πλανάω

Ancient Greek

Etymology

Uncertain etymology. Perhaps a thematization of a nasal present *pl-néh₂-ti, corresponding to Proto-Indo-European *pleh₂- (“flat, broad”), but the semantics are highly problematic. The meaning strongly recalls πλάζω (plázō, “to wander, rove”), but it is hard to think of a formal connection.

Verb

πλανάω • (planáō)

1. to make to wander, lead wandering about
2. to lead astray, deceive, mislead
3. (passive) to wander, stray
4. to wander in speaking, digress
5. to do a thing irregularly or with variation
6. to be in doubt or at loss

Derived terms

• ἀποπλᾰνᾰ́ω (apoplanáō)
• περῐπλᾰνᾰ́ω (periplanáō)
• πλᾰ́νη (plánē)
• πλᾰ́νημᾰ (plánēma)
• πλᾰ́νης (plánēs)
• πλᾰ́νησῐς (plánēsis)
• πλᾰνήτης (planḗtēs)
• πλᾰνητός (planētós)
• πλᾰ́νιος (plánios)
• πλᾰ́νος (plános)
• πλᾰνῠ́ττω (planúttō)
• πλᾰνώδης (planṓdēs)

 

References

• “πλανάω”, in Liddell & Scott (1940) A Greek–English Lexicon, Oxford: Clarendon Press
• “πλανάω”, in Liddell & Scott (1889) An Intermediate Greek–English Lexicon, New York: Harper & Brothers
• πλανάω in Bailly, Anatole (1935) Le Grand Bailly: Dictionnaire grec-français, Paris: Hachette
• G4105 in Strong, James (1979) Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance to the Bible
• Beekes, Robert S. P. (2010) Etymological Dictionary of Greek (Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series; 10), with the assistance of Lucien van Beek, Leiden, Boston: Brill, →ISBN