Etymologically
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ἑταῖρος

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Pronunciation

  • 5th-century BC Attic: /he.tâi̯.ros/[1]
  • 4th-century AD Koine: /eˈtɛ.ros/[1]
  • 10th-century Byzantine: /eˈte.ros/[1]

Forms

ἑταῖρος (hetaîros) m (genitive ἑταίρου); second declension[1] Epic ἕταρος (hétaros), Aeolic ἔταιρος (étairos); feminine ἑταίρα (hetaírā) and ἑτάρη (hetárē).[2][3]

Etymology

It is remodelled from Ancient Greek ἕταρος (hétaros, “companion”), the older epic form.[4][3] From ἕταρος a feminine was first made with the suffix ⟨‑ια⟩ (as χίμαιρα (khímaira) beside χίμαρος (khímaros)), which became ἑταίρα (hetaírā), and the masculine ἑταῖρος was then formed beside it.[4][3]

Since ἕταρος shows no trace of a digamma, it cannot come directly from ἔτης (étēs) “kinsman”, which had one.[4][3] Beekes and Frisk start instead from the reflexive Proto-Indo-European *se with a /t/ extension, as in Lithuanian svẽčias (“guest”), and the suffix ⟨‑ρος⟩ of νεαρός (nearós).[4][3][1] De Lamberterie connects it with ἐτεός (eteós) “true” and ὅσιος (hósios).[4]

Ancient writers derived it from ἔθος (éthos) “custom” or from ἕτερος (héteros) “other”: Plutarch says a friend is called a “companion” as being another self.[5]

Earliest recorded meaning

In Homer it is a comrade, a companion in war, such as the followers of a chief and the crew of Odysseus.[6][2]

Semantic evolution

From the comrade in arms it widened to any companion or friend.[2] Xenophon calls Socrates' pupils his companions, and Aristotle uses it of a philosopher's followers.[2][7] In Thucydides, Lysias and Demosthenes the plural names members of a political club,[2] while Semonides and Aristophanes use it of a woman's lover, and in Macedonia the Companions were the king's elite cavalry.[2] In the New Testament it is a friendly but distant address, as in the Gospel of Matthew.[7]

Modern Greek εταίρος (etaíros) is a learned word for a member of an academy, a company or an alliance; these uses follow French associé and partenaire and English partner.[8][9] It still names the Companions of the Macedonian king.[8]

Timeline

  • Homer – The Iliad and the Odyssey use it for comrades in war and companions.[6][2]
  • 7th–6th century BC – Semonides uses it of a woman's lover.[2][10]
  • 5th century BC – Thucydides uses the plural of members of political clubs.[2][10]
  • 5th–4th century BC – Xenophon uses it of Socrates' followers.[2][10]
  • 2nd century BC – Polybius uses it for the Companions, the Macedonian cavalry.[2][10]
  • 1st century AD – The Gospel of Matthew uses it as a form of address.[7]
  • Modern Greek – Modern Greek εταίρος (etaíros) survives as a learned word for a member or partner.[8]

Meanings

Noun

  1. A comrade, companion in war or in some activity.[2][11]
  2. A companion, friend.[2]
  3. A follower of a teacher or philosopher.[2]
  4. (plural) Members of a political club or faction.[2]
  5. A woman's lover.[2]
  6. (plural) The Companions, the elite cavalry of the Macedonian kings.[2]

Word family

  • ἑταιρεία (hetaireíā)
  • ἑταιρεῖος (hetaireîos)
  • ἑταιρεύομαι (hetaireúomai)
  • ἑταιρέω (hetairéō)
  • ἑταιρίζω (hetairízō)
  • ἑταιρικός (hetairikós)
  • ἑταίρα (hetaírā)
  • ἔτης (étēs)

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 Diggle, James, et al., eds. (2021), The Cambridge Greek Lexicon, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press
  3. ^ a b c d e Frisk, Hjalmar (1960–1972), Griechisches etymologisches Wörterbuch, 3 vols, Heidelberg: Carl Winter
  4. ^ 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
  5. ^ Etygram: ancient etymologies of Greek words, CEPAM, Université Côte d'Azur, http://appsweb-cepam.unice.fr/etygram
  6. ^ a b Cunliffe, Richard John (1924), A Lexicon of the Homeric Dialect, London: Blackie and Son
  7. ^ 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
  8. ^ a b c Ινστιτούτο Νεοελληνικών Σπουδών (Ίδρυμα Μανόλη Τριανταφυλλίδη) (1998), Λεξικό της κοινής νεοελληνικής, Thessaloniki: Aristotle University of Thessaloniki
  9. ^ Babiniotis, Georgios (2010), Ετυμολογικό λεξικό της νέας ελληνικής γλώσσας [Etymological Dictionary of Modern Greek], Athens: Κέντρο Λεξικολογίας
  10. ^ a b c d Rodríguez Adrados, Francisco, et al., eds. (1980–), Diccionario Griego-Español, Madrid: CSIC, http://dge.cchs.csic.es/xdge
  11. ^ Liddell, Henry George; Scott, Robert; Jones, Henry Stuart (1940), A Greek-English Lexicon, 9th ed., Oxford: Clarendon Press