ἄγχω
Pronunciation
- 5th-century BC Attic: /áŋ.kʰɔː/[1]
- 4th-century AD Koine: /ˈaŋ.xo/[1]
- 10th-century Byzantine: /ˈaŋ.xo/[1]
Forms
ᾰ̓́γχω (ánkhō) [1]
Etymology
It is inherited from Proto-Indo-European *h₂emǵʰ- (“narrow, to strangle”).[2][3] The thematic present corresponds exactly to Latin angō (“to bind tight, strangle”); Hittite ḫamank- has a nasal present.[2][4] Wiktionary gives the root as *h₂enǵʰ- (“to constrict”).[1]
The u-stem adjective of this root, as in Sanskrit अंहु (áṃhu, “narrow”), Old Armenian անձուկ (anjuk, “narrow”) and Old English enge, is not found in Greek.[2][4][1] Related Greek words are ἄγχι (ánkhi, “near”) and ἀγχόνη (ankhónē, “strangling”).[2]
Earliest recorded meaning
Its first occurrence is in the Iliad (3.371), of a helmet strap choking its wearer.[5][6]
Semantic evolution
Pindar uses the passive of strangled snakes, and Aristophanes and Demosthenes use it of throttling a person.[6] Aristophanes also uses it figuratively of creditors pressing their debtors.[6] It is a fairly rare word.[7]
Wiktionary names English anxiety and angina among its cognates.[1]
Timeline
- Homer – The Iliad uses it of a helmet strap choking its wearer.[5][6]
- 6th–5th century BC – Pindar uses the passive of strangled snakes.[6][8]
- 5th–4th century BC – Aristophanes uses it of creditors “choking” debtors.[6][8]
- 4th century BC – Demosthenes uses it of throttling a man.[6][8]
Meanings
Verb
- To choke, throttle, strangle a person or animal.[6][5]
- (figurative) To press hard, oppress, as creditors do debtors.[6]
Word family
- ἀγχόνη (ankhónē)
- ἀπάγχω (apánkhō)
- κατάγχω (katánkhō)
- ἀγκτήρ (anktḗr)
- ἄγξις (ánxis)
- ἀνάγχω (anánkhō)
- διάγχω (diánkhō)
- κυνάγχη (kunánkhē)
- περιάγχω (periánkhō)
Related words
- Latin angō
References
- ^ a b c d e f g Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
- ^ a b c d 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
- ^ Rix, Helmut, et al. (2001), Lexikon der indogermanischen Verben, 2nd ed., Wiesbaden: Reichert
- ^ a b 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
- ^ a b c Cunliffe, Richard John (1924), A Lexicon of the Homeric Dialect, London: Blackie and Son
- ^ a b c d e f g h i Diggle, James, et al., eds. (2021), The Cambridge Greek Lexicon, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press
- ^ Keersmaekers, Alek (2021–2025), GLAUx: The Greek Language Automated corpus, https://github.com/alekkeersmaekers/glaux
- ^ a b c Rodríguez Adrados, Francisco, et al., eds. (1980–), Diccionario Griego-Español, Madrid: CSIC, http://dge.cchs.csic.es/xdge