λωποδύτης

Ancient Greek

Etymology

λώπη, λῶπος (lṓpē, lôpos, “covering, robe, mantle”) +‎ δῡ́ω (dū́ō, “I get into, put on”) +‎ -της (-tēs, suffix forming agent nouns)

Pronunciation

Noun

λωποδῠ́της • (lōpodútēs) m (genitive λωποδῠ́του); first declension

1. one who slips into another’s clothes, a clothes-stealer, especially one who steals the clothes of bathers, or strips travellers
   • 497 BCE – 405 BCE, Sophocles, Epigr. 4
   • Lexica Segueriana 276.12, (Lexeis Rhetorikai ):^{, ,}

     Λωποδύτης: ὁ τὰ τῶν νεκρῶν ἱμάτια κλέπτων.

     Lōpodútēs: ho tà tôn nekrôn himátia kléptōn.

     Lopodytes: he who steals the grave-clothes of the dead.

2. (generally) a thief, robber, footpad
   • IG 12.44.5
   • 480 BCE – 411 BCE, Antiphon of Rhamnus, Collected Works 5.9
   • 519 BCE – 422 BCE, Cratinus, Collected Works 206
   • 414 BCE, Aristophanes, The Birds 497
   • 405 BCE, Aristophanes, The Frogs 772
   • 445 BCE – 380 BCE, Lysias, Collected Works 10.10
   • 110 BCE – 35 BCE, Philodemus, On Rhetoric 2.144.S.
   • 384 BCE – 322 BCE, Demosthenes, First Philippic 47:

     λωποδυτῶν θάνατον αἱρεῖσθαι

     lōpodutôn thánaton haireîsthai

   1. a plagiarist
      • Anthologia Palatina 11.130, (Pollianus):

        λ. ἀλλοτρίων ἐπέων

        l. allotríōn epéōn

      • 108 CE, Arrian, Discourses of Epictetus 2.19.28

Declension

Derived terms

Descendants

• Greek: λωποδύτης (lopodýtis)

Further reading

• “λωποδύτης”, in Liddell & Scott (1940) A Greek–English Lexicon, Oxford: Clarendon Press
• “λωποδύτης”, in Liddell & Scott (1889) An Intermediate Greek–English Lexicon, New York: Harper & Brothers

Greek

Etymology

From Ancient Greek λωποδύτης (lōpodútēs), from λέπω (lépō, “to peel”) + δύω (dýo, “to plunge, to sink”). The word originally referred to a thief who stole clothes, for example from those bathing or travelling.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /lopoˈðitis/
• Hyphenation: λω‧πο‧δύ‧της

Noun

λωποδύτης • (lopodýtis) m (plural λωποδύτες, feminine λωποδύτισσα or λωποδύτρια)

1. thief, robber, pickpocket, pilferer (one who steals, usually petty objects)
   • 1993, Manos Eleftheriou/Christos Nikolopoulos, Στων Αγγέλων Τα Μπουζούκια:

     Έρχονται μες στα σκοτάδια σαν τους λωποδύτες

     Érchontai mes sta skotádia san tous lopodýtes

     They come in the dark like thieves.

2. (more generally) crook, cheat, trickster (person who steals, lies, cheats or does other dishonest or illegal things)

Declension

Synonyms

• (thief, robber): κλέφτης m (kléftis)
• (crook): απατεώνας m (apateónas), κομπιναδόρος m (kompinadóros)

Derived terms

• λωποδυσία f (lopodysía, “robbery, thievery”)
• λωποδύταρος m (lopodýtaros) (augmentative)
• λωποδυτάκος m (lopodytákos) (diminutive)
• λωποδύτικος (lopodýtikos) (adjective)
• λωποδυτικός (lopodytikós) (adjective)