πειράω

Forms

πειρᾰ́ω (peiráō) ^[1] Ionic future πειρήσω and aorist ἐπείρησα, Laconian third person imperative πηρήτω in Alcman.^[2]

Etymology

It is a denominative verb formed from Ancient Greek πεῖρα (peîra, “trial, attempt”) + -άω (-áō).^[1][3] The noun is from Proto-Greek *περ-ι̯α (*per-ia), seen in Aeolic πέρρα (pérra), formed like στεῖρα (steîra) and μοῖρα (moîra).^[3][4] Frisk grants that the noun could be a back-formation from the verb, but then the verb's own formation is hard to explain.^[4]

Beekes derives the noun from Proto-Indo-European *per- (“to cross, pass”), the root of πείρω (peírō, “to pierce”) and περάω (peráō, “to pass through”), a link that Frisk too thinks very probable.^[3][4] The only sure cognates, in Frisk's view, are Latin perītus (“experienced”), perīculum (“trial, danger”) and experior (“to try, test”), whose /iː/ seems connected with the Greek suffix; an Armenian word for “trial” belongs here only if its aspirated initial is expressive.^[4][5]

Earliest recorded meaning

Homer uses both the active and the middle, of testing a person or a thing and of making an attempt on an enemy: the Iliad has “let no one try to cut short my word”.^[6][7][8]

Semantic evolution

The middle πειράομαι (peiráomai) is commoner than the active from Homer on.^[7] With the genitive it means to make trial of a person or a thing, or to try one's chance at a contest; with the infinitive, to try to do something (Herodotus, Aristophanes, Xenophon, Plato).^[7] The active is used in the same senses, and absolutely of a military attempt: Thucydides has an attempt by sea.^[7][2] Aristophanes, Lysias and Xenophon use the active for advances made to a woman, and Thucydides the passive of Harmodius, the object of Hipparchus' advances.^[7][2] Lucian uses it with the accusative for “to experience”.^[7]

The Septuagint uses it beside πειράζω (peirázō) for testing, of people who test God and of God testing people.^[9] The New Testament has only the middle, “to try”, as in “the Jews tried to kill me” in Acts.^[10] From the same family come πειρατής (peiratḗs), “pirate”, in Hellenistic Greek.^[3]

Timeline

• Homer – The Iliad uses it of testing a person or a thing and of attacking.^[6][7]
• 7th century BC – Alcman uses the active in a Laconian form.^[2]
• 5th century BC – Thucydides uses the active of an attempt by sea and the passive of Harmodius when he was courted.^[7]
• 5th–4th century BC – Aristophanes, Lysias and Xenophon use the active of advances made to a woman.^[7][2]
• 1st century AD – The Acts of the Apostles uses the middle: “the Jews tried to kill me”.^[10]
• 2nd century AD – Lucian uses it with the accusative for “to experience”.^[7]

Meanings

Verb

1. To test, make trial of (a person, with the genitive); to try out (weapons); to make a test of gold.^[2][7][6]
2. To attempt, try to do something (with the infinitive); to try every means.^[2][7]
3. To make an attack or attempt on people or places (with the genitive); of troops, to attack.^[2][7][6]
4. To make sexual advances to a person.^[2][7]
5. To strive after something (wealth).^[2]
6. (later) To experience (with the accusative).^[7]
7. (middle, πειράομαι) To try to do something; to make trial of a person or thing; to try one's chance at a contest.^[7][10]

Related words

• πεῖρα (peîra)
• πειράζω (peirázō)
• πειρατής (peiratḗs)
• ἔμπειρος (émpeiros)
• περάω (peráō)
• Latin experior
• Latin perīculum

Usage notes

The middle πειράομαι is the commoner form, and its aorist passive ἐπειράθην (Ionic ἐπειρήθην) is used with the sense of the middle in Homer, Herodotus and Thucydides.^[7] The New Testament has only the middle.^[10]

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 Diggle, James, et al., eds. (2021), The Cambridge Greek Lexicon, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press
3. ^ a b c d 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 Frisk, Hjalmar (1960–1972), Griechisches etymologisches Wörterbuch, 3 vols, Heidelberg: Carl Winter
5. ^ Pokorny, Julius (1959), Indogermanisches etymologisches Wörterbuch, Bern; Munich: Francke
6. ^ a b c d Cunliffe, Richard John (1924), A Lexicon of the Homeric Dialect, London: Blackie and Son
7. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q Liddell, Henry George; Scott, Robert; Jones, Henry Stuart (1940), A Greek-English Lexicon, 9th ed., Oxford: Clarendon Press
8. ^ Keersmaekers, Alek (2021–2025), GLAUx: The Greek Language Automated corpus, https://github.com/alekkeersmaekers/glaux
9. ^ Lust, Johan; Eynikel, Erik; Hauspie, Katrin (2003), Greek-English Lexicon of the Septuagint, rev. ed., Stuttgart: Deutsche Bibelgesellschaft
10. ^ a b c d 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