κέλομαι

Forms

κέλομαι (kélomai) ^[1] Reduplicated aorist ἐκέκλετο (ekékleto) (Homer), from which κέκλομαι (kéklomai) was made as a new present (Apollonius of Rhodes).^[2][3] Aorist ἐκελήσατο (ekelḗsato) (Pindar, Epicharmus), future κελήσομαι (kelḗsomai) (Odyssey 10.296).^[2][4] Laconian κέντο (kénto) (Alcman) is an athematic form with a dialectal change of λ to ν.^[2]

Etymology

It is inherited from Proto-Hellenic *kélomai,^[1] inherited from Proto-Indo-European *kel- (“to drive”), which LIV takes as an amphidynamic root present.^[5][1] It belongs with κέλλω (kéllō, “to drive on”), and probably with κελεύω (keleúō, “to urge, command”), whose -ευ- is unexplained.^[2][6][7]

The sense “to call” can have developed from “to drive on, summon”, but because it recalls καλέω (kaléō, “to call”), Fraenkel connected the verb with that word instead.^[6][7] Beekes thinks that some forms may go back to Proto-Indo-European *kelh₁- (“to call”), as LIV assumes for the reduplicated aorist.^[2] Outside Greek the closest match in meaning is Sanskrit कालयति (kālayati, “drives”), whose connection is uncertain.^[2][6] Chantraine also compares Latin celer (“swift”), and LIV adds Gothic 𐌷𐌰𐌻𐌳𐌰𐌽 (haldan, “to tend cattle”).^[7][5]

Earliest recorded meaning

It is found from the first book of the Iliad, where the seer Calchas says that Achilles bids him speak.^[4][8] Homer uses it for giving orders, with an infinitive, with a dative or with both.^[4]

Semantic evolution

Homer also uses it for calling out to men or to horses, and for a natural force that compels: in the Odyssey the sun's heat makes wax soften.^[3][4] Hesiod uses it for the Muses' bidding.^[8][3] The lyric poets use it for ordering and bidding, Pindar for naming a child, and Aeschylus and Sophocles for calling upon a god.^[3]

The verb remained almost wholly poetic: of the 180 instances in GLAUx, 139 are in Ionic or epic texts, 101 of them in the 8th-century epics.^[8] Apollonius of Rhodes and Theocritus use it in a weaker sense, “to advise, to invite”.^[3]

Timeline

• Homer – The Homeric poems use it for giving orders, for calling out to men and horses and for a force that compels.^[4][3]
• Before the 6th century BC – Hesiod uses it for the Muses' bidding.^[8][9]
• 7th century BC – Archilochus uses it for ordering someone.^[3][9]
• 6th–5th century BC – Pindar uses it for naming a child.^[3][9]
• 5th century BC – Sophocles uses it for calling upon a god.^[3][9]
• 3rd century BC – Apollonius of Rhodes uses it for advising and inviting.^[3][9]

Meanings

Verb

1. To call out to someone (persons, horses).^[3][4]
2. To call upon a god.^[3]
3. To name a child.^[3]
4. To order, command, bid; of the heart, to urge.^[3][4]
5. To advise; to invite.^[3]
6. Of a natural force, to compel.^[3][4]

Word family

• κέκλομαι (kéklomai)

Related words

• κέλλω (kéllō)
• κελεύω (keleúō)
• κέλης (kélēs)
• Latin celer

References

1. ^ a b c d e f 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 e f g h i j k l m n o p Diggle, James, et al., eds. (2021), The Cambridge Greek Lexicon, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press
4. ^ a b c d e f g h Cunliffe, Richard John (1924), A Lexicon of the Homeric Dialect, London: Blackie and Son
5. ^ a b Rix, Helmut, et al. (2001), Lexikon der indogermanischen Verben, 2nd ed., Wiesbaden: Reichert
6. ^ a b c Frisk, Hjalmar (1960–1972), Griechisches etymologisches Wörterbuch, 3 vols, Heidelberg: Carl Winter
7. ^ a b c 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
8. ^ a b c d Keersmaekers, Alek (2021–2025), GLAUx: The Greek Language Automated corpus, https://github.com/alekkeersmaekers/glaux
9. ^ a b c d e Rodríguez Adrados, Francisco, et al., eds. (1980–), Diccionario Griego-Español, Madrid: CSIC, http://dge.cchs.csic.es/xdge