εὐνοῦχος Ancient Greek · revision 3130

+ {{infobox|confidence=established|formation=compound|attested=6th century BC, Hipponax|origins=grc εὐνή, grc ἔχω}}

+

+ ==Pronunciation==

+ * IPA (5th-century BC Attic): /eu̯.nûː.kʰos/^(Wiktionary)

+ * IPA (4th-century AD Koine): /eˈβnu.xos/^(Wiktionary)

+ * IPA (10th-century Byzantine): /eˈvnu.xos/^(Wiktionary)

+

+ ==Forms==

+ '''εὐνοῦχος''' (eunoûkhos) ''m'' (genitive εὐνούχου); second declension^(Wiktionary)

+

+ ==Etymology==

+ It is a compound of [[εὐνή|tr=eunḗ|t=bed]] and the root of [[ἔχω|tr=ékhō|t=to have, keep]]: “keeper of the bed”, the attendant of the royal bedchamber and the women's quarters.^(LSJ 1940)^(CGL 2021)^(Wiktionary)^(Etygram) A Semitic origin from a Hebrew word for “retainer” was proposed and is rejected by Rosół.^(Rosół 2013)

+

+ Ancient etymologists offered other explanations too: Orion derived it also from “having a sound mind”, ⟨εὖ⟩ ⟨νοῦν ἔχειν⟩, and a Byzantine etymological dictionary from [[εἷς|tr=heîs|t=one]], “the one who is alone”.^(Etygram)

+

+ ==Earliest recorded meaning==

+ Hipponax is the first to use it, followed by Herodotus.^(CGL 2021)^(LSJ 1940)

+

+ ==Semantic evolution==

+ Eunuchs were castrated men employed, especially in the East, to take charge of the women and serve as chamberlains, and some rose to high positions.^(LSJ 1940)^(BDAG 2000) Aristophanes and Xenophon mention them.^(LSJ 1940)^(CGL 2021)^(BDAG 2000) The word was also used of castrated animals, of dates without stones, and as a Pythagorean name for lettuce; a fragment of Sophocles has it as an adjective, “sleepless”, of lamps.^(LSJ 1940)

+

+ In the Septuagint it can mean simply a court official or chamberlain, as in Genesis.^(Lust 2003) The Gospel of Matthew uses it for a man born impotent and for one who abstains from sexual relations.^(CGL 2021)^(BDAG 2000) Hesychius glosses it as ''σπάδων'', “castrated”.^(Hesychius) Latin borrowed it as [[m|la|eunūchus]].^(Wiktionary) Modern Greek [[m|el|ευνούχος|tr=evnoúchos]] is a eunuch, and figuratively a man who has lost his vigour.^(Triantafyllidis 1998)

+

+ ==Timeline==

+ * 6th century BC – Hipponax uses it.^(CGL 2021)

+ * 5th century BC – Herodotus mentions eunuchs.^(LSJ 1940)^(CGL 2021)

+ * 5th–4th century BC – Aristophanes and Xenophon mention eunuchs.^(LSJ 1940)

+ * 3rd–1st century BC – The Septuagint uses it for a court official.^(Lust 2003)

+ * 1st century AD – The Gospel of Matthew uses it for men who abstain from marriage.^(BDAG 2000)^(CGL 2021)

+ * 5th century AD – Orion derives it from “keeping the bed”.^(Etygram)

+

+ ==Meanings==

+ ===Noun===

+ # A [[m|en|eunuch]], a castrated man employed as chamberlain or guard of the women.^(LSJ 1940)^(CGL 2021)

+ # ''(Septuagint)'' A court official, [[m|en|chamberlain]].^(Lust 2003)

+ # ''(New Testament)'' A man born impotent; one who abstains from marriage.^(CGL 2021)

+ # A castrated animal.^(LSJ 1940)^(Wiktionary)

+ # A date without a stone.^(LSJ 1940)^(Wiktionary)

+

+ ===Adjective===

+ # Watching the bed, sleepless.^(LSJ 1940)

+

+ ==Word family==

+ * [[εὐνουχίζω|tr=eunoukhízō]]

+ * [[εὐνουχοειδής|tr=eunoukhoeidḗs]]

+

+ ==Related words==

+ * [[εὐνή|tr=eunḗ]]

+ * [[ἔχω|tr=ékhō]]

+ * [[la|eunuchus]]

+ * [[en|eunuch]]

+

+ ==References==

+ {{reflist}}