πρεσβ-εύω

πρεσβ-εύω, [tense] pf.

A

πεπρέσβευκα Ar.Ach. 610

, D.19.310:—[voice] Med., [tense] aor.

ἐπρεσβευσάμην Th.1.92

, etc.:—[voice] Pass., [tense] pf. πεπρέσβευμαι (v. infr.):

I prop. of age,

1 intr., to be the elder or eldest, S.OC 1422;

οἱ ἀεὶ πρεσβεύοντες Pl.Lg. 951e

: c. gen. pers., to be older than, be the eldest of a number,

τῶν προτέρων ἐπρέσβευε Hdt.7.2

;

π. τῶν ἄλλων κατὰ τὴν ἡλικίαν Timae. 114

; π. ἀπ' αὐτοῦ to be his eldest son, Th.6.55; of wine,

πολλαῖς π. ἐτέων.. ὥραις Archestr.Fr.60.2

;

π. τοῖς χρόνοις τὰ ἡρωικά Ath.1.19a

: hence,

b take the first place, be best, S.Ant. 720; οἷσι πρεσβεύει γένος, of the male sex, E.Heracl.45.

c c. gen., rank before, take precedence of others,

π. τῶν πολλῶν πόλεων Pl.Lg. 752e

: hence, rule over,

Ολύμπου π. S.Aj. 1389

;

Ἴναχε.. μέγα πρεσβεύων Ἄργους γύαις Id.Fr. 270

(anap.); also, have at one's command or disposal, c. gen., καὶ εἰ ( καὶ σὺ Kaibel)

τῶν λόγων αὐτοῦ πρεσβεύεις Ath.8.352d

.

2 trans., place as oldest or first, put first in rank,

πρῶτον.. πρεσβεύω θεῶν Γαῖαν A.Eu.1

: hence, pay special honour or worship to,

πρῶτον τόνδε πρεσβεύσω τάφον Id.Ch. 488

, cf.S.Tr. 1065, Pl.Smp. 186b; joined with

τιμῶ Id.Cri. 46c

;

τὰ δίκαια πρὸ παντὸς ἰδίου συμφέροντος Plu.Luc.3

, cf. Arr. An.6.30.3:—[voice] Pass., hold the first place,

Παλλὰς.. ἐν λόγοις π. A.Eu. 21

; ὁ δ' ὕστατός γε τοῦ χρόνου π. is first in point of time, Id.Ag. 1300: c. gen., κακῶν πρεσβεύεται τὸ Αήμνιον is most notable of mischiefs, Id.Ch. 631 (lyr.); τὸ πρεσβύτερον τοῦ νεωτέρου ἐστὶ πρεσβευόμενον is more honoured than.., Pl.Lg. 879b.

b later, cultivate arts, etc.,

διαλεκτικόν, τὸ.. τοὺς λόγους πρεσβεῦον D.L.1.18

;

π. παρὰ Ῥοδίοις ἃ μήπω ἐγίγνωσκον Philostr.VS1

Praef.;

πόλις ὄρχησιν μάλιστα πρεσβεύουσα Luc.Salt.76

.

II to be an ambassador or serve as one, IG12.135.5;

ἀπὸ Κορίνθου Hdt.5.93

;

εἰς Θετταλίαν And.4.41

; παρά or πρός τινα, Pl.Chrm. 158a, X.Cyr.5.1.3; τινος for one, E.Heracl. 479: abs., Ar. Ach. 610, etc.: c. acc. cogn.,

ἃς ἐπρέσβευσεν [εἰς Θήβας] πρεσβείας Din.1.16

.

b at Rome, act as legatus, Plu.Sull.4.

2 c. acc. objecti, π. εἰρήνην negotiate peace, And.3.23, Isoc.4.177, D.19.134, etc.; π. ὑπὲρ τουτωνὶ τὰ βέλτιστα ib.189; π. πολλὰ καὶ δεινά ibid.:— [voice] Pass., τὰ αὑτῷ πεπρεσβευμένα his negotiations, ib.20; πολλὰ καὶ δεινὰ πεπρεσβεῦσθαι ib.240.

3 [voice] Med., send ambassadors, ἐς χωρία, ἐς τὴν Θουρίαν, Th.2.7, 6.104;

πρεσβεύεσθαι παρά τινας Id.4.41

, etc.;

πρός τινας Id.1.126

;

ἐς Αακεδαίμονα περὶ καθόδου Id.3.85

.

b go as ambassador, Id.5.39.

III c. acc. rei, represent, urge, maintain, Luc.Pisc.23; [ δόγματα] Gal.6.753;

τὴν ὄψιν κατὰ εἰσδοχὴν π. Olymp. in Mete. 5.6

: c. inf., κατὰ ἐκπομπὴν εἶναι τὴν ὄψιν ib. 10.

Grammatical information: m.

Meaning: `the old, aged one' (poet. Pi., trag.), `president' (Sparta); pl. πρέσβεις most `ambassador, messenger' (Att., Dor. inscr.); besides πρεσβ-ῆες (Hes. Sc. 245), - εῦσιν (Lyc.), du. -ῆ (Att.); cf. below on πρεσβεύω.

