ἀνήρ + ἀποδίδωμι

Validation

Yes

Word-form

ἀνδράποδον

Transliteration (Word)

andrapodon

English translation (word)

war captive sold as slave

Transliteration (Etymon)

anēr + apodidōmi

English translation (etymon)

man + to sell

Author

Etym. Genuinum

Century

9 AD

Source

Idem

Ref.

Etym. Genuinum, alpha 823

Ed.

F. Lasserre and N. Livadaras, Etymologicum magnum genuinum. Symeonis etymologicum una cum magna grammatica. Etymologicum magnum auctum, vol. 2, Athens: Parnassos Literary Society, 1992

Quotation

Ἀνδράποδον· δοῦλος· παρὰ τὸ ἀποδόσθαι· ἢ παρὰ τὴν πέδην, ὃ σημαίνει τὸν δεσμόν, ἐπειδὴ τοῖς αἰχμαλώτοις † καὶ τοῖς γε δραπετεύουσι † πέδας περιβάλλουσιν 

Translation (En)

Andrapodon "slave" comes from the fact that he was sold (apodosthai); or from pedē "fetters", which means "bond", since they bind in chains those made captive at war and fugitive slaves.

Comment

The etymology relies on an extra-linguistic fact, that the ἀνδράποδον has been sold as a slave. It identifies as a second element a preverbed ἀπο-δίδωμι, passive aorist infinitive ἀπο-δόσθαι, which provides the required syllable [do]. Notice that for some sources (see Parallels) this etymology is given for the derivative ἀνδραποδιστής while a different one is given for ἀνδράποδον.

Parallels

Suda, alpha 2154 (εἴρηται δὲ ἀνδραποδιστὴς παρὰ τὸ ἀποδίδοσθαι ἄνδρα); Etym. Gudianum, alpha, p. 136 (idem); Etym. Magnum, Kallierges p. 102 (Ἀνδράποδον: Ὁ δοῦλος· παρὰ τὸ ἀποδόσθαι· ἢ παρὰ τὴν πέδην. Τοῖς γὰρ αἰχμαλώτοις καὶ αἰσχίστοις διὰ τὸ δραπετεύειν πέδας περιβάλλουσιν); Schol. rec. in Aristophanem, Comm. in Plutum 521a (“ἀνδραποδιστής” εἴρηται ἀπὸ τοῦ ἄνδρα ἀποδίδοσθαι ὅ ἐστι πωλεῖν· “ἀνδράποδα” δὲ ἀπὸ τοῦ ὑποκεῖσθαι τὸν οἰκέτην τῷ δεσπότῃ, καθάπερ ὑπόκειται ὁ ποὺς τῷ ἀνδρί).

Modern etymology

Ἀνδράποδα, lit. "human cattle", is built on the model of τετράποδα "four-footed (cattle)", it is the replacement of an older *dwi-pod- "biped" referring to men as opposed to quadrupeds (Chantraine, DELG).

Persistence in Modern Greek

Ανδράποδο is still used in Modern Greek to designate the ensclaved human being, or someone who is submitted and miserable. There also is noun (εξ)ανδραποδισμός and verb εξανδραποδίζω. (Triandafyllidis, Dictionary of Modern Greek)

Entry By

Le Feuvre