Etymologically
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τροπή

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Pronunciation

  • IPA (5th-century BC Attic): /tro.pɛ̌ː/[1]
  • IPA (4th-century AD Koine): /troˈpi/[1]
  • IPA (10th-century Byzantine): /troˈpi/[1]

Forms

τροπή (tropḗ) f (genitive τροπῆς); first declension[1]

Etymology

It is formed from τρέπω (trépō, “to turn”) with the suffix -η (-ē), with the /o/ grade of the root seen also in τρόπος (trópos).[1][2]

Earliest recorded meaning

Its only Homeric use, in the Odyssey (15.404), is for the “turnings of the sun”, apparently the point on the horizon where the sun rises or sets at the solstice.[3][4] Hesiod's Works and Days uses it for the winter solstice.[4][3]

Semantic evolution

In the plural it remained the word for the solstices;[4] Herodotus, Thucydides and Plato distinguish the summer and winter turnings.[4] Plato and Aristotle use it for a change or alteration in the heavens and in nature, and Aeschines and Plutarch for a change of opinion or behaviour.[4]

In war it was the putting to flight of an enemy, a rout.[4][1] Its derivatives include τροπαῖος (tropaîos) and τροπικός (tropikós).[1] It also meant a figure of speech, a trope.[1] Modern Greek τροπή is a learned word.[5]

Timeline

  • Homer – The Odyssey uses it for the turnings of the sun.[3][4]
  • Before the 6th century BC – Hesiod uses it for the winter solstice.[4][6]
  • 5th century BC – Herodotus distinguishes the summer and winter solstices.[4][6]
  • 5th century BC – Thucydides uses it.[3][6]
  • 4th century BC – Aristotle uses it for change in nature.[4][6]

Meanings

Noun

  1. A turning.[1]
  2. (plural) The turnings of the sun, the solstice.[4]
  3. A change, alteration, reversal.[4]
  4. (military) The putting to flight of an enemy, a rout.[4][1]
  5. (rhetoric) A trope.[1]

Word family

  • τροπαῖος (tropaîos)
  • τρόπαλις (tropālís)
  • τροπικός (tropikós)
  • τρόπος (trópos)

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ Πάπυρος–Larousse–Britannica, Μέγα Λεξικό της Ελληνικής Γλώσσας, Athens: Πάπυρος
  3. ^ a b c d Keersmaekers, Alek (2021–2025), GLAUx: The Greek Language Automated corpus, https://github.com/alekkeersmaekers/glaux
  4. ^ 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
  5. ^ Ινστιτούτο Νεοελληνικών Σπουδών (Ίδρυμα Μανόλη Τριανταφυλλίδη) (1998), Λεξικό της κοινής νεοελληνικής, Thessaloniki: Aristotle University of Thessaloniki
  6. ^ a b c d Rodríguez Adrados, Francisco, et al., eds. (1980–), Diccionario Griego-Español, Madrid: CSIC, http://dge.cchs.csic.es/xdge