δέω2
Word
Validation
Word-form
Word-lemma
Etymon-lemma
Transliteration (Word)
English translation (word)
Transliteration (Etymon)
English translation (etymon)
Century
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Ed.
Quotation
Δοῦλος: Παρὰ τὴν δύην, ὃ σημαίνει τὴν κάκωσιν, δύηλός τις ὤν· συγκοπῇ καὶ πλεονασμῷ, δοῦλος. Ἢ παρὰ τὸ δέω, τὸ δεσμῶ, δέλος καὶ δοῦλος· τοὺς γὰρ αἰχμαλώτους ἐδέσμουν. Ἢ παρὰ τὸ δόλος, δοῦλος. Ἡρακλῆς δὲ ἐν τῷ περὶ τοῦ χρὴ καὶ δεῖ, σχηματίζει παρὰ τὸ δέω, τὸ ἐλλείπω, δέλος καὶ δοῦλος, ὁ ἐλλείπων τῇ ἀρετῇ, ὥς φησιν ὁ ποιητὴς, ‘Ἥμισυ γάρ τ’ ἀρετῆς ἀποαίνυται εὐρύοπα Ζεὺς | ἀνέρος, εὖτ’ ἄν μιν κατὰ δούλιον ἦμαρ ἕλῃσι’ (Od. 17.322-323)
Translation (En)
Doulos "slave": from duē, which means "misery", a *duēlos, as it were: by syncope and adjunction, doulos. Or from deō "to bind", *delos and doulos, because they used to put in fetters the war prisoners. Or from dolos "guile". But Heracles, in his On khrē and deî, derives it from deō "to lack", *delos and doulos, the one lacking virtue, as Homer says ‘For far-seeing Zeus takes half a man's virtue away, when the day of slavery drags him down’ (Od. 17.322-323, transliterates. Huddleston)
Parallels
Etym. Symeonis, delta 337 (Δοῦλος· παρὰ τὸ δύην, ὃ σημαίνει τὴν κάκωσιν· δύηλός τις ὢν καὶ συγκοπῇ καὶ πλεονασμῷ δοῦλος. Ἢ παρὰ τὸ δέω, τὸ δεσμῶ, δέελος καὶ ὁ δοῦλος τοὺς γὰρ αἰχμαλώτους ἐδέσμουν· ἢ παρὰ τὸ δόλος δοῦλος· ἢ παρὰ τὸ δέω, τὸ ἐλλείπω· ὁ ἐλλείπων τῇ ἀρετῇ, ὡς ὁ ποιητής· ἥμισυ γὰρ τῆς ἀρετῆς ἀποαίνυται εὐρύοπα Ζεύς […])
Comment
Derivational etymology seemingly suggested by a Homeric line. Formally identical with the etymology by δέω1 "to bind". The slave is defined as lacking a quality.