κελεύω

Forms

κελεύω (keleúō) ^[1]

Etymology

The origin is uncertain.^[2] LSJ takes it as a lengthened form of κέλομαι (kélomai, “to urge on”), but Beekes notes that the -ευ- is then unexplained; he compares the same element in κέλευθος (kéleuthos, “road”) and perhaps in τελευτή (teleutḗ, “end”).^[3][2] Wiktionary suggests that it may simply contain the verbal suffix -εύω (-eúō).^[1] Babiniotis connects the stem κελ- (kel-) of κέλομαι (kélomai) and κέλλω (kéllō, “to drive a ship ashore”) with Proto-Indo-European *kel- (“to set in motion”).^[4]

Earliest recorded meaning

In Homer it means first to urge on or drive, as when the old man drives the horses through the city with the whip, and then to exhort, bid or order someone to do something.^[3][5]

Semantic evolution

From Homer on it is the usual verb for giving an order, with the accusative of the person and an infinitive; the subject can also be the heart, the law or justice.^[5][3] In Plato it is the call of the boatswain giving the stroke to the rowers; the derivatives are κέλευσμα (kéleusma) “command, call” and κελευστής (keleustḗs), the officer who set the rowers' rhythm.^[5][4]

In the New Testament it is used of official commands, often with a passive infinitive, a construction closer to Latin than to older Greek.^[6] Medieval vernacular Greek kept the ancient verb.^[7]

Timeline

• Homer – The Iliad uses it for urging on horses and men and for giving orders.^[3][5][8]
• 5th century BC – Herodotus uses the passive “to be ordered”.^[5][3]
• 5th–4th century BC – Plato uses it of a boatswain calling the stroke to the rowers.^[5][4]
• 1st century AD – The New Testament uses it for official commands.^[6]

Meanings

Verb

1. To urge on, drive on (persons, horses); to call out to someone.^[5][3]
2. To exhort, urge someone to do something; to propose that something be so.^[5]
3. To command, bid, order someone to do something; of the law or justice, to require.^[5][3][6]
4. Of a boatswain, to call out the stroke to the rowers.^[5]

Word family

• ἀντικελεύω (antikeleúō)
• διακελεύομαι (diakeleúomai)
• ἐγκελεύω (enkeleúō)
• ἐπικελεύω (epikeleúō)
• κατακελεύω (katakeleúō)
• κέλευσμα (kéleusma)
• κελευσμός (keleusmós)
• κελευσμοσύνη (keleusmosúnē)
• κελευστής (keleustḗs)
• κελευστικός (keleustikós)
• κελευτιάω (keleutiáō)
• παρακελεύομαι (parakeleúomai)
• συγκελεύω (sunkeleúō)
• προκελεύω (prokeleúō)

References

1. ^ a b c d e Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b 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 Liddell, Henry George; Scott, Robert; Jones, Henry Stuart (1940), A Greek-English Lexicon, 9th ed., Oxford: Clarendon Press
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 Diggle, James, et al., eds. (2021), The Cambridge Greek Lexicon, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press
6. ^ a b c 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
7. ^ Kriaras, Emmanuel, Επιτομή του Λεξικού της μεσαιωνικής ελληνικής δημώδους γραμματείας 1100–1669, Κέντρο Ελληνικής Γλώσσας, https://www.greek-language.gr
8. ^ Keersmaekers, Alek (2021–2025), GLAUx: The Greek Language Automated corpus, https://github.com/alekkeersmaekers/glaux