τάλας

Forms

τᾰ́λᾱς (tálās) m (feminine τᾰ́λαινᾰ, neuter τᾰ́λᾰν); first/third declension^[1]

Etymology

It was originally a formation in -ντ- (-nt-) on the aorist ταλάσσαι (talássai, “to endure”), like τάλαντον (tálanton); because its vocative was so often used, it passed into the /n/-stems after μέλας (mélās, “black”).^[2][3] The old stem shows in Hipponax's dative ⟨τάλαντι⟩.^[4][5] The root is Proto-Indo-European *telh₂- (“to bear, endure”).^[2][1] Beekes and Frisk also connect the address τᾶν (tân, “my good man”).^[2][3]

Earliest recorded meaning

In the Odyssey only the vocative occurs, as abuse: “wretched stranger!”, “get out, wretch!”.^[6][5]

Semantic evolution

Lyric and tragedy made it the word of pity for oneself and others: “wretched that I am”, often with a genitive of the cause.^[5][4] Tragedy also applied it to things, wretched toils, sickness and strife, and to people driven by suffering to cruelty.^[5][4] In comedy the vocative softened: women call each other “poor dear”, and a woman says “my good man” to a man.^[4][5]

It remained a poetic word, used in prose by Xenophon, Philo, Plutarch and Lucian.^[5] The Septuagint uses it for the suffering and wretched.^[7] Modern Greek has it from the ancient language.^[8]

Timeline

• Homer – The Odyssey uses the vocative as a term of abuse.^[6][5]
• 7th–6th century BC – Semonides and Alcaeus use it for the unhappy; the Aeolic nominative was τάλαις.^[4][9]
• 6th–5th century BC – Aeschylus uses it of people and of things that bring misery.^[5][9]
• 5th–4th century BC – Aristophanes uses the vocative as a coaxing address, “poor dear”.^[5][4][9]
• 5th–4th century BC – Xenophon uses it in prose.^[5][9]
• 1st–2nd century AD – Plutarch and Lucian use it in prose.^[5][9]

Meanings

Adjective

1. Suffering, wretched, unhappy.^[5][4]
2. (vocative) A term of reproach or mock pity, “wretch!”, “poor fool!”; in comedy, a coaxing “poor dear”, “my good man”.^[5][4]
3. Of things and states: sorry, miserable, cruel.^[5][4]
4. Hardened by suffering, reckless, relentless.^[4]

Related words

• τλάω (tláō)
• τάλαντον (tálanton)
• τλήμων (tlḗmōn)
• ταλαίπωρος (talaípōros)

References

1. ^ a b c d e Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c 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 Frisk, Hjalmar (1960–1972), Griechisches etymologisches Wörterbuch, 3 vols, Heidelberg: Carl Winter
4. ^ a b c d e f g h i j Diggle, James, et al., eds. (2021), The Cambridge Greek Lexicon, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press
5. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n Liddell, Henry George; Scott, Robert; Jones, Henry Stuart (1940), A Greek-English Lexicon, 9th ed., Oxford: Clarendon Press
6. ^ a b Cunliffe, Richard John (1924), A Lexicon of the Homeric Dialect, London: Blackie and Son
7. ^ Lust, Johan; Eynikel, Erik; Hauspie, Katrin (2003), Greek-English Lexicon of the Septuagint, rev. ed., Stuttgart: Deutsche Bibelgesellschaft
8. ^ Τεγόπουλος, Γ.; Φυτράκης, Ε. (1997), Μείζον Ελληνικό Λεξικό, Athens: Αρμονία
9. ^ a b c d e Rodríguez Adrados, Francisco, et al., eds. (1980–), Diccionario Griego-Español, Madrid: CSIC, http://dge.cchs.csic.es/xdge