στερέω

Ancient Greek

Etymology

Disputedly cognate with Middle Irish serb (theft), pointing to Proto-Indo-European *ster- (to rob), but this is uncertain.[1][2] If the root is the same as that of *ster- (infertile), whence Ancient Greek στεῖρος (steîros) and στεῖρα (steîra), it may be reconstructed as *sterh₁- (or *ster-h₁-) with a semantic development to rob, deprive of > to be bereft of offspring, infertile.[3] However, *ster- (infertile) may instead be the same root as *ster- (stiff, rigid), whence Ancient Greek στερεός (stereós) and maybe στηρῐ́ζω (stērĭ́zō, to support), with a different semantic development.[4]

Beekes considers στέρομαι (stéromai) to be the original verb, from which στερέω (steréō) and related words in Greek are ultimately derived; this would mean a root-final *h₁ is unnecessary.[2]

Pronunciation

 

Verb

στερέω • (steréō)

  1. to deprive, bereave [with accusative ‘someone’ and genitive ‘something’]
    • 800 BCE – 600 BCE, Homer, Odyssey 13.262:
      οὕνεκά με στερέσαι τῆς ληΐδος ἤθελε
      hoúneká me sterésai tês lēḯdos ḗthele
      because he wanted to rob me of the spoils
    • 525 BCE – 455 BCE, Aeschylus, Prometheus Bound 862:
      γυνὴ γὰρ ἄνδρ’ ἕκαστον αἰῶνος στερεῖ
      gunḕ gàr ándr’ hékaston aiônos stereî
      each woman shall deprive her husband of his life
    • 522 BCE – 443 BCE, Pindar, Nemean Ode 8.27:
      χρυσέων δ’ Αἴας στερηθεὶς ὅπλων φόνῳ πάλαισεν.
      khruséōn d’ Aías sterētheìs hóplōn phónōi pálaisen.
      Ajax, robbed of the golden armor, wrestled with death.
  2. to take away [(rarely) with accusative]

Usage notes

The uncompounded present is only attested in the first-person singular indicative active and third-person singular imperative active.

Inflection

Derived terms

  • ᾰ̓ποστερέω (ăposteréō)
  • ἀργῠροστερής (argŭrosterḗs)
  • βῐοστερής (bĭosterḗs)
  • Ἡλιοστερής (Hēliosterḗs)
  • κᾰτᾰστερέω (kătăsteréō)
  • ὁμμᾰτοστερής (hommătosterḗs)
  • πᾰτροστερής (pătrosterḗs)
  • σῠστερέομαι (sŭsteréomai)

References

  1. ^ Pokorny, Julius (1959) “3. (s)ter-”, in Indogermanisches etymologisches Wörterbuch [Indo-European Etymological Dictionary] (in German), volume 3, Bern, München: Francke Verlag, page 1028
  2. 2.0 2.1 Beekes, Robert S. P. (2010) “στέρομαι”, in Etymological Dictionary of Greek (Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series; 10), with the assistance of Lucien van Beek, Leiden, Boston: Brill, →ISBN, pages 1401–1402
  3. ^ De Vaan, Michiel (2008) “sterilis”, in Etymological Dictionary of Latin and the other Italic Languages (Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series; 7), Leiden, Boston: Brill, →ISBN, page 586
  4. ^ Pokorny, Julius (1959) “1. (s)ter-, (s)terə- : (s)trē-”, in Indogermanisches etymologisches Wörterbuch [Indo-European Etymological Dictionary] (in German), volume 3, Bern, München: Francke Verlag, page 1022

Further reading