καιρός

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Sun, 12/14/2025 - 22:05

Word-form

κοίρανος

Transliteration (Word)

koiranos

English translation (word)

ruler

Transliteration (Etymon)

kairos

English translation (etymon)

due measure, opportunity

Author

Ptolemaeus Gram.

Century

2 BC - 2 AD

Source

idem

Ref.

De differentia vocabulorum, kappa 81

Ed.

V. Palmieri, "Ptolemaeus, De differentia vocabulorum," Annali della Facoltà di Lettere e Filosofia dell'Università di Napoli 24 (1981-1982)

Quotation

κοίρανος, βασιλεὺς καὶ τύραννος διαφέρει. κοίρανος μὲν γάρ ἐστιν ὁ κατὰ καιρόν τινων ἄρχων, ὥσπερ στρατηγός, καὶ ταχέως τῆς στρατηγίας καὶ τῆς ἀρχῆς παραλυόμενος

Translation (En)

Koiranos "ruler", basileus "king" and tyrannos "tyrant" are different. Koiranos "ruler" is the man who rules in a given circumstance (kata kairon), as a strategos, and is soon relieved of his function of strategos and of his power.

Comment

Derivational etymology, drawn from the existence of temporary official functions in classical Greece. A temporary charge is assumed by an individual in a precise circumstance (καιρός). The etymology requires one formal change, that of the diphthong /ai/ to /oi/.

