ἄμεσος

Forms

ᾰ̓́μεσος (ámesos) m or f (neuter ᾰ̓́μεσον); second declension^[1]

Etymology

It is formed from Ancient Greek ἀ- (a-) + μέσος (mésos, “middle”), literally “without a middle”.^[1][2][3] Its opposite is ἔμμεσος (émmesos), formed in the same way from ἐν (en) and μέσος (mésos).^[3]

Earliest recorded meaning

It is first found in Aristotle's logic, of premises that have no middle term and so cannot be proved by a syllogism.^[4][5][3]

Semantic evolution

In Aristotle the word belongs to the theory of demonstration: “immediate” premises are the first principles from which proof starts, and cannot themselves be proved.^[4][5] Later philosophers used it of opposites with nothing between them, such as health and sickness or odd and even, and the neuter plural τὰ ἄμεσα came to mean such opposites; the Stoic Chrysippus, Lucian, Plotinus and Simplicius use it so.^[5][4] The adverb ἀμέσως (amésōs) meant “directly, without an intermediary” in Chrysippus, Alexander of Aphrodisias and Proclus.^[5][4]

The Modern Greek word άμεσος (ámesos) is a learned revival of the ancient word, which also took on the senses of French immédiat and direct.^[6] The adverb αμέσως (amésos), “without delay”, continues the Hellenistic adverb, and the abstract noun αμεσότητα (amesótita) continues Hellenistic ἀμεσότης (amesótēs).^[3]

Timeline

• 4th century BC – Aristotle uses it in the Prior and Posterior Analytics of premises without a middle term.^[4][5]
• 3rd century BC – The Stoic Chrysippus uses the adverb ἀμέσως (amésōs) of things opposed with nothing between them.^[5]
• 2nd century AD – Lucian uses the neuter plural for opposites, one of which is removed when the other is.^[5]
• 3rd century AD – Plotinus speaks of opposites with no middle as τὰ ἄμεσα.^[4][5]
• 5th century AD – Proclus uses the adverb of whatever proceeds directly from something.^[5][4]
• 6th century AD – Simplicius writes of an “immediate” division and of opposites with no middle term.^[5]
• Modern Greek – The learned άμεσος (ámesos) also takes the senses of French immédiat and direct.^[6]

Meanings

Adjective

1. (logic) Immediate, having no middle term: of premises that cannot be proved by a syllogism.^[4][5]
2. (philosophy) Of opposites: having nothing between them, direct; as a noun, τὰ ἄμεσα, such opposites.^[5][4]
3. The adverb ἀμέσως (amésōs): directly, without an intermediary.^[5][4]

Related words

• ἔμμεσος (émmesos)
• ἀμεσότης (amesótēs)

References

1. ^ a b c d e Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ Bailly, Anatole (2020), Dictionnaire grec-français, Bailly 2020 Hugo Chávez ed., ed. Gérard Gréco et al.
3. ^ a b c d Babiniotis, Georgios (2010), Ετυμολογικό λεξικό της νέας ελληνικής γλώσσας [Etymological Dictionary of Modern Greek], Athens: Κέντρο Λεξικολογίας
4. ^ a b c d e f g h i j Liddell, Henry George; Scott, Robert; Jones, Henry Stuart (1940), A Greek-English Lexicon, 9th ed., Oxford: Clarendon Press
5. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m Rodríguez Adrados, Francisco, et al., eds. (1980–), Diccionario Griego-Español, Madrid: CSIC, http://dge.cchs.csic.es/xdge
6. ^ a b Ινστιτούτο Νεοελληνικών Σπουδών (Ίδρυμα Μανόλη Τριανταφυλλίδη) (1998), Λεξικό της κοινής νεοελληνικής, Thessaloniki: Aristotle University of Thessaloniki