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σκαίρω

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Etymology and origin of the Ancient Greek word σκαίρω

Confidence
Uncertain
Formation
Inherited
First attested
Homer, Iliad

Pronunciation

  • 5th-century BC Attic: /skǎi̯.rɔː/[1]
  • 4th-century AD Koine: /ˈscɛ.ro/[1]
  • 10th-century Byzantine: /ˈsce.ro/[1]

Forms

σκαίρω (skaírō) [1] Only the present and imperfect occur, with the iterative imperfect σκαίρεσκον (skaíreskon).[2][3][4]

Etymology

The origin is unclear.[5][6] It is a present with the suffix *-ye/o-, and no other tenses were formed.[6] LIV traces it to Proto-Indo-European *(s)ḱer- (“to jump, swing”), reconstructing *s(ḱ)r̥-yé-, and compares Welsh cerddaf (“I walk”).[7][5] Beekes accepts that this form would regularly give the Greek verb, but doubts the Welsh comparison and finds the meanings far apart.[5] Wiktionary adds that Proto-Slavic *skorъ (“fast”) may come from the same root.[1] Chantraine mentions Germanic, Baltic and Slavic comparisons but finds none certain.[6]

LSJ takes σκιρτάω (skirtáō, “to leap”) as probably its frequentative.[4] The variation of σκαρίζω (skarízō) and ἀσκαρίζω (askarízō), both related words, is unexplained.[5]

Earliest recorded meaning

In the Iliad (18.572) dancers skip with their feet, and in the Odyssey (10.412) calves frisk about their mothers.[8][4]

Semantic evolution

It means jumping about in all directions, unlike ἅλλομαι (hállomai) or πηδάω (pēdáō), and it is said of calves, deer and dancers.[6][3] It stays a poetic word, used by the Homeric Hymns, Callimachus, Theocritus and Apollonius Rhodius, with a single prose instance in the Aristotelian Problems.[4][3][9] Its derivatives include σκαρθμός (skarthmós), the prancing of a horse, and, according to Chantraine, the fish name σκάρος (skáros), the parrotfish, known for its leaps.[3][6]

Timeline

  • Homer – The Iliad uses it of dancers and the Odyssey of frisking calves.[8][4]
  • 4th century BC – The Aristotelian Problems use it of dancing.[4][10]
  • 4th–3rd century BC – Theocritus uses it of a frisking calf.[4][3][10]
  • 3rd century BC – Apollonius Rhodius uses the iterative imperfect, of frisking with the tail.[4][10]

Meanings

Verb

  1. Of dancers: to skip, dance.[4][3]
  2. Of calves and deer: to frisk, gambol.[3][4]

Word family

  • σκαρθμός (skarthmós)
  • σκάρος (skáros)
  • σκιρτάω (skirtáō)
  • σκαρίζω (skarízō)
  • ἀσκαρίζω (askarízō)

References

  1. ^ a b c d e Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ Korinthios, J. (2025), Grande Dizionario Greco Classico: Greco–Italiano, digital ed., Milan: Hoepli
  3. ^ a b c d e f g Diggle, James, et al., eds. (2021), The Cambridge Greek Lexicon, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press
  4. ^ a b c d e f g h i j Liddell, Henry George; Scott, Robert; Jones, Henry Stuart (1940), A Greek-English Lexicon, 9th ed., Oxford: Clarendon Press
  5. ^ 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
  6. ^ a b c d e 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
  7. ^ Rix, Helmut, et al. (2001), Lexikon der indogermanischen Verben, 2nd ed., Wiesbaden: Reichert
  8. ^ a b Cunliffe, Richard John (1924), A Lexicon of the Homeric Dialect, London: Blackie and Son
  9. ^ Keersmaekers, Alek (2021–2025), GLAUx: The Greek Language Automated corpus, https://github.com/alekkeersmaekers/glaux
  10. ^ a b c Rodríguez Adrados, Francisco, et al., eds. (1980–), Diccionario Griego-Español, Madrid: CSIC, http://dge.cchs.csic.es/xdge
Cite this entry

“Σκαίρω.” Etymologically, 25 Oct. 2026, etymologically.com/grc/%CF%83%CE%BA%CE%B1%CE%AF%CF%81%CF%89. Accessed 25 Oct. 2026.

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