ἁπλόος

Pronunciation

• 5th-century BC Attic: /ha.pló.os/^[1]
• 4th-century AD Koine: /aˈplo.os/^[1]
• 10th-century Byzantine: /aˈplo.os/^[1]

Forms

ᾰ̔πλόος (haplóos) m (feminine ᾰ̔πλόη, neuter ᾰ̔πλόον); first/second declension^[1] Usually contracted, Attic ἁπλοῦς, ἁπλῆ, ἁπλοῦν; late also ἁπλός.^[2][3][4]

Etymology

It is formed from Ancient Greek ἁ- (ha-, “one, same”) + -πλόος (-plóos, “-fold”), the opposite of διπλόος (diplóos, “double”).^[1][5] Frisk takes the form ἁπλός (haplós) as formally identical with Latin simplus, perhaps going back to Proto-Indo-European *sm̥-pl-o-, from *sem- (“one”) (as in εἷς (heîs, “one”)) and a second element from *pel- (“to fold”), which is also in duplus (“double”).^[4][6][7][8] Beekes finds the direct connection with the Latin word problematic, because the Greek forms in -πλος (-plos) are late and rare beside the usual type, and notes Kretschmer's view that -πλόος (-plóos, “sailing”) of πλέω (pléō, “to sail”) influenced it.^[5][6] The DGE also considers the root of πλέκω (plékō, “to plait”).^[8]

Earliest recorded meaning

The adjective is not in Homer, which has only the derivative ἁπλοΐς (haploḯs), a single cloak.^[4][9] It is first found in Pindar, of the simple paths of life, and in Aeschylus, who calls the story or the speech “simple” and the road to Hades “single”.^[2][5]

Semantic evolution

In classical Greek it is first “single”, as opposed to double: Thucydides has a single wall, and Sophocles and Euripides set single sorrows against double ones.^[2][3] From this it came to mean “simple, plain” of a story or a narrative, and of people and their words “open, frank”, opposed to deceit.^[2] Plato uses it of an honest and noble man.^[2] Aristotle can use it for “simple-minded”, and Isocrates in a bad sense, “silly”.^[2] In philosophy and grammar it is “simple” as opposed to compound or mixed, as in Plato and in Aristotle's simple colours and simple nouns.^[2][3] The noun ἁπλότης (haplótēs) “simplicity” and the adverb ἁπλῶς “simply, absolutely” are derived from it.^[4][2]

In the New Testament it describes singleness of purpose, a sincere mind without a hidden agenda, and the “single”, that is sound and generous, eye of Matthew 6:22.^[10] Medieval Greek remade it as Modern Greek απλός (aplós), which is the Modern Greek word; its sense “easy, ordinary” is modelled on French and English simple.^[11][12] English has the combining form English haplo- from it.^[7]

Timeline

• 6th–5th century BC – Pindar and Aeschylus use it for “single” and “simple”.^[2]
• 5th century BC – Thucydides speaks of a single wall.^[2]
• 5th–4th century BC – Plato uses it for an honest man and for simple as opposed to compound.^[2]
• 4th century BC – Aristotle uses it of simple nouns and simple colours.^[2]
• 1st century AD – The New Testament uses it for a sincere, generous eye.^[10]
• Medieval Greek – The contracted form is remade as απλός (aplós).^[11][12]

Meanings

Adjective

1. Single, not double.^[2][3]
2. Simple, plain, straightforward.^[2][3]
3. Of people: open, frank, sincere.^[2][10]
4. Simple-minded; in a bad sense, silly.^[2]
5. Simple as opposed to compound or mixed.^[2][3]
6. Absolute, sheer.^[2]
7. Of precious metals: unalloyed, pure.^[2]

Word family

• ἁπλοΐς (haploḯs)
• ἁπλότης (haplótēs)
• ἁπλοϊκός (haploïkós)
• ἁπλοσύνη (haplosúnē)
• ἁπλόω (haplóō)

Related words

• διπλόος (diplóos)
• Latin simplex
• Latin simplus
• English haplo-

References

1. ^ a b c d e 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 r s Liddell, Henry George; Scott, Robert; Jones, Henry Stuart (1940), A Greek-English Lexicon, 9th ed., Oxford: Clarendon Press
3. ^ a b c d e f Diggle, James, et al., eds. (2021), The Cambridge Greek Lexicon, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press
4. ^ a b c d Frisk, Hjalmar (1960–1972), Griechisches etymologisches Wörterbuch, 3 vols, Heidelberg: Carl Winter
5. ^ a b c 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
6. ^ a b Pokorny, Julius (1959), Indogermanisches etymologisches Wörterbuch, Bern; Munich: Francke
7. ^ a b Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
8. ^ a b Rodríguez Adrados, Francisco, et al., eds. (1980–), Diccionario Griego-Español, Madrid: CSIC, http://dge.cchs.csic.es/xdge
9. ^ Keersmaekers, Alek (2021–2025), GLAUx: The Greek Language Automated corpus, https://github.com/alekkeersmaekers/glaux
10. ^ 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
11. ^ a b Ινστιτούτο Νεοελληνικών Σπουδών (Ίδρυμα Μανόλη Τριανταφυλλίδη) (1998), Λεξικό της κοινής νεοελληνικής, Thessaloniki: Aristotle University of Thessaloniki
12. ^ a b Babiniotis, Georgios (2010), Ετυμολογικό λεξικό της νέας ελληνικής γλώσσας [Etymological Dictionary of Modern Greek], Athens: Κέντρο Λεξικολογίας