Ἀίδης

German (Pape)

[Seite 51] ου, alte u. poet. F. für Ἅιδης, eigtl. der Unsichtbare, der Gott der Unterwelt, die Unterwelt, α priv. u. ἰδεῖν; oft Hom. gen. ἀίδαο u. ἀίδεω; α bei Sim. mul. 117 Eur. Hec. 1009 und in einzelnen Stellen der Trag., nach Herm. Aenderung auch H. Cer. 347 αίδεω – ñ ñ –, Orph. H. 69, 7 u. öfter in Anth.

English (Autenrieth)

(root ϝιδ, god of the unseen world), gen. Ἀίδᾶο, Ἀίδεω, Ἄιδος, dat. Ἄιδι, Ἀίδῃ, Ἀιδωνῆι, acc. Ἀίδην: Hades; ἐνέροισιν ἀνάσσων, Ζεὺς καταχθόνιος, κρατερὸς πυλάρτης, πελώριος, κλυτόπωλος, ἴφθῖμος, στυγερός. Freq. Ἄιδος δόμον εἴσω, ἐν δόμοις, etc.; often only Ἄιδόσδε, εἰς or ἐν Ἄιδος (sc. δόμον, δόμῳ).

Frisk Etymological English

-αο, -εω; Ἄιδ-ός, -ί Meaning: Hades (Il.).
Other forms: Att. Α῝ιδης, -ου ; 'Αΐδης later (Semon., Herodas), Dor. 'Αΐδας, -α (tragg.)
Derivatives: Ἀϊδωνεύς (Il.), see Risch 145.
Origin: IE [Indo-European] [1125] *n̥-uid-
Etymology: An inscription from Thessaly (SEG 16, 380) gives ΑϜιδαν. Thieme's proposal (1952 = Studien idg. Wortkunde 35 -55 that the word derives from *sm̥ uid-, found in Skt. sam vid-, as das Sichzusammenfinden [of the family in the underworld] is not correct, as then Ἀιδ- should mean Underworld, not the God of the Underworld; but in Homer it is clear that it means the God, e.g. in formulaic δόμον Ἄιδος εἴσω. Also the aspiration is secondary (in Attic, from ὁ Α. (Kamerbeek ap. Ruijgh, Lingua 25, 1970, 307). The other explanation, as *n̥-uid-, the Unseen, seems the correct one. Lastly Beekes FS Watkins, 1998, 17 - 19, who points out that the replacement of a root noun, first in the nominative (here as final element of a compound), is parallel to φυγή : φύγα-δε. The A- is sometimes lengthened m.c. (it is not lengthened when it is not necessary or impossible as in ῎Αιδόσδε.)