πάομαι + λαός

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Word-form

βασιλεύς

Transliteration (Word)

basileus

English translation (word)

king

Transliteration (Etymon)

paomai + laos

English translation (etymon)

to possess + people

Author

Choeroboscus

Century

9 AD

Source

Idem

Ref.

Epimerismi in Psalmos, p. 69

Ed.

T. Gaisford, Georgii Choerobosci epimerismi in Psalmos, vol. 3, Oxford, 1842

Quotation

Βασιλεύς παρὰ τὸ σίνω, σινεὺς, ὁ βλαπτικὸς, καὶ μετὰ τοῦ στερητικοῦ Α, ἀσινεὺς, ὁ ἀβλαβὴς, ὃν οὐδεὶς δύναται βλάψαι, καὶ τροπῇ τοῦ Ν εἰς Λ, καὶ πλεονασμῷ τοῦ Β, βασιλεύς. Καὶ πόθεν ἐτυμολογεῖται; Παρὰ τὸ βάσις εἶναι ἐλέους ἢ ἐπίβασις καὶ ὕψος? δὲ (δεῖ) γὰρ ἀληθῶς βασιλέα καλοποιεῖν, ὁ δὲ κακοποιεῖ(ῶν) τύραννος· ἢ παρὰ τὸ βάσις εἶναι λαοῦ, οἱονεὶ ἕδρα καὶ στήριγμα· ἢ παρὰ τὸ πεπᾶσθαι λαοὺς, τουτέστι κεκτῆσθαι· ἢ παρ’ αὐτὸ (παρὰ τὸ) ἐπὶ πᾶσι λεύσσειν, καὶ πάντων προνοεῖσθαι

Translation (En)

Basileus "king" comes from sinō "to harm", *sineus "harming", and with the privative a-, *asineus "who is exempt from harm, whom nobody can harm", and through change of the [n] into [l], and addition of [b], basileus. And what is its etymology? From the fact that it is the basis of mercy (basis eleous), or its highest degree and summit, for indeed a king must do good actions, and the one who acts wrongly is a tyrant; or from the fact that he is the basis of his people (basis laoû), as though he were a seat and a support; or from the fact that he is master (pepâsthai) of the people (laous), that is, he owns them; or from the fact that he watches everyone (epi pâsi leussein), and foresees everything

Comment

This etymology identifying "people" as the second element starts from the genitive singular (see βασιλεύς / βάσις + λαός). The compound is of the type Στησίλαος (verb + object). It implies a formal manipulation, the change of initial voiceless [p] to a voiced [b]

Parallels

Etym. Genuinum, beta 46 (Βασιλεύς (Ps. 2, 2)· παρὰ τὸ σίνω, τὸ βλάπτω, γίνεται σινεύς, ὁ βλαπτικός, ἀσινεύς, ὁ ἀβλαβής, καὶ τροπῇ τοῦ ν εἰς τὸ λ ἀσιλεύς καὶ πλεονασμῷ τοῦ β βασιλεύς. ἢ παρὰ τὸ βαίνειν ἵλεως. ἢ παρὰ τὸ πεπᾶσθαι λαούς, ὅ ἐστι κεκτῆσθαι· πάσασθαι γὰρ τὸ κτήσασθαι, καὶ πάμματα τὰ κτήματα, καὶ Δ 433 "πολυπάμμονος". ἵν’ ᾖ πασιλεύς, καὶ βασιλεύς. ἢ ὁ περὶ τὴν βάσιν ἴλην ἔχων, τουτέστι μετὰ πλήθους ποιούμενος τὴν βάσιν καὶ τὴν ἔξοδον. ἢ ὅτι λαοῦ ἐστι βάσις καὶ στήριγμα. ἢ παρὰ τὴν βάσιν καὶ τὸ λεύσσειν, ὁ ἐν τῷ περιϊέναι περίβλεπτος. ἢ πασιλεύς τις ὤν, ὁ πάντας λεύσσων καὶ πάντων προνοῶν ); Etym. Magnum, Kallierges 189 (idem); Etym. Symeonis vol. 1, p. 402 (βασιλεύς (Ps. 2, 2)· παρὰ τὸ βαίνειν ἵλεως. ἢ παρὰ τὰ κτήματα καὶ (Δ 433) "πολυπάμμονος", <τοῦ πολυκτήμονος,> ἵν’ ᾖ πασιλεύς, καὶ βασιλεύς. ἢ παρὰ τὸ μετὰ ἴλης τὴν βάσιν ποιεῖσθαι, τουτέστι μετὰ πλήθους. ἢ παρὰ τὴν βάσιν καὶ τὸ λεύσσειν, ὁ ἐν τῷ περιιέναι † περιβλέπων)

Modern etymology

Unknown. The word is already attested in Mycenaean (qa-si-re-su), but has no cognate in other IE languages (Beekes, EDG)

Persistence in Modern Greek

MG has βασιλιάς designating: 1. "king", 2. any per. leading a luxurius life / dominating in a field, 3. (masc.) the chess fig., 4. (fem.) the bee leader. "Βασιλεύς" occurs only in phr. "βασιλικότερος του βασιλέως" and "Βασιλεύς των βασιλέων" (= Christ).

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