πολύς Ancient Greek · revision 2342

+ {{infobox|confidence=established|formation=inherited|attested=Homer, Iliad|origins=ine-pro *pleh₁-}}

+

+ ==Pronunciation==

+ * IPA (5th-century BC Attic): /po.lýs/^(Wiktionary)

+ * IPA (4th-century AD Koine): /poˈlys/^(Wiktionary)

+ * IPA (10th-century Byzantine): /poˈlys/^(Wiktionary)

+

+ ==Forms==

+ '''πολῠ́ς''' (polús) ''m'' (feminine πολλή, neuter πολῠ́); first/second declension^(Wiktionary)

+ Ionic and poetic πολλός, πολλόν; epic also πουλύς, genitive πολέος, plural πολέες.^(Beekes 2010)^(LSJ 1940)^(CGL 2021)

+ Comparative [[πλείων|tr=pleíōn]], superlative [[πλεῖστος|tr=pleîstos]].^(Beekes 2010)^(CGL 2021)

+

+ ==Etymology==

+ It is [[inh|ine-pro|*polh₁ús|t=much, many]], an o-grade adjective from the root [[m|ine-pro|*pleh₁-|t=to fill]], which is also the root of [[πίμπλημι|tr=pímplēmi]] “to fill”.^(Wiktionary)^(Beekes 2010)^(Frisk 1960) Beekes writes the word [[m|ine-pro|*p(e)lh₁-u-]].^(Beekes 2010)

+

+ Cognate with [[sa|पुरु|tr=purú-|t=much, many]] (from the zero grade), [[got|𐍆𐌹𐌻𐌿|tr=filu|t=much]] and [[sga|il|t=many]] (from the full grade), and [[ang|fela|t=many]].^(Beekes 2010)^(Frisk 1960)^(Wiktionary) Frisk and Beekes note that the full-grade forms were probably nouns at first, “quantity, fullness”.^(Frisk 1960)^(Beekes 2010) The stem πολλο- of the other cases is not certainly explained; the usual view is that it was shortened from *πολυ-λο-, built like μεγαλο- in [[μέγας|tr=mégas]].^(Beekes 2010)^(Frisk 1960)^(Πάπυρος)

+

+ ==Earliest recorded meaning==

+ It is found from the ''Iliad'' on, of number (“many companions”), of size and amount (“a great host”, “much flesh”) and of space and time (“a wide plain”, “a long time”).^(Cunliffe 1924)^(Autenrieth 1891)^(LSJ 1940)

+

+ ==Semantic evolution==

+ Epic used it very widely, often where English needs a more specific word: “loud” of a noise, “heavy” of rain, “deep” of sleep.^(Autenrieth 1891)^(Liddell & Scott 1889) Its neuter πολύ or πολλά served as an adverb, “much, far, earnestly”.^(Autenrieth 1891)^(LSJ 1940)

+

+ In Attic οἱ πολλοί, “the many”, meant ordinary people as opposed to the few or the wise.^(CGL 2021)^(LSJ 1940) Phrases such as ὡς ἐπὶ τὸ πολύ “for the most part” and περὶ πολλοῦ ποιεῖσθαι “to value highly” were standard in prose.^(CGL 2021)^(LSJ 1940) Herodotus could say of a man that he was “much” in his pleading, that is, he pressed it hard.^(Liddell & Scott 1889)^(Πάπυρος)

+

+ As a first element it was very productive, from Homer's [[πολύτροπος|tr=polútropos]] “of many turns”, of Odysseus, onwards.^(Beekes 2010) The Septuagint and the New Testament use it constantly, with οἱ πολλοί for “the many” set against one.^(Lust 2003)^(Abbott-Smith 1922) It survives as [[el|πολύς|tr=polýs]].^(Triantafyllidis 1998)^(Kriaras) English [[m|en|poly-]] comes from it.^(Etymonline)

+

+ ==Timeline==

+ * Homer – “many”, “much”, “wide”, “long”; the epic forms πουλύς and πολέες.^(Autenrieth 1891)^(LSJ 1940)

+ * Homer – the ''Odyssey'' calls Odysseus πολύτροπος.^(Beekes 2010)

+ * Before the 6th century BC – Hesiod contrasts “from many” with “from few”.^(LSJ 1940)^(DGE)

+ * 5th century BC – Thucydides has οἱ πολλοί for “the people” and ὡς ἐπὶ τὸ πολύ for “mostly”.^(CGL 2021)^(DGE)

+ * 1st century AD – the New Testament contrasts “the many” with “the one” (Romans).^(Abbott-Smith 1922)

+ * Modern Greek – continues as πολύς; the neuter πολύ is the common adverb “very”.^(Triantafyllidis 1998)^(Πάπυρος)

+

+ ==Meanings==

+ ===Adjective===

+ # ''(plural)'' [[m|en|many]], numerous; οἱ πολλοί, the many, the [[m|en|majority]], ordinary people.^(LSJ 1940)^(CGL 2021)

+ # ''(of amount or degree)'' Much, great, strong; of a noise, loud.^(LSJ 1940)^(CGL 2021)

+ # ''(of space)'' Wide, large, or, of distance, far.^(LSJ 1940)^(Liddell & Scott 1889)

+ # ''(of time)'' Long.^(LSJ 1940)^(Liddell & Scott 1889)

+ # ''(of a person)'' Great, powerful; violent.^(CGL 2021)

+ # ''(neuter as noun)'' Much; πολλοῦ ἄξιος, worth a lot.^(LSJ 1940)^(Liddell & Scott 1889)

+ # ''(neuter as adverb)'' πολύ, πολλά, much, far, very.^(LSJ 1940)^(Autenrieth 1891)

+

+ ==Word family==

+ * [[πολλάκις|tr=pollákis]]

+ * [[πολυμαθής|tr=polumathḗs]]

+ * [[πολύμητις|tr=polúmētis]]

+ * [[πολύτλας|tr=polútlās]]

+ * [[πολύτροπος|tr=polútropos]]

+ * [[πολλάκι|tr=polláki]]

+ * [[πολυγαμία|tr=polugamíā]]

+ * [[πολύϊχθυς|tr=polúïkhthus]]

+ * [[πολύπους|tr=polúpous]]

+ * [[πολύσημος|tr=polúsēmos]]

+ * [[πολλάκις|tr=pollákis]]

+

+ ==Related words==

+ * [[πλεῖστος|tr=pleîstos]]

+ * [[πλείων|tr=pleíōn]]

+ * [[πίμπλημι|tr=pímplēmi]]

+ * [[en|poly-]]

+

+ ==References==

+ {{reflist}}