2]

Semantic evolution

From exercises it came to mean the place where they were practised, the gymnasium, a ground with its buildings: Euripides, Antiphon and Plato use it so, and an Athenian inscription of the 4th century BC records the building of the gymnasium at the Lyceum.^[2][5][3] Since philosophers taught in the gymnasia of the Academy and the Lyceum, it also meant a school, and figuratively a group of like-minded people: in Aristophanes' Wasps a character speaks of “our school”.^[3][2][5]

In Hellenistic Egypt “those from the gymnasium” were the Hellenized citizens of the towns, educated as ephebes.^[3][5] The Books of Maccabees use it for a gymnasium as a centre of athletics and Greek culture.^[6] Latin borrowed it as gymnasium, and English took gymnasium from Latin in the 1590s.^[1][4] Modern Greek has γυμνάσιο (gymnásio).^[1]

Timeline

• 6th–5th century BC – Pindar uses the plural for bodily exercises.^[3][2]
• 5th century BC – Herodotus uses it for athletic training, and Euripides for the gymnasium.^[2][3]
• 4th century BC – An Athenian inscription records a gymnasium at the Lyceum.^[5]
• 2nd–1st century BC – The Books of Maccabees mention a gymnasium as a centre of Greek culture.^[6]
• 1st century AD – Papyri name the Hellenized class of Egypt “those from the gymnasium”.^[3][5]
• 1590s – English borrows gymnasium from Latin.^[4]

Meanings

Noun

1. (plural) Bodily exercises, athletics.^[3][2]
2. (figurative) Training of the mind; an exercise.^[2][3]
3. A gymnasium, a ground for physical training.^[2][3]
4. A school, especially of philosophy; a group sharing an outlook.^[3][2]
5. (collective) The youths who attend the gymnasium.^[3]

Related words

• γυμνάζω (gumnázō)
• γυμνός (gumnós)
• Latin gymnasium
• English gymnasium

References

1. ^ a b c d e f g h i Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j Diggle, James, et al., eds. (2021), The Cambridge Greek Lexicon, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press
3. ^ 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
4. ^ a b c Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
5. ^ a b c d e Rodríguez Adrados, Francisco, et al., eds. (1980–), Diccionario Griego-Español, Madrid: CSIC, http://dge.cchs.csic.es/xdge
6. ^ a b Lust, Johan; Eynikel, Erik; Hauspie, Katrin (2003), Greek-English Lexicon of the Septuagint, rev. ed., Stuttgart: Deutsche Bibelgesellschaft