ὀρούω

Forms

ὀρούω (oroúō) ^[1]

Etymology

It is inherited from Proto-Hellenic *orówō, of uncertain origin.^[1] Beekes takes it as a later present made from the Homeric aorist ⟨ὀροῦσαι⟩, with an o-coloured full grade like that of κρούω (kroúō) and κολούω (koloúō), from an extended root Proto-Indo-European *h₃r-u- beside the root *h₃er- of ὄρνυμι (órnumi, “to stir, rouse”).^[2][1] He compares Latin ruō (“to rush, collapse”), from which De Vaan derives the Greek verb through a root *h₃rew-.^[2][1] Chantraine finds the relation between ὄρνυμι (órnumi) and the aorist ⟨ὀροῦσαι⟩ unclear, though the stem recalls the type of κολούω (koloúō) and κρούω (kroúō).^[3]

Earliest recorded meaning

Homer uses only the aorist, often with a prefix, always with words expressing motion to or from a place: a warrior springs into his chariot, a goddess plunges to the depths, a spear speeds from the hand, and the verb is used of sleep and of the winds.^[2][4][5]

Semantic evolution

It stayed a poetic verb of epic, lyric and tragedy.^[4] Pindar uses it of striving after a goal, Aeschylus of a leap, and Sophocles figuratively of insolence that plunges from its height into ruin.^[6][4] Comedy has it only once, in the proverbial call “Partridge, spring up!”, meaning “look sharp”, and once in Philemon, of rushing towards death.^[4] Late epic used it of horns that rise up.^[4] The Stoics derived the noun ὄρουσις (órousis), “rising, impulse”.^[2]

Timeline

• Homer – The Iliad uses the aorist of men, weapons, sleep and winds rushing or darting.^[5][4]
• 6th–5th century BC – Pindar uses it with a genitive, to strive after something, and with an infinitive, to be eager to do something.^[4][6][7]
• 6th–5th century BC – Aeschylus uses it in the Eumenides and the Agamemnon.^[4][7]
• 5th century BC – Sophocles uses it figuratively in Oedipus the King and Electra.^[4][6][7]
• 4th–3rd century BC – Philemon has the phrase “to rush towards death”.^[4][7]
• 2nd century AD – Oppian uses it of horns rising from the head.^[4][7]

Meanings

Verb

1. To rush, spring, dart (to or from a place); of a warrior, to charge the enemy.^[4][6]
2. Of a wild animal or a snake, to dart at its prey.^[6]
3. To plunge (into the sea, from a cliff); figuratively, of insolence or a guilty man, to plunge into ruin or a struggle.^[6][4]
4. Of a spear, to speed from the hand.^[6][5]
5. With a genitive, to strive after; with an infinitive, to be eager to.^[4][6]
6. To rise, tower.^[4]

Word family

• ἀνορούω (anoroúō)
• ἐπορούω (eporoúō)
• ἐξορούω (exoroúō)
• ὄρουσις (órousis)

Related words

• ὄρνυμι (órnūmi)

References

1. ^ a b c d e f g Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ 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
3. ^ 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
4. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o Liddell, Henry George; Scott, Robert; Jones, Henry Stuart (1940), A Greek-English Lexicon, 9th ed., Oxford: Clarendon Press
5. ^ a b c Cunliffe, Richard John (1924), A Lexicon of the Homeric Dialect, London: Blackie and Son
6. ^ a b c d e f g h Diggle, James, et al., eds. (2021), The Cambridge Greek Lexicon, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press
7. ^ a b c d e Rodríguez Adrados, Francisco, et al., eds. (1980–), Diccionario Griego-Español, Madrid: CSIC, http://dge.cchs.csic.es/xdge