ψύχω

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Ancient Greek

Alternative forms

Etymology

Uncertain. Could be from a Proto-Indo-European *bʰes- (to blow), with cognates including Sanskrit भस्त्रा (bhástrā, bellows), अप्सु (á-psu, without breath), and Albanian badër. Beekes is skeptical of an Indo-European derivation and argues for a Pre-Greek origin.[1]

Compare also Proto-Circassian *psa, Proto-Northwest Caucasian *pǝsA (literally soul).

Pronunciation

 

Verb

ψῡ́χω (psū́khō)

  1. to breathe, blow
    • 800 BCE – 600 BCE, Homer, Iliad 20.440:
      καὶ τό γ’ Ἀθήνη
      πνοιῇ Ἀχιλλῆος πάλιν ἔτραπε κυδαλίμοιο
      ἦκα μάλα ψύξασα
      kaì tó g’ Athḗnē
      pnoiêi Akhillêos pálin étrape kudalímoio
      êka mála psúxasa
      but Athene with a breath turned it back from glorious Achilles, breathing full lightly
  2. to chill, make cold
    • 460 BCE – 420 BCE, Herodotus, Histories 3.104.3:
      καὶ τὸ ἀπὸ τούτου ἀπιὼν ἐπὶ μᾶλλον ψύχει
      kaì tò apò toútou apiṑn epì mâllon psúkhei
      as day declines makes it ever cooler
    • 460 BCE – 420 BCE, Herodotus, Histories 4.181.4:
      παρέρχονται τε μέσαι νύκτες καὶ ψύχεται μέχρι ἐς ἠῶ
      parérkhontai te mésai núktes kaì psúkhetai mékhri es ēô
      after midnight it becomes cooler until dawn
    1. to cool, refresh
    2. (passive voice, figuratively) to be frigid
  3. (transitive) to dry
    • 430 BCE – 354 BCE, Xenophon, Cynegeticus 5.3:
      ποιοῦσι δύσοσμον, ἕως ἂν ψυχθῇ
      poioûsi dúsosmon, héōs àn psukhthêi
      make the earth bad for scent until it dries

Inflection

Synonyms

Derived terms

References

  1. ^ Beekes, Robert S. P. (2010) “ψῡχή (> DER > ψύχω)”, in Etymological Dictionary of Greek (Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series; 10), with the assistance of Lucien van Beek, Leiden, Boston: Brill, →ISBN, pages 1671-2

Further reading

Greek

Verb

ψύχω (psýcho) (past έψυξα, passive ψύχομαι, ppp ψύχθηκα)

  1. (transitive) to chill, freeze

Conjugation

This verb needs an inflection-table template.

Further reading