χαλάω

According to Beekes, of unknown or Pre-Greek origin, and unrelated to Armenian խաղ (xaġ, “game, pastime”) (a connection would require a Proto-Indo-European *kʰ, which is unheard of for inherited words).^[1] Also sometimes compared to Sanskrit खल्लते (khallate, “he/she/it is being loosened”).

χαλάω • (khaláō)

1. (transitive) to slacken; to loosen

   Antonym: σφῐ́γγω (sphíngō)

2. (intransitive) to become slack; to become loose
3. to open, be open

• Greek: χαλάω (chaláo)
• → Latin: chalō
  • Catalan: calar
  • Friulian: calâ
  • Italian: calare
  • Lombard: calà
  • Neapolitan: calare
  • Occitan: calar
  • Piedmontese: calé
  • Old Galician-Portuguese: calar
    • Galician: calar
    • Portuguese: calar
  • Sardinian: cabai
  • Sicilian: calari
  • Spanish: callar, calar
    • Sicilian: cagghiari

• “χαλάω”, in Liddell & Scott (1940) A Greek–English Lexicon, Oxford: Clarendon Press
• “χαλάω”, in Liddell & Scott (1889) An Intermediate Greek–English Lexicon, New York: Harper & Brothers
• χαλάω in Bailly, Anatole (1935) Le Grand Bailly: Dictionnaire grec-français, Paris: Hachette
• “χαλάω”, in Slater, William J. (1969) Lexicon to Pindar, Berlin: Walter de Gruyter
• G5465 in Strong, James (1979) Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance to the Bible
• Woodhouse, S. C. (1910) English–Greek Dictionary: A Vocabulary of the Attic Language‎, London: Routledge & Kegan Paul Limited.
  • allowance idem, page 25.
  • forgive idem, page 338.
  • indulge idem, page 435.
  • loose idem, page 499.
  • open idem, page 574.
  • pardon idem, page 592.
  • relax idem, page 690.
  • release idem, page 690.
  • remit idem, page 693.
  • slacken idem, page 782.
  • slip idem, page 784.
  • unbar idem, page 907.
  • unbolt idem, page 908.
  • undo idem, page 915.
  • unlock idem, page 924.
  • unloose idem, page 924.
  • unstring idem, page 933.

• χαλώ (chaló)
• χαλνώ (chalnó) (rare)

From Byzantine Greek χαλῶ (khalô) (also χαλνῶ (khalnô)) + -άω (-áo), from Ancient Greek χαλάω (khaláō) / χαλῶ (khalô).

• IPA^(key): /xaˈlao/
• Hyphenation: χα‧λά‧ω

χαλάω • (chaláo) / χαλώ (past χάλασα, passive χαλιέμαι, p‑past χαλάστηκα, ppp χαλασμένος)

1. (transitive, most senses and figuratively) to break, ruin, destroy, wreck, spoil (damage, either permanently or that it requires repair)

   Ο αδελφός μου χάλασε το κινητό μου.

   O adelfós mou chálase to kinitó mou.

   My brother broke my mobile phone.

   Έβαλε ένα μάλλινο στο πλυντήριο και το χάλασε.

   Évale éna mállino sto plyntírio kai to chálase.

   She put a woollen thing in the washing machine and she ruined it.

   Οι δύο τους χάλασαν την φιλιά τους για το τίποτα.

   Oi dýo tous chálasan tin filiá tous gia to típota.

   They broke off their friendship over nothing.

   Πάλι μας χάλασε την βραδιά αυτός.

   Páli mas chálase tin vradiá aftós.

   He's ruined our night again.

   Με αυτά που τρώει, θα χαλάσει την υγεία του.

   Me aftá pou tróei, tha chalásei tin ygeía tou.

   He'll ruin his health with those things he eats.

2. (transitive, figuratively) to ruin, spoil (ruin the character of by overindulgence)

   Δίνοντάς του ό,τι ήθελε, τον χάλασε η μάνα του.

   Dínontás tou ó,ti íthele, ton chálase i mána tou.

   By giving him whatever he wanted, his mother spoilt him.

3. (transitive, of money) to break (divide into smaller units)

   Μπορείς να μου χαλάσεις ένα πενηντάρικο;

   Boreís na mou chaláseis éna penintáriko?

