πεῖρα

Pronunciation

• IPA (5th-century BC Attic): /pêː.ra/^[1]
• IPA (4th-century AD Koine): /ˈpi.ra/^[1]
• IPA (10th-century Byzantine): /ˈpi.ra/^[1]

Forms

πεῖρᾰ (peîra) f (genitive πείρᾱς); first declension^[1]

Etymology

It is inherited from Proto-Hellenic *péřřa, inherited from Proto-Indo-European *pér-ih₂, from the root *per- (“to cross, pass”).^[1][2] Aeolic had πέρρα (pérra).^[2][3] It is formed like μοῖρα (moîra) and σπεῖρα (speîra).^[4] The only certain cognates are Latin: Latin perītus (“experienced”), perīculum (“trial, danger”) and experior (“to try”).^[4] Wiktionary adds Old Armenian փորձ (pʻorj, “attempt”) and Proto-Germanic *fērō (“danger”).^[1]

Earliest recorded meaning

Its first recorded use is in Alcman (7th century BC): “trial is the beginning of learning”.^[3][5] Theognis sets it against opinion.^[3]

Semantic evolution

Classical Greek used it for a test or experiment, for making trial of someone (the orators, Plato, Xenophon), for experience and acquaintance, and for an attempt or endeavour.^[6] Thucydides speaks of failing in an attempt.^[3]

Its verbs πειράομαι (peiráomai) “to try, test” and πειράζω (peirázō) “to tempt” are common; the first gave πειρατής (peirātḗs), a pirate (Hellenistic).^[2] In the Koine πεῖρα kept the senses attempt, trial and experience, and the related πειρασμός (peirasmós) became the New Testament word for temptation.^[7] Modern Greek πείρα “experience” is a learned word.^[8]

Timeline

• 7th century BC – Alcman calls trial the beginning of learning.^[3][5]
• 6th century BC – Theognis sets it against opinion.^[3][5]
• 5th century BC – Thucydides uses it for an attempt.^[3][5]
• Hellenistic – The derivative πειρατής, “pirate”, appears.^[2]
• Modern Greek – πείρα means experience.^[8]

Meanings

Noun

1. A trial, test, experiment.^[3][6]
2. An attempt, endeavour.^[3][6]
3. Experience; acquaintance.^[6]

Related words

• Latin perīculum
• English pirate

References

1. ^ a b c d e f Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ 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
3. ^ a b c d e f g h i Liddell, Henry George; Scott, Robert; Jones, Henry Stuart (1940), A Greek-English Lexicon, 9th ed., Oxford: Clarendon Press
4. ^ a b Frisk, Hjalmar (1960–1972), Griechisches etymologisches Wörterbuch, 3 vols, Heidelberg: Carl Winter
5. ^ a b c d Rodríguez Adrados, Francisco, et al., eds. (1980–), Diccionario Griego-Español, Madrid: CSIC, http://dge.cchs.csic.es/xdge
6. ^ a b c d Diggle, James, et al., eds. (2021), The Cambridge Greek Lexicon, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press
7. ^ Spicq, Ceslas (1994), Theological Lexicon of the New Testament, tr. James D. Ernest, 3 vols, Peabody, Mass.: Hendrickson
8. ^ a b Ινστιτούτο Νεοελληνικών Σπουδών (Ίδρυμα Μανόλη Τριανταφυλλίδη) (1998), Λεξικό της κοινής νεοελληνικής, Thessaloniki: Aristotle University of Thessaloniki