λάβρος

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Ancient Greek

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Alternative forms

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Etymology

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Unknown. Beekes rejects the traditional connections to λαβεῖν (labeîn) and λάζομαι (lázomai, to seize, grasp) and tentatively derives the word from Pre-Greek, albeit without strong evidence of typical Pre-Greek alternation patterns.[1]

Another theory derives the word from a dissimilation of from Proto-Indo-European *rabʰros, from *rabʰ- (to rage, to be furious, to anger) (whence also Latin rabiō, rabiēs and Sanskrit रभस् (rabhas)); though semantically sound, this is phonetically difficult, as the expected form going from *ράφρος (*ráphros) > λάβρος (lábros) requires two consonant changes. (Can this(+) etymology be sourced?)

Pronunciation

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Adjective

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λᾱ́βρος (lā́brosm or f (neuter λᾱ́βρον); second declension (Homeric)
λᾰ́βρος (lábrosm or f (neuter λᾰ́βρον); second declension (Post-Homeric)
λᾰ́βρος (lábrosm (feminine λᾰ́βρᾱ, neuter λᾰ́βρον); first/second declension (Post-Homeric, rare)

  1. (Homeric, of wind and water) furious, boisterous
  2. (Homeric, of the Hellespont personified) huge, mighty
  3. (Post-Homeric, of men) boisterous, turbulent
  4. (Post-Homeric, of men, of speech) hasty
  5. (Post-Homeric, of men) fierce, violent, impetuous

Usage notes

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  • The initial alpha is long by position in Epic Greek but short in later texts. Although Homer does not use λάβρος to describe people or their speech, he has the related words λαβραγόρης and λαβρεύομαι used in those ways.

Declension

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Derived terms

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References

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  1. ^ Beekes, Robert S. P. (2010) “λάβρος”, in Etymological Dictionary of Greek (Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series; 10), with the assistance of Lucien van Beek, Leiden, Boston: Brill, →ISBN, page 818

Further reading

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