Ancient Greek words first recorded in the 8th century BC

The origin is uncertain. The NIL lists it, with a query, under the root Proto-Indo-European *h₂eǵ- (“to drive”), as a feminine *h₂áǵ-reh₂- beside ἀγρός (agrós, “field”), and Wiktionary derives it…

The origin is unknown. Benveniste connected it with αἰών (aiṓn, “lifetime”) and Sanskrit आयु (ā́yu-, “vital force”), which Beekes finds formally improbable. Fraenkel derived it from *αἰϝόλος…

The origin is unknown. Homeric metre shows that it began with a digamma, so its older form was *ϝαραιός (*waraiós), but no explanation has been found. Specht's derivation from a form related to…

It is formed from Ancient Greek ἀρχή (arkhḗ, “beginning”) + -ιος (-ios), “belonging to the beginning”. Chantraine notes that ἀρχαῖος is an old derivative of the noun in its sense “beginning”, while…

It is a present with the suffix -άνω (-ánō) beside the simple αὔξω (aúxō) and Homeric ἀέξω (aéxō), and Chantraine sees in the suffix a mark of the action reaching its end. In Beekes's view it is…

The origin is uncertain. The usual comparison is with Slovene glȗta “lump, swelling”, if that comes from *glout-, and, with a looser meaning, with Old English clūd (“mass of stone, rock”), the…

The origin is uncertain. Beekes and Frisk think the name was first given to the Dorians of Epirus by their neighbours, so that it would be Illyrian in origin; the Italic peoples then took it over…

It is inherited from Proto-Hellenic *hénos, inherited from Proto-Indo-European *sénos (“old”), the common Indo-European word for “old”, used above all in contrast to “new”. Cognate with Old Armenian…

It is a Pre-Greek word, related to ὄροβος (órobos, “bitter vetch”) but with the foreign suffix -ινθος (-inthos). Further related are Latin ervum (“a kind of vetch”) and some Celtic and Germanic…

The word has no counterparts outside Greek. Beekes and Chantraine think it replaced the Homeric and Ionic word for “straight”, and in Chantraine's view it is from Ancient Greek ἰθύς (ithús), perhaps…

The origin is uncertain. Beekes and Frisk list several proposals: a link with κείρω (keírō, “to cut”), the word being the “decisive moment” or a cut section of time, as Wilamowitz argued and as…

The origin is unknown. Because its ι is long in nearly all instances, καλιά does not have the usual oxytone suffix -ιά (-iá), so its formation is unclear. It is often linked with καλύπτω (kalúptō…

It is inherited from Proto-Hellenic *kókkūks, an imitation of the bird's call, κόκκυ (kókku), which also gave the verb κοκκύζω (kokkúzō, “to cry cuckoo”). Chantraine, Frisk and Pokorny take the call…

The origin is unknown. It was long compared with Gothic 𐌷𐌰𐌹𐌼𐍃 (haims, “village”) and Lithuanian káimas (“village”), through a lengthened-grade form Proto-Indo-European *ḱōymeh₂, a group to which…

Beekes considers it Pre-Greek, a Mediterranean word like Latin malva (“mallow”). The rare accusative μάλβακα (málbaka) is strikingly like the Latin word and points to a form Pre-Greek *malwak-…

1. It is inherited from Proto-Hellenic *wóinā, inherited from Proto-Indo-European *wóyh₁neh₂, from the same root as οἶνος (oînos) “wine”. Beekes derives the Indo-European word for wine, and with it…

The origin is not settled. The old comparison, given by Chantraine and Frisk, is with Sanskrit ऊर्जा (ūrjā́, “nourishment, vigour”), which matches it in form; but the Sanskrit word is an extension…

It is a compound from Ancient Greek οὐδέ (oudé, “not even”) + ἕτερος (héteros, “one of two”), “not either of two”. Its counterpart μηδέτερος (mēdéteros) is built in the same way with μηδέ (mēdé)…

It is inherited from Proto-Indo-European *bʰéydʰtis, more exactly *bʰidʰ-ti-, an abstract noun in -τις (-tis) from the zero grade of the root *bʰeydʰ- (“to entrust oneself, trust”). Within Greek it…

The origin is not certainly known. If its first meaning was “sparkling, flickering” and it is Indo-European, it may belong with σείω (seíō, “to shake”) to a verb meaning “to be excited, to sparkle”…

