στείχω

Forms

στείχω (steíkhō) ^[1]

Etymology

It is inherited from Proto-Hellenic *stéikʰō (“to walk, go”),^[1] from Proto-Indo-European *steigʰ- (“to stride, climb”).^[2][3][1] The full-grade thematic present agrees exactly with Gothic and Old Irish verbs meaning “to go up” and “to go”, from the same root.^[2] Cognates include Proto-Germanic *stīganą (“to climb”), whence German steigen, and Lithuanian steĩgti (“to organize, hurry”).^[1][2] The zero grade appears in στίχος (stíkhos, “row, line”) and the o-grade in στοῖχος (stoîkhos, “row”).^[2][1] Germanic nouns for a path or step and Albanian shteg (“footpath”) belong to the same root.^[2][1]

Earliest recorded meaning

It is found from the Iliad on, meaning to walk or march; in the Odyssey it is used of going through the city.^[4][5][6]

Semantic evolution

στείχω is a poetic verb, used by the epic, lyric and tragic poets, but also in Aeolic prose inscriptions.^[4][5] Herodotus has a form στίχω.^[4][5][2] It means to go, march, or come, with a preposition or adverb naming where, or in tragedy with a plain accusative of the place.^[4][5] In tragedy it also means to go away, depart.^[5] Things move too: a wave, storm or sunlight comes on in Alcaeus and Aeschylus, a song travels in Pindar and Bacchylides, ruin advances against someone in Sophocles, and in Aeschylus a first beard spreads over the cheeks.^[5] Apollonius of Rhodes uses it of time moving on.^[5] The tragedians never use the aorist ἔστιχον.^[4] Cicero uses it in a mock-heroic Greek phrase.^[4]

Timeline

• Homer – The Iliad uses it of men marching and the Odyssey of walking through the city.^[4][5]
• Before the 6th century BC – Hesiod's Theogony uses it.^[6][7]
• 7th–6th century BC – Alcaeus uses it of a wave coming on.^[5][4][7]
• 6th–5th century BC – Aeschylus uses it of a first beard spreading over the cheeks.^[5][7]
• 5th century BC – Pindar and Bacchylides use it of songs going out, and Herodotus has the form στίχω.^[5][4][7]
• 4th century BC – Aeolic prose inscriptions from Mytilene use it.^[4]
• 3rd century BC – Apollonius of Rhodes uses it of time moving on.^[5]

Meanings

Verb

1. To walk, march, go or come, usually with the place to or from which.^[4][5]
2. To go away, depart.^[5]
3. (of a wave, storm, sunlight) To come on, approach.^[5]
4. (of a song, a report) To go out, travel.^[5]
5. (of troubles) To advance against someone.^[5]
6. (of a first beard) To spread over the cheeks.^[5]
7. (of time) To move on.^[5]

Related words

• στίχος (stíkhos)
• στοῖχος (stoîkhos)
• German steigen

References

1. ^ a b c d e f g h i Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d e f 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 c d e f g h i j k Liddell, Henry George; Scott, Robert; Jones, Henry Stuart (1940), A Greek-English Lexicon, 9th ed., Oxford: Clarendon Press
5. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s Diggle, James, et al., eds. (2021), The Cambridge Greek Lexicon, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press
6. ^ a b Keersmaekers, Alek (2021–2025), GLAUx: The Greek Language Automated corpus, https://github.com/alekkeersmaekers/glaux
7. ^ a b c d Rodríguez Adrados, Francisco, et al., eds. (1980–), Diccionario Griego-Español, Madrid: CSIC, http://dge.cchs.csic.es/xdge