πέρνημι

Forms

πέρνημῐ (pérnēmi) ^[1] Aorist ἐπέρασα (epérasa), Epic ἐπέρασσα (epérassa); Epic future infinitive περάᾱν (peráān); perfect πέπρᾱκα (péprāka).^[2][3] Passive aorist ἐπρᾱ́θην (eprā́thēn), Ionic ἐπρήθην (eprḗthēn); perfect πέπρᾱμαι (péprāmai), Ionic πέπρημαι (péprēmai); future perfect πεπρᾱ́σομαι (peprā́somai). The later present is πιπρᾱ́σκω (piprā́skō).^[2][4]

Etymology

It is a nasal-infix present inherited from Proto-Indo-European *perh₂- (“to sell”), *pr̥-né-h₂-.^[5][4] The aorist περάσαι (perásai), the perfect πέπρᾱμαι (péprāmai) and the passive πρᾱθῆναι (prāthênai) point to a root *pr̥h₂-, with a root aorist; the system matches that of κεράννυμι (keránnumi).^[4][6] The ε of the present is analogical: the original zero grade survives in the Hesychius glosses πορνάμεν (pornámen, “to sell”) and πορνάμεναι (pornámenai, “selling”), probably Aeolic.^[4][6][7] The present πιπράσκω (pipráskō) is a later Attic formation on the stem πρᾱ- (prā-).^[4][5]

Frisk takes Old Irish renaid (“sells”) as the same nasal present, but Beekes finds no certain cognate outside Greek, since the Irish verb may belong to Proto-Indo-European *h₂reiH- (“to count”).^[6][4] LIV gives the Irish comparison with a query.^[5] Frisk sees the verb as an old branch of the large family of πείρω (peírō, “to pierce”) and πορεῖν (poreîn, “to give”).^[6] πόρνη (pórnē, “prostitute”) is derived from it.^[4][1]

Earliest recorded meaning

In Homer it means to export for sale, mostly of captives sold as slaves to foreign lands: Achilles' victims are sold to Lemnos and to far-off islands.^[3][8][7] Once it is used of treasures carried abroad to be sold.^[8]

Semantic evolution

Chantraine and Benveniste take 'sell by carrying elsewhere, export' as the proper sense.^[7] The present itself is rare after Homer (Theognis, Hipponax, Euripides' Cyclops).^[3][7] In Ionic-Attic the forms made on πρᾱ- are the usual ones: they are often used of the slave trade, and the passive means to be sold, especially for export, in Solon, Herodotus and Aeschylus.^[3][7] In Attic the perfect πέπρᾱκα simply means to have sold, and it is said figuratively of politicians who have sold themselves for bribes.^[3][7] The ordinary present for 'sell' in prose is πωλέω (pōléō) or ἀποδίδωμι (apodídōmi) in the middle.^[7]

Its derivatives include πρᾶσις (prâsis, “sale”), πρατήρ (pratḗr, “seller”) and πράτης (prátēs), which forms compounds such as ἐλαιοπράτης (elaioprátēs, “oil seller”) in late papyri.^[4][6]

Timeline

• Homer – The Iliad uses it for selling captives overseas as slaves.^[8][3]
• 7th–6th century BC – Solon uses the passive of people sold abroad.^[3][9]
• 6th century BC – Theognis and Hipponax use the present; an inscription from Samos has the aorist ἔπρησα (éprēsa).^[3][4][9]
• 5th century BC – Herodotus uses the passive of export.^[3][9]
• 5th–4th century BC – Isaeus uses the perfect for plain selling.^[3][9]
• 4th century BC – Demosthenes says it of politicians who have sold themselves.^[3][9]

Meanings

Verb

1. To export for sale; to sell captives abroad as slaves.^[3][8]
2. To sell.^[3][2]
3. (passive) To be sold, especially for export.^[3]
4. (perfect, figurative) Of politicians: to have sold oneself, taken a bribe.^[3][7]

Word family

• πρᾶσις (prâsis)
• πράσιμος (prásimos)
• πρατήρ (pratḗr)
• πράτης (prátēs)
• πόρνη (pórnē)

Related words

• πιπράσκω (pipráskō)
• πείρω (peírō)

References

1. ^ a b c d e Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c Diggle, James, et al., eds. (2021), The Cambridge Greek Lexicon, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press
3. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o Liddell, Henry George; Scott, Robert; Jones, Henry Stuart (1940), A Greek-English Lexicon, 9th ed., Oxford: Clarendon Press
4. ^ a b c d e f g h i 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 Rix, Helmut, et al. (2001), Lexikon der indogermanischen Verben, 2nd ed., Wiesbaden: Reichert
6. ^ a b c d e Frisk, Hjalmar (1960–1972), Griechisches etymologisches Wörterbuch, 3 vols, Heidelberg: Carl Winter
7. ^ a b c d e f g h 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 Cunliffe, Richard John (1924), A Lexicon of the Homeric Dialect, London: Blackie and Son
9. ^ a b c d e Rodríguez Adrados, Francisco, et al., eds. (1980–), Diccionario Griego-Español, Madrid: CSIC, http://dge.cchs.csic.es/xdge