φύω

Forms

φῠ́ω (phúō) ^[1] Intransitive root aorist ἔφῡν, perfect πέφῡκα; transitive aorist ἔφῡσα; middle and passive φύομαι.^[2][3] Mycenaean Greek pu-te, Mycenaean Greek pu-te-re /phuteres/, interpretation uncertain.^[3]

Etymology

It is inherited from Proto-Hellenic *pʰúyō, inherited from Proto-Indo-European *bʰweh₂- (“to grow, arise, become”).^[1][4][3] The whole verbal system was built on the old intransitive root aorist ἔφυν (éphun, “grew, came to be”), which LIV sets beside the perfect Latin fuī.^[4][3] After pairs such as ἔστην (éstēn) and ἔστησα (éstēsa), a transitive aorist ἔφυσα (éphusa), “made grow”, was formed, and then the presents φύομαι (phúomai) and φύω and their futures.^[3][5] The present may continue the zero-grade *bʰuh₂-yé-, like Latin fīō (“to become”).^[4] The perfect πέφυκα (péphuka) is old in principle but was influenced by the aorist.^[3][5]

Cognate with Sanskrit भवति (bhávati, “becomes, is”), Old Armenian բոյս (boys, “plant”) and Old English bēon (“to be”).^[1][4]

Earliest recorded meaning

In Homer it is used of plants growing and of hair and horns growing on a body;^[2] the first example in GLAUx is the pluperfect πεφύκει (pephúkei) in the Iliad (4.109).^[6] The transitive “to make grow, produce” is also Homeric: the earth puts forth crops and trees their leaves.^[2]

Semantic evolution

Beekes notes that the transitive forms were always much less prominent than the old intransitive ones.^[3] In Classical Greek the transitive verb means to beget a child, to grow hair or teeth, of god or nature to create, and figuratively to bring about troubles or win glory;^[2] the intransitive means to be born, to grow, to come into being, and in the perfect to exist or be endowed by nature.^[3][2]

The verb is the source of a large family: φύσις (phúsis, “nature”), φυτόν (phutón, “plant”), φῦλον (phûlon, “race, tribe”) and φυλή (phūlḗ), and φυσικός (phusikós), with many compounds in -φυής.^[3][5] Modern Greek has the learned φύομαι (fíome, “to grow”) for plants,^[7] and Babiniotis lists its compounds such as αναφύομαι (anafíome).^[8]

Timeline

• Homer – The Iliad uses it of plants and horns growing, and of the earth producing crops.^[2][6]
• 6th century BC – Theognis uses it of a father begetting a child.^[2][9]
• 6th–5th century BC – Parmenides uses the middle of the universe coming into being.^[2][9]
• 5th century BC – Sophocles uses it of acquiring intelligence.^[2][9]
• 4th century BC – Plato and Demosthenes use it of situations arising.^[2][9]
• Modern Greek – The learned φύομαι is used of plants growing.^[7]

Meanings

Verb

1. (transitive) To beget a child; to be the parent of.^[2]
2. (transitive) To put forth, produce crops or leaves; to grow hair, teeth or horns.^[2]
3. (transitive) Of a god or nature, to create; figuratively, to bring about.^[2]
4. (intransitive, also middle) To be born.^[2][3]
5. (intransitive, also middle) To grow, spring up.^[2][3]
6. (intransitive, also middle) To come into being, arise.^[2]
7. (perfect) To be by nature, be naturally present.^[2][3]

Word family

• ἐμφύω (emphúō)
• φῦλον (phûlon)
• φῦμα (phûma)
• φυσικός (phusikós)
• φύσις (phúsis)
• φυτόν (phutón)
• φύτωρ (phútōr)
• φυλή (phūlḗ)
• φυτός (phutós)

Related words

• Latin fīō
• English be
• English physics

References

1. ^ a b c d e f Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q Diggle, James, et al., eds. (2021), The Cambridge Greek Lexicon, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press
3. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l 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
4. ^ a b c d Rix, Helmut, et al. (2001), Lexikon der indogermanischen Verben, 2nd ed., Wiesbaden: Reichert
5. ^ a b c Frisk, Hjalmar (1960–1972), Griechisches etymologisches Wörterbuch, 3 vols, Heidelberg: Carl Winter
6. ^ a b Keersmaekers, Alek (2021–2025), GLAUx: The Greek Language Automated corpus, https://github.com/alekkeersmaekers/glaux
7. ^ a b Ινστιτούτο Νεοελληνικών Σπουδών (Ίδρυμα Μανόλη Τριανταφυλλίδη) (1998), Λεξικό της κοινής νεοελληνικής, Thessaloniki: Aristotle University of Thessaloniki
8. ^ Babiniotis, Georgios (2010), Ετυμολογικό λεξικό της νέας ελληνικής γλώσσας [Etymological Dictionary of Modern Greek], Athens: Κέντρο Λεξικολογίας
9. ^ a b c d Rodríguez Adrados, Francisco, et al., eds. (1980–), Diccionario Griego-Español, Madrid: CSIC, http://dge.cchs.csic.es/xdge