The corpus record

ἄλσος

alsos

sacred grove

Generated live from the audited corpus — every figure on this page is a database query, not prose from memory.

Where it lives

Suppliant Maidens 4 · 8.3/10k
Shield of Heracles 2 · 6.18/10k
Michaeas 1 · 4.39/10k
Oedipus at Colonus 4 · 3.86/10k
Iphigenia in Aulis 3 · 3.36/10k
Judices (cod. Al.) 4 · 2.73/10k
Heracles 2 · 2.56/10k
Regnorum IV 4 · 2.31/10k
Electra 2 · 2.3/10k
Critias 1 · 2.02/10k
Persians 1 · 1.96/10k
Regnorum III 3 · 1.57/10k

Densest 12 of 24 attested works shown, by occurrences per 10,000 attested tokens.

What it meant

1. ἄλσος · alsos — Beekes

ἄλσος [n.] ‘sacred grove’ (11... *DER ἀλσώδης ‘belonging to the grove’ (E. [lyr.], Thphr.), ἀλσηΐδες νύμφαι (A. R.), after Νηρηΐδες, etc; ἄλσωμα and ἀλσών = ἄλσος (Aq.). Further ἀλσίνη a plant (Dsc.), see André 1985, and cf. CEG 6. *ETYM AAtic [{], the name of the temple domain in Olympia, would be identical with ἄλσος (see Paus. 5, 10, 1); on this basis one reconstructs ἄλσος as *altios. Fur.: 249, 253 … — [Beekes, s.v. ἄλσος, p. 122]

2. ἄλσος · alsos — Chantraine

ἄλσος : n. «bois sacré» (Hom., poètes, Hdt., P1.); les passages où le mot semble comporter le sens général de «bois» figurent tous dans un contexte religieux (cf. IL. 20,8, Od. 10,350). Peut désigner aussi toute enceinte sacrée, même sans arbres (11. 2,506, 5. Ant. 844). Parfois employé dans des images poétiques (Æsch., Pers. 111, Eleg. 4). Le mot se trouve peut-être en mycénien dans le toponyme asee (datif), cf. … — [Chantraine, s.v. ἄλσος, p. 79]

3. ἄλσος · alsos — Frisk

ἄλσος τι. ‘(heiliger) Hain, geweihte Stätte’ (seit 1].). — Ableitungen: ἀλσώδης "zum Hain gehörig’ (E. in ]yr., Thphr. usw.), ἀλσηΐδες νύμφαι (A.R., nach Nnoniöes usw.); dAcivn "Parietaria lusitanica’ (Thphr., Dsk.); ἄλσωμα und ἀλσών = ἄλσος (Aq.). Unerklärt. Der Name des hl. Tempelbezirks in Olympia Ἄλτις f., der nach Paus. 5, 10, 1 mit ἄλσος gleichbedeutend ist, legt für ἄλσος eine Grundform *äArıos nahe; das … — [Frisk, s.v. ἄλσος, p. 109]

4. ἄλσος · alsos — Frisk

ἄλσος. Zum Lautlichen Forbes Glotta 36 (1957) 257. — [Frisk, s.v. ἄλσος, p. 2153]

5. ἄλσος · alsos — LSJ

grove

grove, Il. 20.8, Od. 10.350: pl., Phanocl. 1.3, Theoc. 1.117, etc.

II sacred grove, any hallowed precinct, plain, alq-ios

esp. sacred grove, Od. 6.291, Hes. Sc. 99, Hdt. 5.119, Pl. Lg. 761c, etc.:—hence, any hallowed precinct, even without trees, Il. 2.506, Sch. Pi. O. 3.31, cf. B. 3.19, S. Ant. 844; Μαραθώνιον ἄ., of the field of battle, viewed as a holy place, A. Eleg. 4: metaph., πόντιον ἄ. the ocean-plain, B. 16.85, A. Pers. 111. (Perh. for ἄλτ-ιος (cf. Ἄλτις), i.e. alq-ios, cf. Goth. alhs ‘temple’.)

In the wild

ἄλσος · alsos Aeschylus, Persians 100–106
ἄλσος · alsos Aeschylus, Suppliant Maidens 867–871
ἄλσος · alsos Aeschylus, Suppliant Maidens 556–564
ἄλσος · alsos Aeschylus, Suppliant Maidens 508
ἄλσος · alsos Aeschylus, Suppliant Maidens 509
ἄλσος · alsos Aristophanes, Frogs 444–446

6 of 56 attestations shown. Ask for more.

Where it came from

Beekes, Etymological Dictionary of Greek (Brill 2010) Treated in Beekes, Etymological Dictionary of Greek (Brill 2010) s.v. ἄλσος (scan p. 122; entry #395).
Chantraine, Dictionnaire etymologique de la langue grecque Treated in Chantraine, Dictionnaire etymologique de la langue grecque s.v. ἄλσος (scan p. 79; entry #410).
Frisk, Griechisches etymologisches Worterbuch Treated in Frisk, Griechisches etymologisches Worterbuch s.v. ἄλσος (scan p. 109; entry #384).

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