ἐνθουσιάζω

Forms

ἐνθουσιάζω (enthousiázō) ^[1]

Etymology

It is formed from Ancient Greek ἔνθους (énthous) + -ιάζω (-iázō),^[1] from the contracted form of ἔνθεος (éntheos, “possessed by a god”), literally “having a god within”.^[2][1] Beekes explains the ending by the influence of the verbs in -σιάζω (-siázō), like θυσιάζω (thusiázō), and of the verbs of illness in -ιάω (-iáō);^[2] Wiktionary adds the influence of οὐσία (ousía).^[1] The contraction of ⟨εο⟩ to ⟨ου⟩ is regular.^[2]

Earliest recorded meaning

Its first recorded use is in a fragment of Aeschylus, in the form ἐνθουσιάω (enthousiáō), where a house is filled with divine frenzy.^[3] Tragedy always uses that form.^[3]

Semantic evolution

Plato made it a key word of his account of inspiration: the reciter of Homer, poets and lovers are possessed by a god, and in the Phaedrus the speaker fears being possessed by the nymphs.^[3][4][5] In Euripides it means to be beside oneself through one's own sufferings.^[5][3] Aristotle says that a style can make the listeners feel inspired, and Plutarch uses it of passionate enthusiasm for philosophy.^[3][5] Plotinus applies it to the ecstasy of mystical union.^[4] Its nouns were ἐνθουσιασμός (enthousiasmós) and ἐνθουσίασις (enthousíasis).^[6][3]

Modern Greek ενθουσιάζω (enthousiázo) is a learned form of the ancient verb, which took the senses of “to fill with enthusiasm” and “to be enthusiastic” under the influence of ενθουσιασμός (enthousiasmós) and of French s'enthousiasmer.^[7]

Timeline

• 6th–5th century BC – Aeschylus has the form ἐνθουσιάω.^[3][4]
• 5th century BC – Euripides uses it of being beside oneself with suffering.^[3][5][4]
• 5th–4th century BC – Plato uses it for the divine possession of poets and seers.^[3][4]
• 4th century BC – Aristotle uses it of the effect of a style on the listeners.^[3][4]
• 3rd century AD – Plotinus uses it for mystical ecstasy.^[4]
• Modern Greek – ενθουσιάζω means “to fill with enthusiasm”.^[7]

Meanings

Verb

1. To be possessed or inspired by a god, to be in ecstasy.^[5][3]
2. To be out of one's mind, through suffering.^[5][3]
3. To be enraptured; to be passionately enthusiastic about something.^[5][3]
4. (transitive, late) To inspire a feeling in someone.^[3]

Word family

• ἐνθουσιασμός (enthousiasmós)
• ἐνθουσιαστής (enthousiastḗs)

Related words

• ἔνθεος (éntheos)
• θεός (theós)

References

1. ^ a b c d Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ 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
3. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n Liddell, Henry George; Scott, Robert; Jones, Henry Stuart (1940), A Greek-English Lexicon, 9th ed., Oxford: Clarendon Press
4. ^ a b c d e f g Rodríguez Adrados, Francisco, et al., eds. (1980–), Diccionario Griego-Español, Madrid: CSIC, http://dge.cchs.csic.es/xdge
5. ^ a b c d e f g Diggle, James, et al., eds. (2021), The Cambridge Greek Lexicon, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press
6. ^ 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
7. ^ a b Ινστιτούτο Νεοελληνικών Σπουδών (Ίδρυμα Μανόλη Τριανταφυλλίδη) (1998), Λεξικό της κοινής νεοελληνικής, Thessaloniki: Aristotle University of Thessaloniki