φρουρός

Ancient Greek

Etymology

From προ- (pro-, “forwards”) +‎ ὁράω (horáō, “to see”) +‎ -ος (-os, second declension ending). οο (oo) changed to ου (ou) by crasis and the π (p) changed to φ (ph) by influence of the ῾ (h) sound.

Pronunciation

Noun

φρουρός • (phrourós) m (genitive φρουροῦ); second declension

1. (either literally or figuratively) watcher, watchman, guard
   • 460 BCE – 395 BCE, Thucydides, History of the Peloponnesian War 2.6.3:

     καὶ μετὰ ταῦτα οἱ Ἀθηναῖοι στρατεύσαντες ἐς Πλάταιαν σῖτόν τε ἐσήγαγον καὶ φρουροὺς ἐγκατέλιπον

     kaì metà taûta hoi Athēnaîoi strateúsantes es Plátaian sîtón te esḗgagon kaì phrouroùs enkatélipon

     And after this, the Athenians, after marching into Plataea, brought in food and left behind guards

   • 413 BCE, Euripides, Ion 21–23:

     Κείνῳ γὰρ ἡ Διὸς κόρη
     φρουρὼ παραζεύξασα φύλακε σώματος
     δισσὼ δράκοντε

     Keínōi gàr hē Diòs kórē
     phrourṑ parazeúxasa phúlake sṓmatos
     dissṑ drákonte […]

     For the daughter of Zeus set beside him two dragons as guards for his body

   • 380 BCE, Plato, The Republic 560b:

     τελευτῶσαι δὴ οἶμαι κατέλαβον τὴν τοῦ νέου τῆς ψυχῆς ἀκρόπολιν, αἰσθόμεναι κενὴν μαθημάτων τε καὶ ἐπιτηδευμάτων καλῶν καὶ λόγων ἀληθῶν, οἳ δὴ ἄριστοι φρουροί τε καὶ φύλακες ἐν ἀνδρῶν θεοφιλῶν εἰσι διανοίαις.

     teleutôsai dḕ oîmai katélabon tḕn toû néou tês psukhês akrópolin, aisthómenai kenḕn mathēmátōn te kaì epitēdeumátōn kalôn kaì lógōn alēthôn, hoì dḕ áristoi phrouroí te kaì phúlakes en andrôn theophilôn eisi dianoíais.

     • 1969 translation by Paul Shorey

       And in the end, I suppose, they seize the citadel of the young man's soul, finding it empty and unoccupied by studies and honorable pursuits and true discourses, which are the best watchmen and guardians in the minds of men who are dear to the gods.

Declension

Derived terms

• φρουρά (phrourá)
• φρουρέω (phrouréō)
• φρούριον (phroúrion)

References

• “φρουρός”, in Liddell & Scott (1940) A Greek–English Lexicon, Oxford: Clarendon Press