παραλύω

Forms

παραλύω (paralúō) ^[1]

Etymology

A compound of παρα- (para-, “beside, away”) and λύω (lū́ō, “to loosen”), first “to loosen and detach”.^[1][2][3] The same verb with other prefixes gives διαλύω (dialū́ō) and καταλύω (katalū́ō).^[2]

Earliest recorded meaning

Pindar uses it with the accusative of a person and the genitive of a thing, for setting someone free from cares.^[4][5]

Semantic evolution

The concrete sense “to loosen and take off” is in Herodotus, of the rudders of ships, and in Xenophon.^[4] With a person and a genitive it meant to release from something: Herodotus uses it for releasing a man from military service and for dismissing a general from his command, and Thucydides for freeing the Athenians from their anger.^[4] It also meant to undo or put an end to something.^[4]

The sense “to disable, enfeeble”, mostly in the passive, is first found in the Hippocratic writers, who say that a patient's right hand “was paralysed”,^[4] Aristotle speaks of paralysed limbs, and Polybius of men exhausted by their wounds.^[4][2] The Septuagint uses it for disabling and weakening, and the New Testament has the perfect participle παραλελυμένος for a paralysed man.^[6][7] The nouns παράλυσις (parálusis) and παραλυτικός (paralutikós) belong to this sense.^[2]

Medieval Greek used it for releasing, weakening and defeating, and for breaking a rule such as a fast.^[8] Modern Greek παραλύω (paralýo) means “to be or make paralysed”, and figuratively “to bring to a halt”, as a strike paralyses a country,^[3] Triantafyllidis traces the active use to French paralyser.^[3][2]

Timeline

• 6th–5th century BC – Pindar uses it for setting someone free from cares.^[4][5]
• 5th century BC – Herodotus uses it for taking off rudders and for releasing men from service.^[4][9]
• 5th century BC – The Hippocratic writers use the passive for being paralysed.^[4][2]
• 1st century AD – The Gospel of Luke uses the perfect participle for a paralysed man.^[7]
• Modern Greek – The verb means to paralyse, literally and figuratively.^[3]

Meanings

Verb

1. To loosen and take off, detach.^[4]
2. To release from something, with the genitive: from military service, a command, fear.^[4]
3. To undo, put an end to.^[4]
4. To disable, enfeeble; in the passive, to be paralysed, exhausted.^[4][7]
5. (Septuagint) To hamstring; to disband; to pay a penalty.^[4][6]

Word family

• παράλυσις (parálusis)
• παραλυτικός (paralutikós)

Related words

• λύω (lū́ō)
• καταλύω (katalū́ō)
• English paralysis

References

1. ^ a b Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d e f Babiniotis, Georgios (2010), Ετυμολογικό λεξικό της νέας ελληνικής γλώσσας [Etymological Dictionary of Modern Greek], Athens: Κέντρο Λεξικολογίας
3. ^ a b c d Ινστιτούτο Νεοελληνικών Σπουδών (Ίδρυμα Μανόλη Τριανταφυλλίδη) (1998), Λεξικό της κοινής νεοελληνικής, Thessaloniki: Aristotle University of Thessaloniki
4. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n Liddell, Henry George; Scott, Robert; Jones, Henry Stuart (1940), A Greek-English Lexicon, 9th ed., Oxford: Clarendon Press
5. ^ a b Keersmaekers, Alek (2021–2025), GLAUx: The Greek Language Automated corpus, https://github.com/alekkeersmaekers/glaux
6. ^ a b Lust, Johan; Eynikel, Erik; Hauspie, Katrin (2003), Greek-English Lexicon of the Septuagint, rev. ed., Stuttgart: Deutsche Bibelgesellschaft
7. ^ 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
8. ^ Kriaras, Emmanuel, Επιτομή του Λεξικού της μεσαιωνικής ελληνικής δημώδους γραμματείας 1100–1669, Κέντρο Ελληνικής Γλώσσας, https://www.greek-language.gr
9. ^ Rodríguez Adrados, Francisco, et al., eds. (1980–), Diccionario Griego-Español, Madrid: CSIC, http://dge.cchs.csic.es/xdge