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Ancient and Medieval Greek Etymologies

θεός

Word

θεός

Validation

No

Last modification

Mon, 12/26/2022 - 11:52

Word-form

θεούς

Word-lemma

LSJ

Etymon-lemma

LSJ

Transliteration (Word)

theos

English translation (word)

god

Transliteration (Etymon)

tithēmi

English translation (etymon)

to set, to put, to place

Author

Herodotus

Century

5 BC

Source

Idem

Ref.

Hstoriae 2.52.1

Ed.

Herodotus, with an English translation by A. D. Godley. Cambridge. Harvard University Press. 1920θεοὺς δὲ προσωνόμασάν σφεας ἀπὸ τοῦ τοιούτου ὅτι κόσμῳ θέντες τὰ πάντα πρήγματα καὶ πάσας νομὰς εἶχον

Quotation

θεοὺς δὲ προσωνόμασάν σφεας ἀπὸ τοῦ τοιούτου ὅτι κόσμῳ θέντες τὰ πάντα πρήγματα καὶ πάσας νομὰς εἶχον

Translation (En)

They called them gods (theous) from the fact that, besides setting (thentes) everything in order, they maintained all the dispositions (transl. Godley)

Comment

Derivational etymology, which happens to be correct by modern standards

Modern etymology

Θεός comes from *d^hh₁-s-, preserved in θέσφατος "spoken by the god", and belongs with θέμις "divine rule", θεσμός "law", τίθημι "to set" (Beekes, EDG)