τέρην

Forms

τέρην (térēn) m (feminine τέρεινᾰ, neuter τέρεν); first/third declension^[1]

Etymology

It is inherited from Proto-Indo-European *ter- (“soft, tender”),^[1][2] an adjective with an n-stem like ἄρσην (ársēn).^[2][3] Apart from the thematic vowel it matches a Sabine word for “soft” that Macrobius ascribes to Favorinus.^[2][3] Latin tener (“tender”) belongs here too, if it was reshaped from an older form on the model of tenuis.^[2][3] Beekes and Frisk group it with τέρυς (térus) and τεράμων (terámōn); the Cambridge lexicon instead relates it to τείρω (teírō, “to wear out”).^[2][3][4]

Ancient grammarians derived it from θέρω (thérō, “to warm”), since what is warmed is softened.^[5]

Earliest recorded meaning

In Homer it is used mostly in the neuter: of tears, “soft tears”, of leaves and of the flowers of the grass.^[6][4]

Semantic evolution

It remained a poetic word.^[6][2] Hesiod speaks of the “tender flower of youth”, Empedocles of tender blood, and the lyric poets apply it to flesh, fruit and plants.^[6][4] Euripides uses it of eyes, and Apollonius Rhodius of a mouth and a body.^[4] A comparative, and the compound τερενόχρως (terenókhrōs, “with tender skin”), appear in later poetry.^[7]

Timeline

• Homer – The Iliad uses it of tears and leaves.^[6][8]
• Before the 6th century BC – Hesiod speaks of the tender flower of youth.^[6][8][9]
• 5th century BC – Empedocles uses it of blood, and Euripides of eyes.^[6][4][9]
• 3rd century BC – Apollonius Rhodius uses it of tears, a mouth and a body.^[4][9]

Meanings

Adjective

1. (poetic) soft, tender, delicate, of tears, flesh, eyes, leaves, flowers and fruit.^[6][4]
2. (figurative) Tender, youthful, of the bloom of youth.^[6]

References

1. ^ a b c d e 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. ^ a b c d Frisk, Hjalmar (1960–1972), Griechisches etymologisches Wörterbuch, 3 vols, Heidelberg: Carl Winter
4. ^ a b c d e f g Diggle, James, et al., eds. (2021), The Cambridge Greek Lexicon, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press
5. ^ Etygram: ancient etymologies of Greek words, CEPAM, Université Côte d'Azur, http://appsweb-cepam.unice.fr/etygram
6. ^ a b c d e f g h Liddell, Henry George; Scott, Robert; Jones, Henry Stuart (1940), A Greek-English Lexicon, 9th ed., Oxford: Clarendon Press
7. ^ 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
8. ^ a b Keersmaekers, Alek (2021–2025), GLAUx: The Greek Language Automated corpus, https://github.com/alekkeersmaekers/glaux
9. ^ a b c Rodríguez Adrados, Francisco, et al., eds. (1980–), Diccionario Griego-Español, Madrid: CSIC, http://dge.cchs.csic.es/xdge