πρέσβυς: Difference between revisions

{{etym

|etymtx=Grammatical information: m.<br />Meaning: <b class="b2">the old, aged one</b> (poet. Pi., trag.), [[president]] (Sparta); pl. <b class="b3">πρέσβεις</b> most [[ambassador]], [[messenger]] (Att., Dor. inscr.); besides <b class="b3">πρεσβ-ῆες</b> (Hes. Sc. 245), <b class="b3">-εῦσιν</b> (Lyc.), du. <b class="b3">-ῆ</b> (Att.); cf. below on <b class="b3">πρεσβεύω</b>.<br />Other forms: Gen. (rare) <b class="b3">-εως</b>, <b class="b3">-εος</b>, acc. <b class="b3">-υν</b>, voc. <b class="b3">-υ</b>.<br />Compounds: As 1. member a.o. in <b class="b3">πρεσβυ-γενής</b> <b class="b2">first-born</b> (A 249 a.o.).<br />Derivatives: 1. Comp. forms: <b class="b3">πρεσβύ-τερος</b> (with <b class="b3">-τέριον</b> <b class="b2">council of elders</b> [N.T.]), <b class="b3">-τατος</b> <b class="b2">old, venerable, the eldest, most venerable</b> (Il.); also <b class="b3">πρέσβιστος</b> <b class="b2">most venerable</b> (h. Hom., A., S. a.o.) after <b class="b3">κράτιστος</b>, <b class="b3">κύδιστος</b>, with the cross <b class="b3">πρεσβίστ-ατος</b> (Nic.). 2. Feminins: <b class="b3">πρέσβα</b> (<b class="b3">θεά</b>) <b class="b2">the venerable</b>, of Hera a.o. (ep. Il.), after <b class="b3">πότνα</b> (<b class="b3">θεά</b>)?; <b class="b3">πρέσβεα</b> (<b class="b3">μήτηρ</b>; poet. inscr. from Caria II-Ia), metr. cond.; <b class="b3">πρέσβειρα</b> (<b class="b3">θεῶν</b> a.o.; h. Ven. etc.), after <b class="b3">πίειρα</b>, <b class="b3">-άνειρα</b> a.o.; <b class="b3">πρεσβηΐς</b> (<b class="b3">τιμή</b> h.Hom.), after <b class="b3">βασιληΐς</b> a.o., cf. <b class="b3">πρεσβῆες</b> above. 3. <b class="b3">πρεσβ-ήϊον</b> n. <b class="b2">gift of honour</b> (Θ 289), <b class="b3">-εῖον</b> <b class="b2">privilege (of age)</b> (Att., hell.). 4. <b class="b3">-εία</b> f. <b class="b2">right, privilege (of age)</b> (A., Pl.), usu. [[embassy]] (Att.; to <b class="b3">πρεσβεύω</b>). 5. <b class="b3">πρεσβύτης</b> m. <b class="b2">the old, aged one</b>, enlargement of <b class="b3">πρέσβυς</b> after <b class="b3">πολίτης</b> a.o. (not with Fraenkel Glotta 34, 301 ff. innovation to <b class="b3">πρεσβῦτις</b>; IA.) with f. <b class="b3">-ῦτις</b>, adj. <b class="b3">-υτικός</b> [[senile]] (Att. etc.). 6. <b class="b3">πρεσβύτης</b>, <b class="b3">-ητος</b> f., Dor. <b class="b3">-τας</b>. <b class="b3">-τατος</b> <b class="b2">(higher) age</b> (inscr. Messene Ia [completed] a.o.; after <b class="b3">νεότης</b>). 7. <b class="b3">πρέσβις</b> f. [[age]], [[rank]], only in <b class="b3">κατὰ πρέσβιν</b> (h. Merc., Pl. a.o.); after <b class="b3">κατὰ τάξιν</b> a.o. 8. <b class="b3">πρέσβος</b> n. <b class="b2">(object of) veneration</b>, after <b class="b3">κῦδος</b>, <b class="b3">κράτος</b> a.o. 9. <b class="b3">πρεσβ-εύω</b> <b class="b2">to be the eldest, to have precedence, to be ambassador</b>, trans. <b class="b2">to attend, venerate like a πρέσβυς</b>, midd. <b class="b2">to send ambassadors</b>, also w. <b class="b3">παρα-</b>, <b class="b3">συν-</b>, <b class="b3">ἀπο-</b> a.o., with <b class="b3">-ευτής</b> m. [[ambassador]], [[messenger]] (Att.; as singulative to <b class="b3">πρέσβεις</b>). <b class="b3">-ευτικός</b>, <b class="b3">-εύτειρα</b>, <b class="b3">-ευτεύω</b>, <b