κλύω

Forms

κλῠ́ω (klúō) ^[1]

Etymology

It is inherited from Proto-Indo-European *ḱlew- (“to hear”).^[2][1][3] The present κλύω is an innovation on the thematic root aorist ἔκλυον (ékluon), which has a Sanskrit counterpart in the verb Sanskrit श्रु (śru, “to hear”); both languages remade an older athematic aorist, still seen in the Homeric imperative κλῦθι (klûthi), whose exact counterpart is the Sanskrit imperative.^[2] The verbal adjective κλυτός (klutós, “famous”) matches the Sanskrit participle “heard” and Latin inclutus (“famous”) from *ḱlu-tó-, while κλέος (kléos, “fame”) has the full grade.^[2][1] Other languages made other presents, such as the Sanskrit nasal present.^[2]

Ancient etymologists derived it from an unattested *κλῶ (*klô, “to make a sound”).^[4]

Earliest recorded meaning

It is found from Homer on, of gods listening to prayers (“hear me”, κλῦθι) and of hearing words and news.^[5][6]

Semantic evolution

It remained a poetic word: in comedy it appears only in mock tragic diction, and Aristophanes treats κλύειν and ἀκοῦσαι as the same thing.^[6] In tragedy it also means to obey (a ruler, fate; a ship its rudder), and with an adverb to be spoken of, to have a good or bad name.^[5][2] The present can have the sense of a perfect, “I have heard”.^[5]

Timeline

• Homer – The Iliad uses the imperative κλῦθι in prayers and the verb for hearing.^[6][7]
• 5th century BC – Tragedians use it for obeying and, with an adverb, for having a reputation.^[5][2]
• 5th–4th century BC – Aristophanes uses it only in mock tragic verse.^[6]

Meanings

Verb

1. To listen, give ear (to a person or a prayer), especially of gods.^[5][6]
2. To heed, obey.^[5][2]
3. To hear (a person, a sound, news); to learn of something.^[5][6]
4. (present with perfect sense) To have heard, know.^[5]
5. (with εὖ or κακῶς) To be spoken of, have a good or bad reputation.^[2]

Related words

• κλέος (kléos)
• κλυτός (klutós)
• Latin inclutus

References

1. ^ a b c d e f Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d e f g h 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. ^ Rix, Helmut, et al. (2001), Lexikon der indogermanischen Verben, 2nd ed., Wiesbaden: Reichert
4. ^ Etygram: ancient etymologies of Greek words, CEPAM, Université Côte d'Azur, http://appsweb-cepam.unice.fr/etygram
5. ^ a b c d e f g h Diggle, James, et al., eds. (2021), The Cambridge Greek Lexicon, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press
6. ^ a b c d e f Liddell, Henry George; Scott, Robert; Jones, Henry Stuart (1940), A Greek-English Lexicon, 9th ed., Oxford: Clarendon Press
7. ^ Keersmaekers, Alek (2021–2025), GLAUx: The Greek Language Automated corpus, https://github.com/alekkeersmaekers/glaux