ὁρμάω

Forms

ὁρμάω (hormáō) ^[1]

Etymology

It is a denominative verb from Ancient Greek ὁρμή (hormḗ, “onset, rush, impulse”).^[1][2]

The noun's origin is uncertain.^[2] Since Pott it has been compared, probably correctly in Frisk's view, with a rare Sanskrit noun meaning “flowing”, from a verb meaning “to flow, hurry”, both from Proto-Indo-European *sór-mo-.^[2] An equally possible connection within Greek is with ὄρνυμι (órnumi, “to stir, rouse”).^[2]

Earliest recorded meaning

Homer uses it from the Iliad on, mostly in the middle and passive: to set out, rush at someone, be eager to do something.^[3][4][5]

Semantic evolution

The active is causative, “set in motion, urge on, send off” (an army, a horse), and intransitive, “start, rush”; the middle and passive mean the same as the intransitive active.^[4][3] The middle and passive can also mean to start out from a place or a principle.^[4]

Medieval and Modern Greek keep it: Modern ορμώ (ormó) is to rush forward or charge at someone.^[6]

Timeline

• Homer – The Iliad uses it of rushing at an enemy and of setting out.^[3][4]
• Before the 6th century BC – Hesiod uses the passive “to start, set out”.^[5][3]
• 5th century BC – Thucydides uses it of urging men to war.^[3][7]
• 5th–4th century BC – Plato uses it of making the soul grow wings and of starting out on a course.^[3][7]
• Modern Greek – ορμώ (ormó) means to rush or charge.^[6]

Meanings

Verb

1. (transitive) To set in motion, urge on, send off; to stir up a war.^[3][4]
2. (intransitive, and middle and passive) To start, rush, hasten; to rush headlong at someone.^[3][4]
3. (intransitive, and middle and passive) To be eager, set out to do something.^[3][4]
4. (middle and passive) To start from a place or a principle.^[3][4]

Word family

• ἀφορμάω (aphormáō)
• ἐξορμάω (exormáō)
• ἐφορμάω (ephormáō)
• παρορμάω (parormáō)
• προορμάω (proormáō)
• εἰσορμάω (eisormáō)
• ὅρμησις (hórmēsis)
• συνορμάω (sunormáō)

Related words

• ὁρμή (hormḗ)
• ὁρμαίνω (hormaínō)

References

1. ^ a b c d e Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d Frisk, Hjalmar (1960–1972), Griechisches etymologisches Wörterbuch, 3 vols, Heidelberg: Carl Winter
3. ^ a b c d e f g h i j 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 h Diggle, James, et al., eds. (2021), The Cambridge Greek Lexicon, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press
5. ^ a b Keersmaekers, Alek (2021–2025), GLAUx: The Greek Language Automated corpus, https://github.com/alekkeersmaekers/glaux
6. ^ a b Ινστιτούτο Νεοελληνικών Σπουδών (Ίδρυμα Μανόλη Τριανταφυλλίδη) (1998), Λεξικό της κοινής νεοελληνικής, Thessaloniki: Aristotle University of Thessaloniki
7. ^ a b Rodríguez Adrados, Francisco, et al., eds. (1980–), Diccionario Griego-Español, Madrid: CSIC, http://dge.cchs.csic.es/xdge