ἱλαρός

Forms

ῐ̔λᾰρός (hilarós) m (feminine ἱλᾰρᾱ́, neuter ἱλᾰρόν); first/second declension^[1]

Etymology

It is formed from Ancient Greek ἱλα- (hila-) + -ρός (-rós), from the stem of ἱλάσκομαι (hīláskomai, “to appease”) and ἵλαος (hī́laos, “gracious”).^[1][2][3] Beekes traces this family to Proto-Indo-European *selh₂- (“to reconcile”), through a reduplicated present *si-slh₂-ske/o-; its short ⟨ῐ⟩ may replace an older ⟨ε⟩, so that ἱλαρός would stand for *ἑλαρός (*helarós).^[2][4] Beekes follows Klingenschmitt in taking an Armenian verb meaning “to pray” as the closest cognate outside Greek, and Latin sōlor (“to comfort”) is related too.^[2]

Earliest recorded meaning

It is first found in classical Attic, in Aristophanes' Frogs (of light) and in Xenophon, meaning “cheerful, merry”: in Xenophon people become cheerful instead of sullen.^[5][6]

Semantic evolution

The adjective described a person's disposition, conversation or looks as cheerful, and in Plutarch a joyful sight.^[6][5] In later Greek it could also mean the same as ἵλεως (hī́leōs) “gracious”, as in the magical papyri.^[5][2] The Septuagint (Proverbs) and Paul (2 Corinthians) use it of a cheerful giver.^[5][7][8] Hellenistic Greek derived ἱλαρότης (hilarótēs), ἱλαρία (hilaría) and ἱλαρύνω (hilarúnō) from it.^[2]

Latin borrowed it as hilarus (later hilaris),^[2] the source of English hilarious.^[9] Medieval vernacular Greek used it for “cheerful” and “well-meaning”,^[10] and Modern Greek ιλαρός (ilarós) “merry, cheerful” is a learned form of the ancient word.^[11][3]

Timeline

• 5th–4th century BC – Aristophanes and Xenophon use it for “cheerful”.^[5][6][12]
• 4th–3rd century BC – Theophrastus uses it in the Characters.^[5][12]
• 1st century AD – Paul speaks of the cheerful giver.^[5][7]
• 1st–2nd century AD – Plutarch uses it of a joyful sight and the neuter for cheerfulness.^[6][5][12]
• 1100–1669 – Vernacular Greek uses it for “cheerful” and “well-meaning”.^[10]
• Modern Greek – Learned ιλαρός (ilarós) means “merry”.^[11]

Meanings

Adjective

1. Cheerful, merry, glad, of persons, their mood or their words.^[5][6][7]
2. Joyful, gladdening, of a sight or of news.^[6][5]
3. (later Greek) Gracious, the same as ἵλεως (hī́leōs).^[5]
4. Of blood, quick-pulsing; of imitation gold, bright.^[5]

Word family

• ἱλαρότης (hilarótēs)
• ἱλαρία (hilaría)
• ἱλαρύνω (hilarúnō)

Related words

• ἱλάσκομαι (hīláskomai)
• ἵλαος (hī́laos)
• ἵλεως (hī́leōs)
• Latin hilaris
• English hilarious

References

1. ^ a b c d e Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d e f 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 Babiniotis, Georgios (2010), Ετυμολογικό λεξικό της νέας ελληνικής γλώσσας [Etymological Dictionary of Modern Greek], Athens: Κέντρο Λεξικολογίας
4. ^ Pokorny, Julius (1959), Indogermanisches etymologisches Wörterbuch, Bern; Munich: Francke
5. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l Liddell, Henry George; Scott, Robert; Jones, Henry Stuart (1940), A Greek-English Lexicon, 9th ed., Oxford: Clarendon Press
6. ^ a b c d e f Diggle, James, et al., eds. (2021), The Cambridge Greek Lexicon, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press
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. ^ United Bible Societies (2023), UBS Dictionary of the Greek New Testament (revised Louw–Nida semantic domains), open-licence ed.
9. ^ Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
10. ^ a b Kriaras, Emmanuel, Επιτομή του Λεξικού της μεσαιωνικής ελληνικής δημώδους γραμματείας 1100–1669, Κέντρο Ελληνικής Γλώσσας, https://www.greek-language.gr
11. ^ a b Ινστιτούτο Νεοελληνικών Σπουδών (Ίδρυμα Μανόλη Τριανταφυλλίδη) (1998), Λεξικό της κοινής νεοελληνικής, Thessaloniki: Aristotle University of Thessaloniki
12. ^ a b c Rodríguez Adrados, Francisco, et al., eds. (1980–), Diccionario Griego-Español, Madrid: CSIC, http://dge.cchs.csic.es/xdge