ἀπειλή

Forms

ᾰ̓πειλή (apeilḗ) f (genitive ἀπειλῆς); first declension^[1]

Etymology

Its origin is unknown.^[2] The verb ἀπειλέω (apeiléō, “to threaten”) is probably formed from the noun,^[3][2] but the DGE takes the noun to be formed back from the verb.^[4] Chantraine considered identifying the verb with a compound of ἀπό (apó) and εἰλέω (eiléō) meaning “drive back”, with the noun made from it, but the old sense “boastful promise” does not suit this well.^[3]

If it belongs with Latvian pel̃t (“to revile”), it would come from Proto-Indo-European *h₂pel-.^[2] With a movable s-, Proto-Germanic *spellą (“tale, story”) and Old Armenian առասպել (aṙaspel, “myth, legend”) have been compared, though the s- would then be hard to explain.^[2][3][1] The LIV sets up a nasal present *(s)pelnH- and compares Tocharian A pällāntär and Tocharian B pällātär “to praise”.^[2][1] Babiniotis also takes it from *(s)pel-, with a prefix ἀ-.^[5]

Earliest recorded meaning

In Homer it is mostly plural and means both a boastful promise and a threat: in the Iliad Aeneas is asked where are the boasts he made over his wine.^[4][6][7]

Semantic evolution

The sense “threat”, found already in Homer, became the usual one in tragedy, comedy and prose, in the singular as well as the plural.^[4][6] Later writers used it of things, for a coming danger: Josephus and Aelian of storms, and a medical writer of abscesses about to form.^[4] In the New Testament Saul is “breathing threats and murder” in Acts.^[8]

Modern Greek απειλή (apilí) is a learned form of the ancient word, with senses also modelled on French menace.^[9][10]

Timeline

• Homer – The Iliad uses it for boasts and for threats.^[4][6][11]
• 6th–5th century BC – Aeschylus uses it for threats in the Prometheus.^[4]
• 5th century BC – Herodotus, Sophocles and Thucydides use it for a threat.^[4]
• 1st century AD – The Acts of the Apostles use it for threats, and Josephus of a storm.^[8][4]
• 2nd–3rd century AD – Aelian uses it for a coming storm.^[4]
• Modern Greek – απειλή (apilí) is used as a learned word for a threat.^[9]

Meanings

Noun

1. (usually plural) A boast, a boastful promise.^[6][4]
2. A threat, threatening words or gestures.^[6][4][8]
3. Of things: a coming danger, a risk.^[4]

Word family

• ἀπειλέω (apeiléō)
• ἀπείλημα (apeílēma)
• ἀπειλητήρ (apeilētḗr)
• ἀπειλητήριος (apeilētḗrios)
• ἀπειλητικός (apeilētikós)

References

1. ^ a b c d e f Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d e 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 Frisk, Hjalmar (1960–1972), Griechisches etymologisches Wörterbuch, 3 vols, Heidelberg: Carl Winter
4. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l Rodríguez Adrados, Francisco, et al., eds. (1980–), Diccionario Griego-Español, Madrid: CSIC, http://dge.cchs.csic.es/xdge
5. ^ Babiniotis, Georgios (2010), Ετυμολογικό λεξικό της νέας ελληνικής γλώσσας [Etymological Dictionary of Modern Greek], Athens: Κέντρο Λεξικολογίας
6. ^ a b c d e Diggle, James, et al., eds. (2021), The Cambridge Greek Lexicon, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press
7. ^ Cunliffe, Richard John (1924), A Lexicon of the Homeric Dialect, London: Blackie and Son
8. ^ a b c Bauer, Walter; Danker, Frederick W., et al. (2000), A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament and Other Early Christian Literature, 3rd ed., Chicago: University of Chicago Press
9. ^ a b Ινστιτούτο Νεοελληνικών Σπουδών (Ίδρυμα Μανόλη Τριανταφυλλίδη) (1998), Λεξικό της κοινής νεοελληνικής, Thessaloniki: Aristotle University of Thessaloniki
10. ^ Kriaras, Emmanuel, Επιτομή του Λεξικού της μεσαιωνικής ελληνικής δημώδους γραμματείας 1100–1669, Κέντρο Ελληνικής Γλώσσας, https://www.greek-language.gr
11. ^ Keersmaekers, Alek (2021–2025), GLAUx: The Greek Language Automated corpus, https://github.com/alekkeersmaekers/glaux