σπεύδω

Forms

σπεύδω (speúdō) ^[1]

Etymology

It is inherited from Proto-Indo-European *spewd- (“to press, drive, hurry”).^[2][1][3] The only certain cognate, according to Beekes, is Lithuanian spáusti (“to press, squeeze; push on; hurry”), and the noun σπουδή (spoudḗ, “haste, zeal”) matches spaudà (“pressure, press”) in form.^[2][4] Chantraine notes that the noun's o-grade, rare in Greek diphthongs, confirms the age of the root.^[4] Beekes and Wiktionary also mention Albanian punë (“work, business”), perhaps from *spud-nā, and Wiktionary adds Old Armenian փոյթ (pʻoytʻ).^[2][1]

Earliest recorded meaning

It is found from Homer on.^[5] The Iliad uses it intransitively for a warrior hurrying into battle, and transitively for hastening a task on.^[5][6][7]

Semantic evolution

Homer has both “to hurry” and “to press on with” a task, and the Odyssey speaks of suitors “hastening” a marriage.^[7][8] From “to hurry” came “to strive, be eager”: Solon and Theognis use it for pursuing wealth, Pindar for striving after excellence, and Thucydides for seeking political leadership.^[7] Hesiod uses it of busy bees.^[7] The noun σπουδή (spoudḗ) went the same way, from “haste” to “zeal, seriousness”.^[2]

In the New Testament it means “to hurry” and, transitively, “to strive for” or “hasten” something.^[9] The verb lived on in medieval Greek with the same sense, and it survives as Modern Greek σπεύδω (spévdo), a learned word for “to hasten, rush”.^[10][11]

Timeline

• Homer – The Iliad uses it for hurrying into battle and for pressing on with a task.^[7][5]
• Before the 6th century BC – Hesiod uses it for striving to do something, and of busy bees.^[7][12]
• 6th century BC – Theognis uses it for pursuing wealth.^[7][12]
• 6th–5th century BC – Pindar uses it for striving after excellence.^[7][12]
• 5th century BC – Thucydides uses it for seeking political leadership.^[7][12]
• 1st century AD – The New Testament uses it for hurrying and for striving after something.^[9]
• Modern Greek – It survives as a learned verb meaning “to hasten”.^[11]

Meanings

Verb

1. To press on with, hasten (an activity, a marriage, a death).^[7][8]
2. To strive after, be eager for, pursue (wealth, excellence, power).^[7]
3. To urge on, promote (a course of action, an interest).^[7]
4. To hurry, make haste; to exert oneself, be eager (to do something).^[7][9]

Word family

• ἀντισπεύδω (antispeúdō)
• ἀποσπεύδω (apospeúdō)
• διασπεύδω (diaspeúdō)
• ἐκσπεύδω (ekspeúdō)
• ἐπισπεύδω (epispeúdō)
• κατασπεύδω (kataspeúdō)
• συσπεύδω (suspeúdō)
• μετασπεύδω (metaspeúdō)
• περισπεύδω (perispeúdō)
• προσσπεύδω (prosspeúdō)
• ὑπερσπεύδω (huperspeúdō)

Related words

• ἐσπευσμένως (espeusménōs)
• σπεῦσις (speûsis)
• σπευστικός (speustikós)
• σπουδή (spoudḗ)

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. ^ Rix, Helmut, et al. (2001), Lexikon der indogermanischen Verben, 2nd ed., Wiesbaden: Reichert
4. ^ a b 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
5. ^ a b c Keersmaekers, Alek (2021–2025), GLAUx: The Greek Language Automated corpus, https://github.com/alekkeersmaekers/glaux
6. ^ 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 Diggle, James, et al., eds. (2021), The Cambridge Greek Lexicon, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press
8. ^ a b Liddell, Henry George; Scott, Robert; Jones, Henry Stuart (1940), A Greek-English Lexicon, 9th ed., Oxford: Clarendon Press
9. ^ 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
10. ^ Kriaras, Emmanuel, Επιτομή του Λεξικού της μεσαιωνικής ελληνικής δημώδους γραμματείας 1100–1669, Κέντρο Ελληνικής Γλώσσας, https://www.greek-language.gr
11. ^ a b Ινστιτούτο Νεοελληνικών Σπουδών (Ίδρυμα Μανόλη Τριανταφυλλίδη) (1998), Λεξικό της κοινής νεοελληνικής, Thessaloniki: Aristotle University of Thessaloniki
12. ^ a b c d Rodríguez Adrados, Francisco, et al., eds. (1980–), Diccionario Griego-Español, Madrid: CSIC, http://dge.cchs.csic.es/xdge