Ancient Greek words first recorded in the 6th century BC

It is inherited from Proto-Hellenic *wlḗnos, inherited from Proto-Indo-European *h₂wĺ̥h₁neh₂ (“wool”), the old inherited word for wool. Only the neuter s-stem inflection is new: Frisk suggests it…

It is inherited from Proto-Hellenic *lípos, from Proto-Indo-European *leyp- (“to stick; fat substance”). Beekes treats it as an s-stem created in Greek beside the old adverb λίπα (lípa, “richly…

The origin is uncertain. Its uses of sickness and of poor land suggest an older concrete sense. The old comparison with Sanskrit लुम्पति (lumpáti, “to break”) is doubtful, because the Sanskrit verb…

It is formed from Ancient Greek Μάγνης (Mágnēs, “a Magnesian”) + -ία (-íā), “land of the Magnesians”. The people's name Μάγνης (Mágnēs), plural Μάγνητες (Mágnētes), is of uncertain origin and…

It is borrowed from Old Persian maguš, the name of a Median tribe with priestly functions (Avestan moγu- (moγu-)). Since the original meaning of the Iranian word is unknown, it has no further…

It is from Ancient Greek μαίνομαι (maínomai, “to rage, be mad”) + -ία (-íā), formed from the root of the verb. μαίνομαι (maínomai) is an old present *mn̥-yé/ó- of the root *men- (“to think”)…

Its origin is disputed. Frisk started from a verbal noun *μάρ-τυ- (*már-tu-), “testimony”, which then came to mean “witness”, as French témoin comes from Latin testimōnium and English witness first…

It is formed from Ancient Greek μάτη (mátē) + -αιος (-aios), from the noun for “fault, folly”, whose fossilized accusative is the adverb μάτην (mátēn, “in vain”). That noun has no convincing…

Beekes considers it Pre-Greek, because of the suffix ⟨-μν-⟩, common in loanwords; for the same reason Chantraine had called it Mediterranean in 1933. The form Cretan Greek ϝεδιμνος (wedimnos) at…

It is a verbal noun from Ancient Greek μείρομαι (meíromai, “to receive as one's portion”), Proto-Hellenic *(h)méros, a neuter s-stem built on the root ⟨μερ-⟩ of the verb, from Proto-Indo-European…

Its origin is uncertain. Beekes and Frisk see in it either a thematic present in ⟨-νυ-⟩, whose suffix spread from the present to the aorist, or a denominative verb from an unattested noun *μῆνυς…

It is formed from Ancient Greek μιαίνω (miaínō, “to stain, defile”) + -μα. μιαίνω (miaínō) has no clear cognates: the alternation r/n in μιαίνω (miaínō) and μιαρός (miarós) looks Indo-European, and…

The word has no etymology; Beekes thinks a Pre-Greek origin quite possible, and Wiktionary calls it probably a Pre-Greek loan. Its technical meaning makes a loanword likely. Although μῖμος is rare…

It is usually analysed as an agent noun from Ancient Greek ὀμείχω (omeíkhō, “to urinate”), with the suffix -ός (-ós), used as a vulgar expression, from Proto-Indo-European *h₃meiǵʰ- (“to urinate”)…

Beekes calls it a clear Pre-Greek word, from Pre-Greek: names of fishes are often Pre-Greek, the suffix -αινα (-aina) is well known in such words, and so is an initial σ- that comes and goes, as in…

It is formed from Ancient Greek μυρίος (muríos, “countless; ten thousand”) + -άς. μυρίος (muríos) has no etymology, according to Beekes. Wiktionary mentions links with a root for “damp”, as of the…

Beekes takes it as a genuine Indo-European word, from a basic form inherited from Proto-Indo-European *morwi- (“ant”), distorted in most languages, perhaps by taboo, and perhaps influenced by the…

The origin is unknown. It has long been compared with Sanskrit मूर (mūrá-, “dull, foolish”), with an ablaut ō : ū, but that ablaut is no longer accepted, and the Sanskrit word may rather mean…

It is formed from Ancient Greek νέμω (némō, “to distribute, allot”) + -ος (-os), with the /o/ grade. The whole Greek system of these words, including νόμος, νομή (nomḗ) and νομός (nomós, “pasture”)…

It may be inherited from Proto-Indo-European *kseros (“dry”), but the long vowel ⟨η⟩, where ⟨ε⟩ would be expected, is a problem. Beekes holds that it can hardly be separated from Homeric ξερόν…

1. The barb is inherited from Proto-Hellenic *ónkos (“bend”), inherited from Proto-Indo-European *h₂ónkos (“bend, hook”). It is the same word as Latin uncus (“hook; hooked”). Wiktionary adds…

It is a compound from Ancient Greek οἶκος (oîkos, “house”) + νέμω (némō, “to manage, distribute”), made from the phrase “to manage the house”.

