ἀλύδοιμος

Forms

ἀλύδοιμος (alúdoimos) m or f (neuter ἀλύδοιμον); second declension^[1]

Etymology

Wiktionary derives it inherited from Proto-Indo-European *h₂elut-.^[1] The major etymological dictionaries do not discuss the word.^[2][3][4]

Earliest recorded meaning

It is known only from a fragment of the Syracusan mime writer Sophron, where it means “bitter”, as Hesychius explains it.^[5][6][7]

Semantic evolution

The grammarian Herodian explained it instead as “pitiable”.^[5] Wiktionary records ἀλύδαινος (alúdainos) as a variant; the Suda glosses that word as “the bad wind”.^[1][7]

Timeline

• 5th century BC – Sophron uses it in the sense “bitter”.^[5][7]
• 2nd century AD – Herodian explains it as “pitiable”.^[5]
• 5th century AD (probably) – Hesychius glosses it as “bitter”, citing Sophron.^[6]

Meanings

Adjective

1. Bitter.^[7][5][6]

References

1. ^ a b c d e f Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ 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. ^ Frisk, Hjalmar (1960–1972), Griechisches etymologisches Wörterbuch, 3 vols, Heidelberg: Carl Winter
4. ^ 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
5. ^ a b c d e Rodríguez Adrados, Francisco, et al., eds. (1980–), Diccionario Griego-Español, Madrid: CSIC, http://dge.cchs.csic.es/xdge
6. ^ a b c Hesychius of Alexandria, Lexicon, ed. Kurt Latte (Α–Ο, Copenhagen 1953–1966) and Moritz Schmidt (Π–Ω, Jena 1858–1868)
7. ^ a b c d Liddell, Henry George; Scott, Robert; Jones, Henry Stuart (1940), A Greek-English Lexicon, 9th ed., Oxford: Clarendon Press