ὄζω

Forms

ὄζω (ózō) ^[1] Doric ὄσδω (ósdō) (Theocritus).^[2][3][1]

Etymology

It is inherited from Proto-Hellenic *ód͏̌d͏̌ō,^[1] inherited from Proto-Indo-European *h₃ed-ye-, a yod-present of Proto-Indo-European *h₃ed- (“to smell”).^[1][4][3] Except for the perfect ὄδωδα (ódōda), all the verb's forms are Greek innovations built on the present.^[3] The nouns ὀδμή (odmḗ) and the compounds in -ώδης (-ṓdēs) may be old:^[3] the first may match Albanian amë (“unpleasant smell”), and the second the s-stem of Latin odor; ὀσμή (osmḗ) comes from *ὀδ-σ-μά (*od-s-mā́).^[3] Latin oleō and archaic olō have /l/ for /d/.^[3] Lithuanian úosti has the same yod-present; its long vowel is due to Winter's law.^[3][1]

Earliest recorded meaning

Homer has only the pluperfect ὀδώδει: in the Odyssey a fragrance spreads through the air.^[2][5]

Semantic evolution

In the Classical period it is to give off a smell, pleasant or foul, usually with an adverb (“sweetly”, “badly”) or with the genitive of what one smells of;^[2] Aristophanes and Xenophon also use it figuratively, to smack of something.^[2][6] It can be impersonal, “there is a smell”, as in Herodotus.^[2] In the New Testament Martha says of Lazarus, four days dead, ἤδη ὄζει, “by now he stinks”.^[7]

Timeline

• Homer – the pluperfect ὀδώδει of a fragrance pervading the air.^[2][5]
• 7th century BC – Alcman uses it with the genitive.^[2][8]
• 5th century BC – Herodotus uses it impersonally.^[2][8]
• 5th–4th century BC – Aristophanes uses it for smacking of something.^[2][8]
• 1st century AD – the Gospel of John uses it of Lazarus' body.^[7]

Meanings

Verb

1. To give off a smell, good or bad; with the genitive, to smell of something.^[2][6]
2. (figurative) To smack of something.^[2]
3. (impersonal) There is a smell of something.^[2]
4. Perfect and pluperfect: of a fragrance, to pervade the air; to have a smell.^[2]

Word family

• ἀπόζω (apózō)
• προσόζω (prosózō)
• ἐξόζω (exózō)
• ἐπόζω (epózō)
• κατόζω (katózō)
• συνόζω (sunózō)

Related words

• ἀώδης (aṓdēs)
• ὄζαινα (ózaina)
• ὄζη (ózē)
• Ὀζόλαι (Ozólai)
• ὄζολις (ózolis)
• ὀζομενία (ozomenía)
• ὀζώδης (ozṓdēs)
• ὀσμή (osmḗ)
• ὀσμητός (osmētós)
• ὀσμίτης (osmítēs)
• Latin odor
• Latin oleō

References

1. ^ a b c d e f g h Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m Diggle, James, et al., eds. (2021), The Cambridge Greek Lexicon, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press
3. ^ a b c d e f g 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. ^ Rix, Helmut, et al. (2001), Lexikon der indogermanischen Verben, 2nd ed., Wiesbaden: Reichert
5. ^ a b Keersmaekers, Alek (2021–2025), GLAUx: The Greek Language Automated corpus, https://github.com/alekkeersmaekers/glaux
6. ^ a b Liddell, Henry George; Scott, Robert; Jones, Henry Stuart (1940), A Greek-English Lexicon, 9th ed., Oxford: Clarendon Press
7. ^ a b 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 Rodríguez Adrados, Francisco, et al., eds. (1980–), Diccionario Griego-Español, Madrid: CSIC, http://dge.cchs.csic.es/xdge