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The corpus record

ἐλαφρός

elaphros

light, nimble, quick, small

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Where it lives

Densest 12 of 26 attested works shown, by occurrences per 10,000 attested tokens.

What it meant

1. ἐλαφρός · elaphros — Beekes

ἐλαφρός [adj.] ‘light, nimble, quick, small’ (IL). «1ὲ *h,leng’*-ro- ‘light (of weight, movement)’> *COMP Asa first member in ἐλαφρο-τοκία ‘low rate of interest’ (Pergamon II*). “DER ἐλαφρότης ‘lightness, speed’ (Pl, Plu.); éhagpia ‘lightness’ (NT); Ἐλάφριος (μήν) month name (Cnidos); denominative verbs: ἐλαφρίζω ‘enlighten, lessen’, intr. ‘be quick’ (Archil, E.); ἐλαφρύνω ‘enlighten’ (late; after βαρύνω; Debrunner … — [Beekes, s.v. ἐλαφρός, p. 450]

2. ἐλαφρός · elaphros — Chantraine

ἐλαφρός : adj. «léger, de peu de poids, aisé, rapide ν (Hom., ion.-att.), en grec hellén. dit d’un esprit léger, d'un fleuve peu important (Pib.), etc. Dérivés : ἐλαφρότης f. «légèreté, rapidité» (ΡΙ., Plu.), ἐλαφρία «légèreté» (NT); "Ex&æpptoc nom d'un mois à Cnide (cf. peut-être la glose d'Hsch. ’Enappéc * Ζεὺς ἐν Κρήτῃ). Verbes dénominatifs 1) ἐλαφρίζω «rendre léger, enlever, mépriser » et au sens intransitif … — [Chantraine, s.v. ἐλαφρός, p. 347]

3. ἐλαφρός · elaphros — Frisk

ἐλαφρός “leicht, behend, schnell, gering’ (seit Il.). Als Vorderglied in ἐλαφρο-τοκία “niedriger Zinsfuß’ (Pergamon 118) u.a. — Ableitungen: ἐλαφρότης "Leichtigkeit, Schnelligkeit’ (Pl., Plu.); ἐλαφρία “Leichtigkeit, Leichtsinn’ (NT u.a.); Ἐλάφριος (unv) Monatsname (Knidos); denominative Verba: 1. ἐλαφρίζω “erleichtern, verringern’, intr. ‘schnell sein’ (Archil., E., Kall. usw.); 2. ἐλαφρύνω erleichtern’ (spät; nach … — [Frisk, s.v. ἐλαφρός, p. 516]

4. ἐλαφρ-ός · elaphr-os — LSJ

light in weight

light in weight, τόν οἱ ἐ. ἔθηκε (sc. λᾶαν) Il. 12.450; ξύλου ἐλαφρότερα Hdt. 3.23; πῦρ Parm. 8.57; opp. βαρύς, Pl. Ti. 63c, etc.; in Epitaphs, γαῖαν ἔχοις ἐλαφράν ‘sit tibi terra levis’, Epigr.Gr. 195 (Vaxos), cf. Sammelb. 315. Adv., τά (sc. δένδρεα) οἱ πλώοιεν ἐλαφρῶς Od. 5.240.

2 light to bear, easy, light, easy, easy to understand, light, light matter, lightly

light to bear, easy, καί κεν ἐλαφρότερος πόλεμος Τρώεσσι γένοιτο Il. 22.287; συμφορὰν ἐλαφροτέραν καταστῆσαι Antipho 3.3.12; πόνος -ότερος ἑαυτοῦ συνηθείῃ γίνεται Democr. 241: later, Comp. ἐλαφρώτερον ἄλγος Max. 173; ἐλαφρόν [ἐστι] ʼtis light, easy, Pi. N. 7.77, A. Pr. 265, etc.; easy to understand, [προβλήματα] ἐ. καὶ πιθανά Plu. Sanit. 2.133e, cf. D.Chr. 18.11; ἐν ἐλαφρῷ ποιήσασθαί τι to make light of a thing, Hdt. 3.154; οὐκ ἐν ἐ. ποιεῖσθαι Id. 1.118; οὐκ ἐν ἐ. no light matter, Theoc. 22.212.

3 light of digestion

light of digestion, Plu. Sanit. 2.137a.

4 shallow

shallow, διάπλους Peripl.M.Rubr. 55; δῖναι ib. 40.

5 ease-giving

Act., ease-giving, B. Fr. 8, Theoc. 2.92.

II light in moving, nimble, active, light troops, easier in condition, nimbly

light in moving, nimble, γυῖα δʼ ἔθηκεν ἐ. Il. 5.122; ἦ μάλʼ ἐ. ἀνήρ 16.745; ἐλαφρότατος ποσσί 23.749; χεῖρες . . ἐπαΐσσονται ἐ. ib. 628; κίρκος . . ἐλαφρότατος πετεηνῶν 22.139, Od. 13.87; [ἵπποι] ἐλαφρότατοι θείειν 3.370; ἐλαφραῖς πτερύγων ῥιπαῖς A. Pr. 125 (anap.); ἐ. ποδί ib. 281 (anap.); γονάτων ἐλαφρὸν ὁρμάν Pi. N. 5.20; ἐ. ποδῶν ἴχνιʼ ἀειράμεναι Fr.anon. IEG (West) 11; ἐλαφρὰ ἡλικία the age of active youth, X. Mem. 3.5.27; ἐλαφροί, οἱ, light troops, Id. An. 4.2.27 (restricted to cavalry wh

III light-minded, unsteady, fickle, light-headed

metaph., light-minded, unsteady, fickle, πᾶν πλῆθός ἐστιν ἐ. Plb. 6.56.11; ἐ. λύσσα light-headed madness, E. Ba. 851.

b gentle, mild

gentle, mild, σφᾶς αὐτοὺς -οτάτους τοῖς συνοῦσι παρέχοντας Isoc. 12.31, cf. Pl. Ep. 360c.

2 small, of small power, strength

small, ποταμός Plb. 16.17.7; of small power or strength, πόλεις Id. 5.62.6.

3 relieved

relieved of a burden, ψυχὴ ἐ. καὶ διʼ αὑτῆς Plot. 4.3.32.

IV

Ἐλαφρός· Ζεὺς ἐν Κρήτῃ, Hsch.

In the wild

6 of 63 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. ἐλαφρός (scan p. 450; entry #1988). Root candidates: *rayyi-, *linyta-.
  • Chantraine, Dictionnaire etymologique de la langue grecque Treated in Chantraine, Dictionnaire etymologique de la langue grecque s.v. ἐλαφρός (scan p. 347; entry #2392).
  • Frisk, Griechisches etymologisches Worterbuch Treated in Frisk, Griechisches etymologisches Worterbuch s.v. ἐλαφρός (scan p. 516; entry #1828).

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