πόλεμος

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Ancient Greek

Alternative forms

Etymology

According to Beekes, of Pre-Greek origin, as suggested by πτ/τ variation in its variants.

However, the word has been connected to πάλλω (pállō, to poise, sway, brandish), πελεμίζω (pelemízō, to shake, cause to quiver or tremble, struggle at the bow, in order to bend it) and perhaps ψάλλω (psállō, to pluck, twitch a string with the fingers; to sing to a harp, chant praises), all possibly from Proto-Indo-European *pel- (to beat, push, drive) (which Beekes finds semantically unconvincing, despite not being particularly farfetched).[1]

Compare Latin pello (to push, drive, strike; to rout, conquer, defeat; to strike a chord; to touch, move) and palpo (to touch softly, stroke, pat, caress), English feel, Ancient Greek πλήσσω (plḗssō, to strike, smite), Gothic 𐌿𐍃𐍆𐌹𐌻𐌼𐌰 (usfilma, terrified, appalled), 𐌿𐍃𐍆𐌹𐌻𐌼𐌴𐌹 (usfilmei, fright, horror, dismay) – quasi analogies to ἐκπλήσσω (ekplḗssō) –, and Russian полох (polox, fear, fright).

Pronunciation

 

Noun

πόλεμος (pólemosm (genitive πολέμου); second declension

  1. war, battle

Inflection

Derived terms

Descendants

  • Greek: πόλεμος (pólemos)
  • French: polémique
  • English: polemic

References

  1. ^ Beekes, Robert S. P. (2010) “πόλεμος”, in Etymological Dictionary of Greek (Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series; 10), with the assistance of Lucien van Beek, Leiden, Boston: Brill, →ISBN, pages 1218-9

Further reading

Greek

Etymology

From Ancient Greek πόλεμος (pólemos).

Noun

πόλεμος (pólemosm (plural πόλεμοι)

  1. war
    εμφύλιος πόλεμοςemfýlios pólemoscivil war
    ακήρυχτος πόλεμοςakírychtos pólemosundeclared war
    ολοκληρωτικός πόλεμοςoloklirotikós pólemostotal war
    ανάπηρος πολέμουanápiros polémoudisabled serviceman

Declension

Derived terms

Further reading