It is inherited from Proto-Hellenic *ókris, inherited from Proto-Indo-European *h₂óḱris (“sharp edge, corner”), an o-grade with the suffix *-ri- from the root *h₂eḱ- (“sharp”) of ἄκρος (ákros). It…

It is formed from Ancient Greek ὅρος (hóros, “boundary, limit”) + -ίζω (-ízō), the verbal suffix. Ionic has ⟨οὐρίζω⟩, from Ionic ⟨οὖρος⟩. Ὅρος goes back to ⟨*ϝόρϝος⟩, as Mycenaean ⟨wo-wo⟩ shows, and…

It is an old inherited word, inherited from Proto-Indo-European *h₃(o)rǵʰ-i- (“testicle”). Apart from suffixes it agrees with Old Armenian որձիք (orjikʻ, “testicles”), Albanian herdhë and Middle…

It is formed from Ancient Greek παθ- (path-), the zero grade of the root of πάσχω (páskhō, “to experience, suffer”), as in the aorist ἔπαθον (épathon). The verb keeps an old ablaut: zero grade in…

It is inherited from Proto-Indo-European *pyeh₂- (“to hit”), probably through a present Proto-Indo-European *pih₂-u-yé- whose first glide was lost. All the Greek forms are built on the present stem…

The origin is uncertain. Since Wilhelm Schulze the name has usually been identified with that of the Vedic god Sanskrit पूषन् (Pūṣán-), who protects and increases the herds. Both would come from an…

Beekes derives it, with a query, as inherited from Proto-Indo-European *pélmn̥ (“skin, hide”), a noun in *-mn̥ from the root *pel- (“to cover; skin, hide”). The same formation is found in Old Saxon…

The origin is unknown. Beekes finds no convincing etymology and asks whether it is Pre-Greek, but Wiktionary notes that there is no particular evidence for this. Babiniotis rejects the old…

Wiktionary derives it from Ancient Greek πλάγος (plágos, “side”) + -ιος (-ios). Beekes notes that a reconstruction Proto-Indo-European *pl̥g-iHo- clashes with a cognate such as πέλαγος (pélagos…

It is inherited from Proto-Hellenic *pləks, probably from Proto-Indo-European *pleh₂- (“flat”). Beekes takes it as a root noun *pl̥k-s, with the cognates Latvian plakt (“to become flat”), plaka…

It is the o-grade noun from Ancient Greek πέλομαι (pélomai, “to be in motion, become”), from Proto-Indo-European *kʷelh₁- (“to go round, turn”). Beekes takes it as a productive Greek derivative of…

It is formed from Ancient Greek πράσσω (prā́ssō) + -μα (-ma), a noun of result: “what has been done”. Babiniotis starts from a form with ⟨κμ⟩, the ⟨κ⟩ being voiced before ⟨μ⟩. All forms of the verb…

It is formed from Ancient Greek πίπτω (píptō, “to fall”) + -μα (-ma), a noun of result, on the long-vowel stem πτω- (ptō-) that the verb shows in the perfect πέπτωκα (péptōka). Beekes lists it among…

It is formed from Ancient Greek πῦρ (pûr, “fire”) with an adjective suffix. Chantraine calls the link with fire evident, but the details are difficult. The horse name Πυρϝος (Purwos) in Corinth…

It is inherited from Proto-Hellenic *hropʰéyō, inherited from Proto-Indo-European *srobʰéyeti, a causative of Proto-Indo-European *srebʰ- (“to slurp”). Beekes calls ῥοφέω an iterative-intensive…

It is a Semitic loanword, probably borrowed from Phoenician through trade. Compare Biblical Hebrew שַׂק (śaq, “sack, garment of mourning”), which mostly denotes the cloth, and Akkadian saqqu (“sack…

Beekes and Wiktionary derive it from Proto-Indo-European *twenk- (“to press together”), the root. The same root is found in Old High German dwingan (“to compress, coerce”) and Lithuanian tveñkti…

The etymology is unknown, and Frisk calls it no doubt a foreign word. Beekes reviews a number of proposals and finds that none of them makes sense: a compound of a word for “penis” and a root “to…

