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The corpus record

παλάσσω

palasso

besprinkle, defile

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

Where it lives

  • Works and Days 1 · 1.73/10k
  • Iliad 11 · 0.99/10k
  • Odyssey 5 · 0.58/10k

What it meant — LSJ

besprinkle, defile, he bespattered his

besprinkle, defile, αἵματί τʼ ἐγκεφάλῳ τε παλαξέμεν . . οὖδας Od. 13.395:—mostly in Pass., παλάσσετο δʼ αἵματι θώρηξ Il. 5.100; αἵματι καὶ λύθρῳ πεπαλαγμένον Od. 22.402, cf. Call. Lav.Pall. 7; πεπάλακτο πόδας καὶ χεῖρας ὕπερθεν Od. 22.406; αἰδοῖα γονῇ πεπαλαγμένος Hes. Op. 733; νιφετῷ π. ὕδωρ Q.S. 12.410:—in Med., παλάσσετο χεῖρας he bespattered his hands, Il. 11.169.

2 to be scattered abroad

Pass., to be scattered abroad, ἐγκέφαλος πεπάλακτο ib. 98, 12.186.

II was smitten

Ἀσωπὸς . . πεπάλακτο κεραυνῷ was smitten, for ἐπέπληκτο, Call. Del. 78.

III shake, draw, determine your fate

in pf. Med., shake, i.e. draw lots from an urn, κλήρῳ νῦν πεπάλαχθε διαμπερές determine your fate by lot, Il. 7.171; τοὺς ἄλλους κλήρῳ πεπαλάχθαι ἄνωγον Od. 9.331; πεπάλαχθε κατὰ κληῗδας ἐρετμά A.R. 1.358.—Aristarch. read πεπάλασθε, πεπαλάσθαι in Hom. (cf. πάλλω).

In the wild

6 of 17 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. παλάσσω (scan pp. 1196-1197; entry #4785). Root candidates: *pal-.
  • Chantraine, Dictionnaire etymologique de la langue grecque Treated in Chantraine, Dictionnaire etymologique de la langue grecque s.v. παλάσσω (scan p. 869; entry #6228).
  • Frisk, Griechisches etymologisches Worterbuch Treated in Frisk, Griechisches etymologisches Worterbuch s.v. παλάσσω (scan pp. 1438-1439; entry #4470).

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