class="b3">-ευμα</b>, <b class="b3">-ευσις</b>; partly also <b class="b3">πρεσβεία</b> (s. ab. 4) and, as backformation, <b class="b3">πρεσβεῦσιν</b> dat. pl. (Lyc.; s. ab.; cf. Bosshardt 63). -- 10. Shortnames like <b class="b3">Πρέσβων</b> (to <b class="b3">πρέσβειρα</b> after <b class="b3">πέπειρα</b> : <b class="b3">πέπων</b>? Fraenkel KZ 43, 216 n.2). <b class="b3">Πρέσβος</b> a.o., s. Bechtel Hist. Personennamen 385. -- On the diff. writings and formations s. Lejeune Mém. de phil. myc. 239ff.<br />Origin: IE [Indo-European] [812] <b class="b2">*pres-gʷeu-</b> <b class="b2">who goes in front</b><br />Etymology: Beside the above forms stand in Doric, esp. in Crete, and in Northwestgr. several byforms with <b class="b3">γ</b> for <b class="b3">β</b> and changing initial syllable: <b class="b3">πρεῖγυς</b>, <b class="b3">πρείγιστος</b> with comp. <b class="b3">πρείγων</b>, <b class="b3">πρειγ-εύω</b> with <b class="b3">-ευτάς</b>, <b class="b3">-ήϊα</b>, <b class="b3">-εία</b>; also <b class="b3">πρείγα</b> f. <b class="b2">council of elders</b> (Locris); <b class="b3">πρεσγευτάς</b>, <b class="b3">πρεγγ-</b>; later <b class="b3">πρήγιστος</b> with (Cos) <b class="b3">-ιστεύω</b>; <b class="b3">πρεσγέα</b> = <b class="b3">πρεσβεία</b> (Argos), <b class="b3">πρισγε(ι)ες</b> (Boeot.); also <b class="b3">σπέργυς πρέσβυς</b> and <b class="b3">πέργουν πρέσβεις</b> H. Common basis prob. <b class="b3">πρεσγ-</b> (with voiced <b class="b3">σ</b>; cf. <b class="b3">πρεζβευτάς</b> Delphi); from there through phonetical, in detail uncertain developments the other forms, s. Schwyzer 276, Seiler Steigerungsformen 59, Thumb-Kieckers 158, Kapsomenos Glotta 40, 46ff., Masson Glotta 41, 65ff., Lejeune l.c. (with rejection of Mycenaean interpretations). -- From the interchange <b class="b3">β</b> : <b class="b3">γ</b> follows an orig. IE labiovelar [[gʷ]]; the preceding syllable, prob. to be taken as the 1. member of a compound, contains as is generally assumed a frozen adverb <b class="b3">πρές</b> <b class="b2">in front</b> (s. <b class="b3">πρός</b>). The final syllable resp. the final member is debated. By Bezzenberger BB 4, 345, Bloomfield AmJPh 29, 79 ff. compared with Skt. <b class="b2">puro-gavá-</b> [[leader]], of which the 2. member is derived both from <b class="b2">gaúḥ</b> = <b class="b3">βοῦς</b> (so prop. *"leading bull"), as, and on better grounds, from a word for [[go]] (in <b class="b3">βαίνω</b>, <b class="b3">βῆναι</b> resp. Skt. <b class="b2">jávate</b> [[run]]) (so prop. *"who goes in fromt"). Thus a.o. Fraenkel Glotta 32, 17 u. 34, 301 ff., who wants to explain also Lith. <b class="b2">žmogùs</b> [[man]] in this way (prop. "going on earth"; s. also Wb. s.v. w. lit.); on the Skt. word esp Mayrhofer s. <b class="b2">puráḥ</b>. -- Very temptong is the connection with Arm. <b class="b2">erēc̣</b>, gen. <b class="b2">eric̣u</b> [[elder]], [[priest]] (Meillet in Lejeune op. cit. 240 n. 9), of which the [[ē]] prob. continues a diphthong [[ei]] or [[oi]] (IE <b class="b2">*preisgʷu-</b>?) and usu. connected with Lat. [[prīscus]]. Cf. on <b class="b3">μεσσηγύς</b>: the second member continues a root <b class="b2">*gʷeu-</b>, a variant of <b class="b2">*gʷem-</b>.

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