   Can you break a fifty for me?

4. (transitive) to waste (squander uselessly)

   Χάλασε την ζωή της με αυτόν τον άνθρωπο.

   Chálase tin zoḯ tis me aftón ton ánthropo.

   She wasted her life with that man.

   Χαλάσαμε μια περιουσία γι’ αυτό το σπίτι και μετά το κατέστρεψε μια καταιγίδα.

   Chalásame mia periousía gi’ aftó to spíti kai metá to katéstrepse mia kataigída.

   We wasted a fortune on that house and then a storm destroyed it.

5. (transitive, scholarly, of people) to kill (put to death)
6. (transitive, scholarly, of a virgin) to deflower (take the virginity of)
7. (intransitive, also figuratively) to break, break down, become ruined (become damaged, unusable or no longer viable)

   Το ρολόι χάλασε μέσα στη θάλασσα.

   To rolói chálase mésa sti thálassa.

   The watch broke in the sea.

   Χάλασε η τηλεόραση και χρειάζεται επισκευή.

   Chálase i tileórasi kai chreiázetai episkeví.

   The television broke and it needs to be repaired.

   Μετά από έξι χρόνια χάλασε ο γάμος τους.

   Metá apó éxi chrónia chálase o gámos tous.

   Their marriage broke down after six years.

   Πως να μην του χαλάσει η διάθεση μ’ αυτόν τον άνθρωπο;

   Pos na min tou chalásei i diáthesi m’ aftón ton ánthropo?

   How can his mood not have been ruined by that person?

8. (intransitive, of food) to spoil (become bad, sour or rancid)

   Χαλάσανε τα φρούτα, πέταξέ τα.

   Chalásane ta froúta, pétaxé ta.

   The fruits have spoiled, throw them out.

9. (intransitive, of body parts) to become ruined

   Χάλασαν τα μάτια του επειδή δεν διάβαζε με γυαλιά όταν τα χρειαζόταν.

   Chálasan ta mátia tou epeidí den diávaze me gyaliá ótan ta chreiazótan.

   His eyes were ruined because he didn't read with glasses when he needed them.

10. (intransitive, of teeth) to decay, rot

    Αν εξακουλουθήσεις να τρως γλυκά, θα χαλάσουν τα δόντια σου.

    An exakoulouthíseis na tros glyká, tha chalásoun ta dóntia sou.

    If you continue to eat sweets, your teeth will rot.

11. (intransitive, of weather) to become bad, get worse

    Όλη την εβδομάδα είχε λιακάδα αλλά ξαφνικά χάλασε ο καιρός.

    Óli tin evdomáda eíche liakáda allá xafniká chálase o kairós.

    There was sunshine all week but suddenly the weather turned.

• (ruin, break, destroy): καταστρέφω (katastréfo), σπάω (spáo), βλάπτω (vlápto)
• (decay, rot): σαπίζω (sapízo)
• (weather, get worse): επιδεινώνομαι (epideinónomai)
• (waste): ξοδεύω (xodévo)

• χαλασιά f (chalasiá, “destruction, ruination”)
• χάλασμα n (chálasma, “ruin, ruination, spoilage”)
• χαλασμένος (chalasménos, “broken, rotten”)
• χαλασμός m (chalasmós, “destruction”)
• χαλαστής m (chalastís, “breaker, destroyer”)
• χαλάστρα f (chalástra, “ruination, destruction”)

• με χαλάει (κάτι) (me chaláei (káti), “(something) is causing resentment or displeasure to me”)
• τα χαλάω (με κάποιον) (ta chaláo (me kápoion), “breakup (with someone, for romantic relationships)”)
• τη χαλάω (σε κάποιον) (ti chaláo (se kápoion), “ruin someone's mood”)
• ο κόσμος να χαλάσει (o kósmos na chalásei, “no matter what, under any circumstances”)
• χαλάει ο κόσμος (chaláei o kósmos)
• χαλάω κόσμο (chaláo kósmo)
• χαλάω τον κόσμο (chaláo ton kósmo)
• τον αράπη κι αν τον πλένεις το σαπούνι σου χαλάς (ton arápi ki an ton pléneis to sapoúni sou chalás, “put lipstick on a pig”)