μεταβάλλω

Forms

μεταβάλλω (metabállō) ^[1]

Etymology

It is formed from Ancient Greek μετα- (meta-, “change of place or state”) + βάλλω (bállō, “to throw”).^[1][2] The verb goes back to Proto-Indo-European *gʷelh₁- (“to hit by throwing”); the Arcadian forms ζέλλω (zéllō) and δέλλω (déllō) show the original labiovelar.^[3]

Earliest recorded meaning

Homer has it only once, in tmesis, of a warrior turning his back in flight.^[2][4] The verb proper first appears in Heraclitus.^[5]

Semantic evolution

In classical prose and tragedy it is to turn or change something, a name, a way of life, a form of government, and, intransitively, to undergo a change.^[2][4] The middle is to change what is one's own, one's clothes or ways, to turn about, and to change one's mind or one's side.^[2][4] In the papyri it means to have goods moved or money remitted, and in Josephus to translate.^[2] Coptic borrowed it.^[6]

Medieval Greek kept the verb, with a form in -βάνω.^[7] Modern Greek μεταβάλλω (metavállo) “to change, alter” is a learned word taken from the ancient one.^[8]

Timeline

• Homer – The Iliad uses it once, in tmesis, of turning one's back.^[2][4]
• 6th–5th century BC – Heraclitus uses it of changing.^[5][9]
• 5th century BC – Herodotus uses it of changing a name and of undergoing a change.^[2][4]
• 5th century BC – Thucydides uses it of changing sides.^[2]
• 3rd century BC – Papyri use it of having grain moved.^[2]
• 1st century AD – Josephus uses it of translating a law into Greek.^[2]
• Modern Greek – μεταβάλλω (metavállo) is a learned word for “to change”.^[8]

Meanings

Verb

1. To throw into a different position; to turn about, turn over.^[2][4]
2. To change, alter something.^[2][4]
3. (intransitive) To undergo a change.^[2][4]
4. (intransitive) To change one's course, turn to someone.^[2]
5. (middle) To change what is one's own: one's clothes, one's ways; to exchange one thing for another.^[2][4]
6. (middle) To change one's mind; to change sides.^[2]
7. (papyri) To have goods moved; to remit a payment.^[2]
8. To translate.^[2]

Word family

• μεταβολή (metabolḗ)

Related words

• βάλλω (bállō)
• μετάβασις (metábasis)

References

1. ^ a b c d e Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r Liddell, Henry George; Scott, Robert; Jones, Henry Stuart (1940), A Greek-English Lexicon, 9th ed., Oxford: Clarendon Press
3. ^ 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
4. ^ a b c d e f g h i Diggle, James, et al., eds. (2021), The Cambridge Greek Lexicon, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press
5. ^ a b Keersmaekers, Alek (2021–2025), GLAUx: The Greek Language Automated corpus, https://github.com/alekkeersmaekers/glaux
6. ^ Database and Dictionary of Greek Loanwords in Coptic (DDGLC), Freie Universität Berlin and Universität Leipzig
7. ^ Kriaras, Emmanuel, Επιτομή του Λεξικού της μεσαιωνικής ελληνικής δημώδους γραμματείας 1100–1669, Κέντρο Ελληνικής Γλώσσας, https://www.greek-language.gr
8. ^ a b Ινστιτούτο Νεοελληνικών Σπουδών (Ίδρυμα Μανόλη Τριανταφυλλίδη) (1998), Λεξικό της κοινής νεοελληνικής, Thessaloniki: Aristotle University of Thessaloniki
9. ^ Rodríguez Adrados, Francisco, et al., eds. (1980–), Diccionario Griego-Español, Madrid: CSIC, http://dge.cchs.csic.es/xdge