διατριβή

Pronunciation

• IPA (5th-century BC Attic): /di.a.tri.bɛ̌ː/^[1]
• IPA (4th-century AD Koine): /ði.a.triˈβi/^[1]
• IPA (10th-century Byzantine): /ði.a.triˈvi/^[1]

Forms

δῐᾰτρῐβή (diatribḗ) f (genitive δῐᾰτρῐβῆς); first declension^[1]

Etymology

It is derived from διατρίβω (diatríbō, “to rub away; to spend time”) with the suffix -ή (-ḗ).^[1][2] The verb is formed from διά (diá, “through”) and τρίβω (tríbō, “to rub”).^[3][1]

Earliest recorded meaning

A fragment of Sophocles speaks of the “pastimes” invented to while away time, draughts and dice, and Euripides uses it for time taken up.^[3][4]

Semantic evolution

Its first sense, a wearing down, is still found in Thucydides and Aristophanes for the attrition of forces.^[2] More often it is the spending of time, and so a pastime or amusement, a haunt, and a serious occupation or study: Plato speaks of those brought up in philosophy “and such pursuits”.^[3][2] It also meant time spent in talk, a discussion or discourse, as Socrates calls his conversations in the Apology.^[3][2]

From discourse came a short ethical lecture, the diatribe, a genre defined by Hermogenes and the title of works by Zeno and Cleanthes, and a school of philosophy or rhetoric.^[3][2] Galen speaks of “the school of Moses and of Christ”.^[3][2] The Septuagint uses it for a way of life and a dwelling.^[5] Latin borrowed it as diatriba.^[1] In Modern Greek διατριβή (diatriví) is a doctoral dissertation.^[6]

Timeline

• 5th century BC – Sophocles uses it for pastimes.^[3]
• 5th century BC – Thucydides uses it for wearing down forces.^[2]
• 5th–4th century BC – Plato uses it for a pursuit and for discussion.^[3][2]
• 4th–3rd century BC – Zeno writes works with this title.^[3]
• 2nd century AD – Galen uses it for a school, and Hermogenes defines it as a short ethical treatise.^[3]

Meanings

Noun

1. A wearing down, attrition.^[2]
2. The spending of time; delay.^[2][1]
3. A pastime, amusement.^[3][2]
4. An occupation, pursuit, study; a way of life.^[3][2]
5. A haunt; a dwelling.^[2][5]
6. A discussion, discourse.^[3][2]
7. A short ethical lecture or treatise.^[3]
8. A school of philosophy or rhetoric.^[3][2]

Related words

• διατρίβω (diatríbō)
• τρίβω (tríbō)
• English diatribe

References

1. ^ a b c d e f g h Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o 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 n o Liddell, Henry George; Scott, Robert; Jones, Henry Stuart (1940), A Greek-English Lexicon, 9th ed., Oxford: Clarendon Press
4. ^ Rodríguez Adrados, Francisco, et al., eds. (1980–), Diccionario Griego-Español, Madrid: CSIC, http://dge.cchs.csic.es/xdge
5. ^ a b Lust, Johan; Eynikel, Erik; Hauspie, Katrin (2003), Greek-English Lexicon of the Septuagint, rev. ed., Stuttgart: Deutsche Bibelgesellschaft
6. ^ Ινστιτούτο Νεοελληνικών Σπουδών (Ίδρυμα Μανόλη Τριανταφυλλίδη) (1998), Λεξικό της κοινής νεοελληνικής, Thessaloniki: Aristotle University of Thessaloniki