Parallels

Herennius Philo, De diversis verborum significationibus, beta 38 (βασιλεὺς καὶ κοίρανος διαφέρει. βασιλεὺς μὲν γάρ ἐστιν ὁ πατρόθεν ἢ ἐκ γένους τὴν ἀρχὴν παραλαβών, κοίρανος δὲ ὁ πρὸς καιρὸν <τὸ> τοῦ βασιλέως ἔργον ἐπιτελῶν, οἷος ἧν πρὸ τῆς μήνιδος ὁ Ἀχιλλεύς); Ammonius, De adfinium vocabulorum differentia 92 (βασιλεύς, κοίρανος καὶ ἡγεμὼν διαφέρει. βασιλεὺς μὲν γάρ ἐστιν ὁ πατρόθεν ἢ ἀπὸ γένους τὴν ἀρχὴν παραλαβών, κοίρανος δὲ ὁ πρὸς καιρὸν τὸ τοῦ βασιλέως ἔργον ἐπιτελῶν); Orion, Etymologicum, kappa, p. 89 (Κοίρανος. ὁ τοῦ καιροῦ κύριος, οἷον καίρανός τις ὢν, μεταθέσει τοῦ α εἰς ο, ὡς παρὰ τὸ ἀθρεῖν τὸ βλέπειν Ὄθρυς τὸ ὄρος, ἀφ’ οὗ ἐστὶν ἀθρεῖν τὰ μακρὰν ἀφεστηκότα, καὶ παρὰ τὴν ἀρχὴν, ἄρχαμος καὶ ὄρχαμος. οὕτως Ἡρωδιανὸς καὶ Ἀπολλώνιος ἐν τῇ Μετοχῇ); Lexica synonymica, Excerptum Casanatense sive Ecloga διαφόρων λέξεων 70 (κοίρανος, βασιλεὺς καὶ τύραννος διαφέρει. κοίρανος μέν ἐστιν ὁ κατὰ καιρόν τινων ἄρχων); Choeroboscus, Epimerismi in Psalmos, p. 69 (βασιλεὺς μὲν λέγεται ὁ ἑαυτῷ τὴν ἀρχὴν περιποιούμενος, κοίρανος δὲ ὁ πρὸς καιρὸν τοῦ βασιλέως ἔργον ἐπιτελῶν, ἡγεμὼν δὲ ὁ τῆς στρατείας ἡγούμενος); ibid., p. 168-169 (κοίρανος δὲ κατὰ καιρὸν τινὰ ἄρχων, ὥσπερ στρατηγὸς, καὶ ταχέως στρατηγήσας, καὶ τῆς ἀρχῆς παραλυόμενος); Epimerismi homerici ordine alphabetico traditi, kappa 21 (παρὰ τὸ κοίρανος, τὸ δὲ κοίρανος παρὰ τὸ καιρός· ὁ τοῦ καιροῦ ἄρχων); ibid., pi 158 (τὸ δὲ κοίρανος ἐσχημάτισται παρὰ <τὸ> καιρός, οἱονεὶ <ὁ> τοῦ καιροῦ κύριος); Etym. Gudianum, beta, p. 262 (Βασιλεύς καὶ κοίρανος καὶ ἡγεμών διαφέρει· βασιλεὺς μὲν γὰρ ὁ πατρόθεν ἢ ἐκ γένους τὴν ἀρχὴν παραλαβών, κοίρανος δὲ ὁ πρὸς καιρὸν τὸ τοῦ βασιλέως ἔργον ἐπιτελῶν, ἡγεμὼν δὲ ὁ τάξεως στρατιωτικῆς ἡγούμενος); ibid., p. 333 (Κοίρανος, ὁ ἡγεμῶν καὶ ἀρχηγὸς· ὥσπερ παρὰ τὸ ἀθρεῖν τὸ βλέπειν λέγεται, ὀθρὺς τὸ ὄρος, κατὰ τροπὴν τοῦ α εἰς ο· ἀφ’ οὗ ἔστι τὰ μακρόθεν ἐνέστοτα· καὶ παρὰ τὴν ἀρχὴν ὁραχαμος καὶ ὄρχαμος, οὕτω καὶ παρὰ τὸ καιρὸς γέγονε κοίρανος, μεταθέσει τοῦ α εἰς ο, οἱονεὶ καίρανός τις ὢν, ὁ ἐν καιρῷ ἄρχων); Eustathius, Comm. Il., vol. 1, p. 309 (Κοίρανος δὲ λέγεται μὲν ὁ ἡγεμών· γίνεται δὲ κατὰ τοὺς παλαιοὺς ἀπὸ τοῦ καιρός τροπῇ τοῦ α εἰς ο, οἱονεὶ ὁ τοῦ καιροῦ κύριος, ἢ ἐκ τοῦ κόρος ὁ νέος πλεονασμῷ τοῦ ἰῶτα); Eustathius, Comm. Od., vol. 2, p. 171 (Σημείωσαι δὲ, ὡς εἴ περ εὐεπηβόλως ἔγραψεν ὁ εἰπὼν κοίρανον εἶναι τὸν πρὸς καιρὸν ἀνάσσοντα, χρήσιμός ἐστιν ἐκεῖ καὶ ὁ ἐνταῦθα πτωχῶν κοίρανος Ἶρος. λέγει γὰρ ἐκεῖνος οὕτω· βασιλεὺς ὁ πατρόθεν ἢ ἀπὸ γένους ἄρχων, κοίρανος δὲ ὁ πρὸς καιρὸν βασιλέως ἔργον ἐπιτελῶν); Etym. Magnum, Kallierges, p. 523 (Κοίρανος: Ὁ ἀρχηγὸς, καὶ ἡγεμών. Ὥσπερ παρὰ τὸ ἀθρεῖν, τὸ βλέπειν, λέγεται Ὀθρὺς τὸ ὄρος κατὰ τροπὴν τοῦ α εἰς ο, ἀφ’ οὗ ἐστιν ἀθρεῖν τὰ μακρὰν ἀφεστηκότα· οὕτω καὶ παρὰ τὸ καιρὸς γίνεται κοίρανος, καίρανός τις ὢν, ὁ τοῦ καιροῦ κύριος καὶ ἄρχων); Ps.-Zonaras, Lexicon, kappa, p. 1228 (Κοίρανος. ὁ βασιλεὺς, ὁ ἄρχων. παρὰ τὸ καιρὸς γέγονε καίρανος, [καὶ μεταθέσει τοῦ αι εἰς οι κοίρανος,] οἱονεὶ ὁ ἐν καιρῷ ἄρχων)

Modern etymology

From PIE *korio- "war, army". Cognate with Lith. kārias "army", Goth. Harris "id.", MIr. cuire "crowd" (Beekes, EDG)

Persistence in Modern Greek

No

Entry By

Le Feuvre