Ancient Greek

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Etymology

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From Proto-Indo-European *spewd- (press, hurry).[1] Cognate with Albanian punë, Latin pudet, Lithuanian spáusti, Old Armenian փոյթ (pʻoytʻ).

Pronunciation

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Verb

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σπεύδω (speúdō)

  1. (transitive)
    1. to set going, urge on, hasten
      • 460 BCE – 420 BCE, Herodotus, Histories 1.38:
        πρὸς ὧν τὴν ὄψιν ταύτην τόν τε γάμον τοι τοῦτον ἔσπευσα
        pròs hôn tḕn ópsin taútēn tón te gámon toi toûton éspeusa
        It is because of that vision that I hurried your marriage
      • 800 BCE – 600 BCE, Homer, Odyssey 19.137:
        οἱ δὲ γάμον σπεύδουσιν
        hoi dè gámon speúdousin
        They urge a marriage
      • 497 BCE – 405 BCE, Sophocles, Ajax 804:
        καὶ σπεύσαθ’, οἱ μὲν Τεῦκρον ἐν τάχει μολεῖν,
        kaì speúsath’, hoi mèn Teûkron en tákhei moleîn,
        Hurry, some of you, to speed Teucer's coming;
    2. to procure quickly, get ready
    3. to seek eagerly, strive after
      • 6th century BC, Theognis of Megara, Elegies 335:
        Μηδὲν ἄγαν σπεύδειν
        Mēdèn ágan speúdein
        be not overly eager in any matter
  2. (intransitive) to press on, hasten
    • 800 BCE – 600 BCE, Homer, Iliad 11.119:
      σπεύδουσ’ ἱδρώουσα κραταιοῦ θηρὸς ὑφ’ ὁρμῆς
      speúdous’ hidrṓousa krataioû thēròs huph’ hormês
      hasting and sweating before the onset of the mighty beast
    • 430 BCE – 354 BCE, Xenophon, Anabasis 3.4.49:
      καταλιπὼν τὸν ἵππον ἔσπευδε πεζῇ
      katalipṑn tòn híppon éspeude pezêi
      he left his horse behind and hurried forward on foot
    1. (with infinitive) to be eager to
      • 522 BCE – 443 BCE, Pindar, Olympian Ode 4.22:
        κῦδος ὄρσαι σπεύδει Καμαρίνᾳ
        kûdos órsai speúdei Kamarínāi
        hurries to rouse glory for Camarina
    2. to be troubled in mind
      • 300 BCE – 200 BCE, Septuagint, Exodus 15.15:
        τότε ἔσπευσαν ἡγεμόνες Ἐδώμ
        tóte éspeusan hēgemónes Edṓm
        Then the chiefs of Edom were dismayed.

Inflection

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Derived terms

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References

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  1. ^ Beekes, Robert S. P. (2010) “σπεύδω”, in Etymological Dictionary of Greek (Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series; 10), with the assistance of Lucien van Beek, Leiden, Boston: Brill, →ISBN, pages 1381-2

Further reading

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