δεσπόζω

Forms

δεσπόζω (despózō); used mostly in the present and imperfect; future δεσπόσω, epic δεσπόσσω, aorist infinitive δεσπόσαι.^[1][2]

Etymology

It is a denominative verb from δεσπότης (despótēs, “master, lord”), formed from Ancient Greek δεσπότης (despótēs) + -ζω (-zō).^[3][2][4]

The noun continues an Indo-European phrase “lord of the house”, which Beekes writes Proto-Indo-European *dems-pot-: its first part is the genitive of a word for “house” (see δόμος (dómos)), and its second the word for “lord” seen in πόσις (pósis).^[3] Cognate with Sanskrit दम्पति (dámpati, “lord of the house”).^[3]

Earliest recorded meaning

Its first record is in the Homeric Hymn to Demeter, where Hades promises Persephone: δεσπόσσεις πάντων ὁπόσα ζώει τε καὶ ἕρπει, “you will be mistress of all that lives and creeps”.^[5][1][6]

Semantic evolution

Aeschylus uses it of ruling by force, of the one who will be master of Zeus, of owning a lock of hair, and of grasping the meaning of a saying.^[2][1] Herodotus, Euripides and Democritus use it of rule over people and cities^[5][1]; Democritus remarks that some men rule cities but are slaves to women.^[5][1] Plato sets it against serving as a slave, of the soul ruling the body and of the tyrant who is always master or slave.^[1][5] The passive is used of peoples and cities under a despot, in the Hippocratic Airs, Waters, Places and in Plato.^[1]

In the papyri it became a legal term for the rightful owner, as distinct from the one who merely holds a thing, and astrologers used it of a planet dominant in a nativity.^[1] The Septuagint and the Christian writers use it of God's lordship over the sea and over all creation.^[7][8] Medieval vernacular Greek kept it for being master and, with an accusative, for acquiring something.^[9]

Modern Greek δεσπόζω (despózo) mainly means to tower over or dominate, of a castle above a valley or a mountain over a plain, a sense modelled on French dominer.^[10][4]

Timeline

• 6th century BC – In the Homeric Hymn to Demeter Hades promises Persephone that she will rule over every living thing.^[1][6][5]
• 6th–5th century BC – Aeschylus uses it of ruling by force, of owning a lock of hair and of grasping a saying.^[2][1][5]
• 5th century BC – Herodotus and Euripides use it of rule, and the Hippocratic Airs, Waters, Places uses the passive of peoples ruled by despots.^[1][5]
• 5th–4th century BC – Plato contrasts ruling as a master with serving as a slave.^[1][5]
• 1st century BC – Papyri use it as a legal term for the rightful owner.^[1]
• 2nd century AD – Vettius Valens uses it of planets that dominate a nativity.^[1][5]
• 1100–1669 – Medieval vernacular texts use it for being master and for gaining possession of something.^[9]
• Modern Greek – δεσπόζω (despózo) means to tower over or dominate, a sense modelled on French.^[10][4]

Meanings

Verb

1. To be master or lord, to rule, absolutely or with a genitive of the people or places ruled.^[1][2][5]
2. To gain control of, with a genitive; figuratively, to grasp the meaning of what is said.^[2][1]
3. To be the rightful owner of^[2][1]; (law, papyri) to be the legal proprietor, as opposed to the one who holds a thing.^[2][1]
4. With an accusative, to rule over, lord it over; in the passive, to be ruled by a despot.^[1][2]
5. (astrology) Of a planet, to be dominant in a nativity.^[1]

Word family

• δέσποσμα (désposma)

Related words

• δεσπότης (despótēs)
• δέσποινα (déspoina)
• δεσποτεία (despoteía)
• δεσποτικός (despotikós)

Usage notes

The Antiatticist notes that it takes a genitive, quoting Cassius Dio.^[11]

References

1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t Liddell, Henry George; Scott, Robert; Jones, Henry Stuart (1940), A Greek-English Lexicon, 9th ed., Oxford: Clarendon Press
2. ^ a b c d e f g h i Diggle, James, et al., eds. (2021), The Cambridge Greek Lexicon, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press
3. ^ a b c 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 Babiniotis, Georgios (2010), Ετυμολογικό λεξικό της νέας ελληνικής γλώσσας [Etymological Dictionary of Modern Greek], Athens: Κέντρο Λεξικολογίας
5. ^ a b c d e f g h i j Rodríguez Adrados, Francisco, et al., eds. (1980–), Diccionario Griego-Español, Madrid: CSIC, http://dge.cchs.csic.es/xdge
6. ^ a b Keersmaekers, Alek (2021–2025), GLAUx: The Greek Language Automated corpus, https://github.com/alekkeersmaekers/glaux
7. ^ Lust, Johan; Eynikel, Erik; Hauspie, Katrin (2003), Greek-English Lexicon of the Septuagint, rev. ed., Stuttgart: Deutsche Bibelgesellschaft
8. ^ 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 Kriaras, Emmanuel, Επιτομή του Λεξικού της μεσαιωνικής ελληνικής δημώδους γραμματείας 1100–1669, Κέντρο Ελληνικής Γλώσσας, https://www.greek-language.gr
10. ^ a b Ινστιτούτο Νεοελληνικών Σπουδών (Ίδρυμα Μανόλη Τριανταφυλλίδη) (1998), Λεξικό της κοινής νεοελληνικής, Thessaloniki: Aristotle University of Thessaloniki
11. ^ Lexica Segueriana, in Immanuel Bekker, ed. (1814), Anecdota Graeca I, Berlin: Nauck