It is inherited from Proto-Indo-European *skelh₁- (“to dry up, wither”) with the suffix -ρός (-rós), like σκέλλω (skéllō, “to dry up, parch”). It is built on the zero-grade stem *sklē-, from…

It is inherited from Proto-Indo-European *steh₂-mn-, a noun formed from *steh₂- (“to stand”), so that the warp is named as the threads that stand upright in the loom. Cognate with Latin stāmen…

It is formed from Ancient Greek στίζω (stízō, “to prick, tattoo”) + -μα (-ma), from the verb's stem στιγ- (stig-). The verb is from Proto-Indo-European *(s)teig- (“to prick, sting”). From the same…

It is inherited from Proto-Indo-European *h₁oh₁ḱús (“quick, swift”), the old Indo-European adjective for “swift”. It is identical with Sanskrit आशु (āśú-) and Avestan āsu-, and the superlative…

Its origin is unknown. Homer's usual present is ἀγαπάζω (agapázō), and Chantraine thinks the explanation must start from both forms; he finds a link with the intensive prefix ἀγα- (aga-)…

It is inherited from Proto-Hellenic *agéřřō (“to collect, gather”), inherited from Proto-Indo-European *h₂ger- (“to gather”). Beekes finds no direct cognates outside Greek but calls the…

It is inherited from Proto-Hellenic *hagnós, inherited from Proto-Indo-European *h₁yáǵ-nós, from the root *h₁yaǵ- (“to worship, sacrifice”). It is related to ἅγιος (hágios, “holy”) and ἅζομαι…

It is formed from Ancient Greek ἀ- (a-, “not”) + γνωστός (gnōstós, “known”). Beekes and Frisk note that the verbal adjective of γιγνώσκω (gignṓskō, “to know”) is γνωτός (gnōtós) in the Iliad…

It is formed from Ancient Greek ἀγορά (agorá, “assembly”) + -εύω (-eúō). Chantraine explains ἀγορά (agorá) as an action noun of ἀγείρω (ageírō, “to gather”) with the vowel ⟨ο⟩, and notes that the…

In Beekes's view it is from Ancient Greek ἄγω (ágō, “to lead, drive”), with the original sense “gathering, rally (to watch games)”. LSJ and the CGL also connect it with that verb, and the DGE notes…

It is inherited from Proto-Hellenic *əgʷelpʰós, inherited from Proto-Indo-European *sm̥-gʷelbʰ-ós (“from the same womb”). It is a compound of copulative ἀ- (a-), from Proto-Indo-European *sm̥-…

The origin is unknown. Pokorny compared Germanic words for “oath” such as Old High German eid, a comparison that is mostly rejected. Beside it stands the primary verb ἀναίνομαι (anaínomai, “to deny…

It is a compound from Ancient Greek αἴξ (aíx, “goat”) + -πόλος (-pólos, “tending”), from an older *αἰγπολος (*aigpolos). The second part belongs to πέλω (pélō, “to move, be”), as in βουκόλος…

Beekes considers it Pre-Greek. Following Furnée, he connects it with αἶψα (aîpsa, “suddenly”), ἐξαίφνης (exaíphnēs), ἐξαπίνης (exapínēs), ἄφνω (áphnō) and ἄφαρ (áphar), all meaning “suddenly”. These…

Beekes considers it most probably Pre-Greek, a substrate word, though the only sign of this is its ending in short ⟨-α⟩. The older analysis as a compound from Ancient Greek ἀκή (akḗ, “point”) +…

It is from Ancient Greek ἄλλος (állos, “other”): originally the neuter plural ἄλλα (álla, “other things”), used as an adverb meaning “otherwise”, with the accent moved to the last syllable…

It is from Ancient Greek ἄλλος (állos, “other”) repeated: phrases like ἄλλοι ἄλλους (álloi állous, “some … others”) fused into one word. In *αλλο-αλλο- (*allo-allo-) the vowel of the second ⟨α⟩ was…

It is formed from Ancient Greek ἁ- (ha-) + λέχος (lékhos, “bed”), the copulative prefix meaning “together”, so that it first meant “she who shares the bed”. The prefix comes from Proto-Indo-European…

The origin is uncertain. Pausanias already identified it with Ἄλτις (Áltis), the name of the sacred precinct of Zeus at Olympia, and on that basis ἄλσος is reconstructed as *alti̯os. Furnée accepts…

It is inherited from Proto-Hellenic *ámr̥tos, inherited from Proto-Indo-European *n̥mr̥tós (“immortal”), a compound of the negative prefix and the verbal adjective of the root “to die”. Greek…

