πάλαι

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Ancient Greek

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Etymology

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Traditionally derived from Proto-Indo-European *kʷel- (far (in time or space)). However, it has been argued (e.g. by Chadwick) that Mycenaean Greek 𐀞𐀨𐀍 (pa-ra-jo), 𐀞𐀨𐀊 (pa-ra-ja, old) are related, therefore precluding the popularly held etymology with an initial labiovelar.[1] Beekes instead compares the Mycenaean to *pelh₂- (to approach).[2]

A frozen case-form (perhaps an old dative or fossilized PIE allative), as indicated by the ending -αι (-ai); compare χαμαί (khamaí). See also Sanskrit पलित (palita, old, hairy, grey).

Pronunciation

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Adverb

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πάλαι (pálai)

  1. (of a point in the past)
    1. long ago, in days past
      • 460 BCE – 395 BCE, Thucydides, History of the Peloponnesian War 1.2.1:
        φαίνεται γὰρ ἡ νῦν Ἑλλὰς καλουμένη οὐ πάλαι βεβαίως οἰκουμένη
        phaínetai gàr hē nûn Hellàs kalouménē ou pálai bebaíōs oikouménē
        For apparently what is now called Hellas was not constantly inhabited in times past
    2. of past time closer to the present: before, earlier, a while ago
      • 428 BCE – 347 BCE, Plato, Cr. 43b:
        Σωκράτης: ἄρτι δὲ ἥκεις ἢ πάλαι;
        Κρίτων: ἐπιεικῶς πάλαι.
        Sōkrátēs: árti dè hḗkeis ḕ pálai;
        Krítōn: epieikôs pálai.
        Socrates: Did you arrive just now or a while ago?
        Crito: Quite a while ago.
    3. with a present-tense verb since a point in the past, for a long time
      • 386 BCE – 367 BCE, Plato, Meno 93b:
        τοῦτ’ ἔστιν ὃ πάλαι ζητοῦμεν ἐγώ τε καὶ Μένων.
        toût’ éstin hò pálai zētoûmen egṓ te kaì Ménōn.
        This is what Meno and I have been trying to figure out for a while.

Derived terms

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References

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  1. ^ John Chadwick, Lydia Baumbach (1963) “The Mycenaean Greek Vocabulary”, in Glotta : Zeitschrift für griechische und lateinische Sprache, volume 41, number 3/4, Göttingen, Germany: Vandenhoeck & Ruprecht (GmbH & Co. KG), →JSTOR, →OCLC, page 232 of 157–271:πάλαι
  2. ^ Beekes, Robert S. P. (2010) “πάλαι”, in Etymological Dictionary of Greek (Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series; 10), with the assistance of Lucien van Beek, Leiden, Boston: Brill, →ISBN, pages 1144–1145

Further reading

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