καταρρέω

Forms

κᾰτᾰρρέω (katarrhéō) ^[1]

Etymology

It is formed from Ancient Greek κατα- (kata-, “down”) + ῥέω (rhéō, “to flow”), with the ρ doubled after the prefix, as in διαρρέω (diarrhéō) and ἀπορρέω (aporrhéō).^[1][2][3] The simple verb, from older *ῥέϝω (*rhéwō), continues Proto-Indo-European *sréw-e-ti, from the root *srew- (“to flow”), and matches Sanskrit स्रवति (srávati, “flows”).^[4]

Earliest recorded meaning

Homer uses it twice in the Iliad, of blood that runs down from a wound.^[3][5]

Semantic evolution

Herodotus uses it of phlegm running down from the head, and Xenophon and Demosthenes of rivers and of water.^[5] In Aristophanes people stream down in a crowd, and in Thucydides the Athenians, pressed together, fall into the river.^[5] Hippocratic writers use it of a patient sliding down the bed, and Xenophon and Theophrastus of fruit and leaves that drop.^[5]

From the 4th century BC it also means to collapse: Demosthenes uses it of a power that crumbles of itself, a fragment of Aristotle says that the city's courage collapsed, and later writers use it of a crater falling in and of a roof.^[5][6] In Euripides' Trojan Women the temples run with blood.^[5] The bucolic poets use it for something that falls to someone's lot.^[5]

In the Septuagint it means to drip down, to fall off and to stream down, and once for a soul that wastes away.^[7] The Apocalypse of Peter uses it of pus flowing down.^[8] Modern Greek uses it as a learned verb meaning to collapse, influenced by French s'écrouler.^[9]

Timeline

• Homer – The Iliad uses it of blood running down from a wound.^[3][5]
• 5th century BC – Herodotus uses it of phlegm, and Thucydides of men falling into a river.^[5][10]
• 4th century BC – Demosthenes uses it for falling into ruin.^[5][10]
• 4th–3rd century BC – Theophrastus uses it of falling leaves, and Theocritus for what falls to one's lot.^[5][10]
• 2nd century AD – Pausanias uses it of a collapsing roof.^[5][6][10]
• Modern Greek – The learned καταρρέω (katarréo) means to collapse.^[9]

Meanings

Verb

1. To flow down, of liquids and rivers.^[5][3]
2. Of people, to stream or rush down, to sink down or slide down.^[5]
3. Of fruit or leaves, to drop off.^[5][7]
4. To collapse, fall in ruins.^[5][6]
5. To fall to someone's lot.^[5]
6. To burrow into the ground.^[5]
7. To run or drip with blood or sweat.^[5]
8. (Septuagint) To waste away, of the soul.^[7]

Word family

• ἐπικαταρρέω (epikatarréō)
• περικαταρρέω (perikatarréō)
• καταρροή (katarrhoḗ)
• κατάρροια (katárroia)
• κατάρροος (katárrhoos)

Related words

• καταρροώδης (katarroṓdēs)
• καταρρυής (katarruḗs)
• κατάρρυσις (katárrusis)
• κατάρρυτος (katárrutos)
• ψυγμοκατάρρους (psugmokatárrous)
• ῥέω (rhéō)

References

1. ^ a b c d e Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ Babiniotis, Georgios (2010), Ετυμολογικό λεξικό της νέας ελληνικής γλώσσας [Etymological Dictionary of Modern Greek], Athens: Κέντρο Λεξικολογίας
3. ^ a b c d Cunliffe, Richard John (1924), A Lexicon of the Homeric Dialect, London: Blackie and Son
4. ^ 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
5. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s Liddell, Henry George; Scott, Robert; Jones, Henry Stuart (1940), A Greek-English Lexicon, 9th ed., Oxford: Clarendon Press
6. ^ a b c Πάπυρος–Larousse–Britannica, Μέγα Λεξικό της Ελληνικής Γλώσσας, Athens: Πάπυρος
7. ^ a b c 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 Ινστιτούτο Νεοελληνικών Σπουδών (Ίδρυμα Μανόλη Τριανταφυλλίδη) (1998), Λεξικό της κοινής νεοελληνικής, Thessaloniki: Aristotle University of Thessaloniki
10. ^ a b c d Rodríguez Adrados, Francisco, et al., eds. (1980–), Diccionario Griego-Español, Madrid: CSIC, http://dge.cchs.csic.es/xdge