It is inherited from Proto-Hellenic *ampʰí, inherited from Proto-Indo-European *h₂m̥bʰi (“on both sides, around”), an old adverb. Beekes derives the Indo-European word from the instrumental of the…

The origin is disputed. Frisk takes it to be identical with the question particles Latin an and Gothic 𐌰𐌽 (an), from Proto-Indo-European *h₂en in Wiktionary's form. Beekes calls that comparison…

It is inherited from Proto-Hellenic *aná, an old adverb that Greek shares with Iranian and Germanic: Avestan ana and Old Persian anā “along, on”, Gothic 𐌰𐌽𐌰 (ana), Old High German ana and Old…

It is a negative verbal adjective, formed with the privative prefix ἀν- (an-) on a root that is from Proto-Indo-European *h₂el- (“to grow; to make grow, nourish”). Greek has no verb from this root…

It is formed from Ancient Greek ἀνα- (ana-) + λύω (lū́ō, “to loosen”), with the prefix in the sense “back, again” or “thoroughly”. Homer has the epic form ἀλλύω (allū́ō), with the prefix shortened…

It is formed from Ancient Greek ἀνα- (ana-, “up, back”) + φέρω (phérō, “to carry”). The verb φέρω (phérō) continues the Indo-European present of Proto-Indo-European *bʰer- (“to bear, carry”)…

It is formed from Ancient Greek ἀνα- (ana-, “back”) + χωρέω (khōréō, “to make room, go”), “to go back”. The verb χωρέω (khōréō) is made from χῶρος (khôros, “place, space”).

The origin is disputed. Its shape recalls the old locative of a u-stem, but no exact match exists. One explanation compares Germanic words for “without”, such as Old High German ānu, but Beekes…

It goes back to a derivative *nepti̯o-, from Proto-Indo-European *népōts (“grandson, descendant”). The same derivative is seen in Avestan naptiia- (“descendant”) and in the Old Church Slavonic word…

It is inherited from Proto-Indo-European *h₂énti (“in front, opposite”), the locative of a root noun meaning “face, front”. The same noun survives in Hittite ḫanza (“front”), and its accusative in…

The origin is disputed. An older explanation, Solmsen's, starts from *ἅμθλος (*hámthlos). Dissimilation of the aspirates and assimilation of the /m/ to /n/ would have given *ἅντλος (*hántlos), whose…

Beekes considers it a Pre-Greek substrate word, following Chantraine's earlier view, because none of the Indo-European explanations works. De Lamberterie derived it, together with Old Armenian այր…

The origin is unknown. Chantraine and Frisk explain it as a compound of ἀνά (aná, “up”) and a root noun belonging to τεύχω (teúkhō, “to make”) and τετυκεῖν (tetukeîn), formed like ἄμπυξ (ámpux) and…

It is formed from Ancient Greek ἀνά (aná, “up, upon”) + -ω (-ō). Babiniotis takes the ending to be modelled on adverbs such as οὕτω (hoútō). The Aeolic form ὄνω (ónō) goes with the Aeolic and…

It is formed from Ancient Greek ἀν- (an-) + ὄνυμα (ónuma), from the privative prefix and the Aeolic and Doric form of ὄνομα (ónoma, “name”). The first vowel of the noun is lengthened at the junction…

It is formed from Ancient Greek ἀείδω (aeídō, “to sing”) + -ή (-ḗ), with the o-grade of the verb's root. The Proto-Hellenic form is reconstructed as *awoidā́. The contracted Attic form is ᾠδή…

It is the agent noun of ἀείδω (aeídō, “to sing”), with the o-grade of the root, from Ancient Greek ἀείδω (aeídō) + -ός (-ós), like ἀοιδή (aoidḗ, “song”). Wiktionary reconstructs a Proto-Hellenic…

The etymology is uncertain. It has long been taken as a root noun related to ἀείρω (aeírō, “to lift, hang”), meaning properly “what hangs”, a sword carried on a belt, which would also fit the…

It is formed from Ancient Greek ἀπο- (apo-, “away, from”) + ἄγω (ágō, “to lead, drive”). ἄγω (ágō) is an old thematic present of the Indo-European root Proto-Indo-European *h₂eǵ- (“to drive, lead”)…

It is formed from Ancient Greek ἀπο- (apo-) + θνῄσκω (thnēískō, “to die”). BDAG calls it an intensive form of the simple verb. The simple verb has the inchoative suffix -σκω (-skō), and Wiktionary…