ὁρίζω

Pronunciation

• IPA (5th-century BC Attic): /ho.ríz.dɔː/^[1]
• IPA (4th-century AD Koine): /oˈri.zo/^[1]
• IPA (10th-century Byzantine): /oˈri.zo/^[1]

Forms

ὁρίζω (horízō) ^[1]

Etymology

It is derived from ὅρος (hóros, “boundary, limit”) with the verbal suffix -ίζω (-ízō).^[1][2][3] Ionic has ⟨οὐρίζω⟩, from Ionic ⟨οὖρος⟩.^[2][4]

Ὅρος goes back to ⟨*ϝόρϝος⟩, as Mycenaean ⟨wo-wo⟩ shows, and may be the same formation as Latin urvum (“curved part of a plough”), with Latin urvāre (“to mark out a boundary with a furrow”); within Greek it is probably related to ἐρύω (erúō, “to draw”).^[3]

Earliest recorded meaning

BDAG lists Aeschylus as the first to use it.^[5] Herodotus has the Ionic form for a river or lake that divides one land from another, as the Nile separates Asia from Libya.^[4][2]

Semantic evolution

Its first sense is to form a boundary, or to mark or fix the boundaries of a country.^[2][4] From this it came to mean to separate, to limit or restrict, to determine or decide, and in philosophy to define: Plato and Aristotle use it for defining a concept.^[2][3] Astronomers called the circle that divides the visible from the invisible hemisphere ὁρίζων κύκλος, the source of English horizon.^[4]

In the Septuagint it means to mark out a boundary and to ordain, and the New Testament uses it for determining and appointing.^[6][5] Its derivatives include ὁρισμός (horismós, “definition”) and ἀόριστος (aóristos, “undefined, aorist”).^[1][3] Modern Greek ορίζω (orízo) means to define, to fix a date or price, and to appoint.^[7]

Timeline

• 6th–5th century BC – Aeschylus uses it.^[5]
• 5th century BC – Herodotus uses οὐρίζω for a river or lake that forms a border.^[4][2]
• 4th century BC – Aristotle uses it for defining a term.^[2][3]
• Hellenistic period – Astronomers name the horizon ὁρίζων κύκλος.^[4]
• 1st century AD – The New Testament uses it for appointing.^[5]

Meanings

Verb

1. To form a boundary; to divide or separate one land from another.^[2][4]
2. To mark out, fix the boundaries of a place.^[2][6]
3. To separate; to limit, restrict.^[2]
4. To determine, decide; to ordain, appoint.^[2][5]
5. To define; to distinguish.^[2][3]

Word family

• ἀφορίζω (aphorízō)
• διορίζω (diorízō)
• ἐξορίζω (exorízō)
• προορίζω (proorízō)
• προσορίζω (prosorízō)
• ὑπερορίζω (huperorízō)
• παρορίζω (parorízō)
• συνορίζω (sunorízō)

Related words

• ἀόριστος (aóristos)
• ὁρίζων (horízōn)
• ὅρισμα (hórisma)
• ὁρισμός (horismós)
• ὁριστής (horistḗs)
• ὁριστικός (horistikós)
• ὁριστός (horistós)
• ὡρισμένως (hōrisménōs)
• ὅρος (hóros)
• ἀφορισμός (aphorismós)
• English horizon

References

1. ^ a b c d e f Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l Diggle, James, et al., eds. (2021), The Cambridge Greek Lexicon, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press
3. ^ 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
4. ^ a b c d e f g Liddell, Henry George; Scott, Robert; Jones, Henry Stuart (1940), A Greek-English Lexicon, 9th ed., Oxford: Clarendon Press
5. ^ a b c d e 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
6. ^ a b Lust, Johan; Eynikel, Erik; Hauspie, Katrin (2003), Greek-English Lexicon of the Septuagint, rev. ed., Stuttgart: Deutsche Bibelgesellschaft
7. ^ Ινστιτούτο Νεοελληνικών Σπουδών (Ίδρυμα Μανόλη Τριανταφυλλίδη) (1998), Λεξικό της κοινής νεοελληνικής, Thessaloniki: Aristotle University of Thessaloniki