The origin is uncertain. Beekes suggests that it may be Pre-Greek. Its suffix is odd for an animal: nouns in -ία are normally abstracts, and names of fish usually end in -ίας (-íās), though ταινία…

The origin is unknown. It is a technical term, formed like ἄμβων (ámbōn) and δόλων (dólōn). Beekes and Chantraine suggest it may imitate a sound. Wiktionary mentions a sound-symbolic loan from a…

The origin is disputed. The stem may be ⟨σκαπ-⟩, with the aspirate of ⟨σκαφ-⟩ taken from verbs such as θάπτω (tháptō), or ⟨σκαφ-⟩, with ⟨σκαπ-⟩ before a voiceless consonant. With ⟨σκαπ-⟩, Latin…

It is from Ancient Greek σκάπτω (skáptō, “to dig”), from its stem σκαφ- (skaph-), and so first meant something dug or scooped out. Beekes notes that σκάφη and σκάφος (skáphos, “hull”) fit a meaning…

It is an unexplained foreign word, which Beekes considers probably Pre-Greek, perhaps from a form *skilya.

It is from Ancient Greek σκοπός (skopós, “watcher; mark, aim”), with the denominative suffix -έω (-éō). The noun is the o-grade formation beside σκέπτομαι (sképtomai, “to look about, consider”)…

Beekes considers it Pre-Greek. He argues that the Indo-Europeans, living north of the Black Sea, had no word for the scorpion, so the Greeks must have taken one over from another language when they…

The origin is unexplained. Indo-European explanations have failed. If Σίσυφος (Sī́suphos), σάφα (sápha, “clearly”) and ψέφει (pséphei) are related, it would be a substrate word, perhaps Pre-Greek…

The origin is unclear. It may be the Argive σπάδιον (spádion), from σπάω (spáō, “to draw”), reshaped by folk etymology after στάδιος (stádios, “standing, fixed”). Bechtel held the opposite, that the…

It is inherited from Proto-Indo-European *(s)teg- (“to cover, roof”), a primary thematic present; its other tenses are late and rare. The same root is in Latin tegō (“to cover”), Old Irish teg…

It is inherited from Proto-Hellenic *stíďďō, inherited from Proto-Indo-European *(s)teyg- (“to prick, sting, be sharp”). Cognate with Old High German stih (“stitch”), German stechen (“to sting”)…

It is probably inherited from Proto-Indo-European *sth₂-u-lo- (“post”), from Proto-Indo-European *sth₂u-, an enlargement of Proto-Indo-European *steh₂- (“to stand”) (see ἵστημι (hístēmi)). Beekes…

It is a noun from Ancient Greek συμβάλλω (sumbállō, “to throw together, to put together, to compare”), built on the o-grade stem ⟨-βολ-⟩ of the verb, as ἔμβολον (émbolon) is built beside ἐμβάλλω…

Beekes considers it Pre-Greek, because of the by-forms ⟨Φῖκα⟩ and ⟨Σφῖκα⟩ in Hesiod's manuscripts, the Boeotian ⟨Φίξ⟩, and ⟨Βῖκας⟩ in Hesychius: they show the s that comes and goes, the variations…

It is inherited from Proto-Hellenic *skʰolā́ (“holding back”), from the root *seǵʰ- (“to hold”). Frisk explains it as originally “holding back, stopping”, formed from the aorist stem of σχεῖν…

It may be inherited, inherited from Proto-Indo-European *teh₂g- (“to order, establish”). Frisk calls it a regular system of forms with an unknown prehistory. The /g/ of ταγή (tagḗ) shows that the…

It is an o-grade noun from Ancient Greek τείνω (teínō, “to stretch, pull tight”), continuing inherited from Proto-Hellenic *tónos, from Proto-Indo-European *tón-os, a noun of the root *ten- (“to…

It is an everyday word whose broad meaning makes its etymology hard to establish. Beekes reconstructs ⟨*top-o-⟩ or ⟨*tokʷ-o-⟩. A link with Proto-Indo-European *tekʷ- (“to run, flow”) is semantically…

It is inherited from Proto-Indo-European *tórh₁nos, from *terh₁- (“to rub, bore, twist”). Frisk describes it as a carpenters' word, an instrument noun in -νος (-nos), belonging with τέρετρον…

It is a noun in -μα (-ma) from Ancient Greek τιτρώσκω (titrṓskō, “to wound”), beside Ionic and Doric τρῶμα (trôma). The Attic ⟨αυ⟩ has been explained from a long diphthong, connecting the verb with…