Other forms: Gen. (rare) - εως, - εος, acc. - υν, voc. -υ.

Compounds: As 1. member a.o. in πρεσβυ-γενής `first-born' (A 249 a.o.).

Derivatives: 1. Comp. forms: πρεσβύ-τερος (with - τέριον `council of elders' [N.T.]), - τατος `old, venerable, the eldest, most venerable' (Il.); also πρέσβιστος `most venerable' (h. Hom., A., S. a.o.) after κράτιστος, κύδιστος, with the cross πρεσβίστ-ατος (Nic.). 2. Feminins: πρέσβα ( θεά) `the venerable', of Hera a.o. (ep. Il.), after πότνα ( θεά)?; πρέσβεα ( μήτηρ; poet. inscr. from Caria II-I^a), metr. cond.; πρέσβειρα ( θεῶν a.o.; h. Ven. etc.), after πίειρα, - άνειρα a.o.; πρεσβηΐς ( τιμή h. Hom.), after βασιληΐς a.o., cf. πρεσβῆες above. 3. πρεσβ-ήϊον n. `gift of honour' (Θ 289), - εῖον `privilege (of age)' (Att., hell.). 4. - εία f. `right, privilege (of age)' (A., Pl.), usu. `embassy' (Att.; to πρεσβεύω). 5. πρεσβύ̄της m. `the old, aged one', enlargement of πρέσβυς after πολίτης a.o. (not with Fraenkel Glotta 34, 301 ff. innovation to πρεσβῦτις; IA.) with f. - ῦτις, adj. - υτικός `senile' (Att. etc.). 6. πρεσβῠ́της, - ητος f., Dor. - τας. - τατος `(higher) age' (inscr. Messene I<sup>a</sup> [completed] a.o.; after νεότης). 7. πρέσβις f. `age, rank', only in κατὰ πρέσβιν (h. Merc., Pl. a.o.); after κατὰ τάξιν a.o. 8. πρέσβος n. `(object of) veneration', after κῦδος, κράτος a.o. 9. πρεσβ-εύω `to be the eldest, to have precedence, to be ambassador', trans. `to attend, venerate like a πρέσβυς', midd. `to send ambassadors', also w. παρα-, συν-, ἀπο- a.o., with - ευτής m. `ambassador, messenger' (Att.; as singulative to πρέσβεις). - ευτικός, - εύτειρα, - ευτεύω, - ευμα, - ευσις; partly also πρεσβεία (s. ab. 4) and, as backformation, πρεσβεῦσιν dat. pl. (Lyc.; s. ab.; cf. Bosshardt 63). -- 10. Shortnames like Πρέσβων (to πρέσβειρα after πέπειρα: πέπων? Fraenkel KZ 43, 216 n.2). Πρέσβος a.o., s. Bechtel Hist. Personennamen 385. -- On the diff. writings and formations s. Lejeune Mém. de phil. myc. 239ff.

Origin: IE [Indo-European] [812] * pres-gʷeu- `who goes in front'

Etymology: Beside the above forms stand in Doric, esp. in Crete, and in Northwestgr. several byforms with γ for β and changing initial syllable: πρεῖγυς, πρείγιστος with comp. πρείγων, πρειγ-εύω with - ευτάς, -ήϊα, - εία; also πρείγα f. `council of elders' (Locris); πρεσγευτάς, πρεγγ-; later πρήγιστος with (Cos) - ιστεύω; πρεσγέα = πρεσβεία (Argos), πρισγε(ι)ες (Boeot.); also σπέργυς πρέσβυς and πέργουν πρέσβεις H. Common basis prob. πρεσγ- (with voiced σ; cf. πρεζβευτάς Delphi); from there through phonetical, in detail uncertain developments the other forms, s. Schwyzer 276, Seiler Steigerungsformen 59, Thumb-Kieckers 158, Kapsomenos Glotta 40, 46ff., Masson Glotta 41, 65ff., Lejeune l.c. (with rejection of Mycenaean interpretations). -- From the interchange β: γ follows an orig. IE labiovelar gʷ; the preceding syllable, prob. to be taken as the 1. member of a compound, contains as is generally assumed a frozen adverb πρές `in front' (s. πρός). The final syllable resp. the final member is debated. By Bezzenberger BB 4, 345, Bloomfield AmJPh 29, 79 ff. compared with Skt. puro-gavá- `leader', of which the 2. member is derived both from gaúḥ = βοῦς (so prop. *"leading bull"), as, and on better grounds, from a word for `go' (in βαίνω, βῆναι resp. Skt. jávate `run') (so prop. *"who goes in fromt"). Thus a.o. Fraenkel Glotta 32, 17 u. 34, 301 ff., who wants to explain also Lith. žmogùs `man' in this way (prop. "going on earth"; s. also Wb. s.v. w. lit.); on the Skt. word esp Mayrhofer s. puráḥ. -- Very temptong is the connection with Arm. erēc̣, gen. eric̣u `elder, priest' (Meillet in Lejeune op. cit. 240 n. 9), of which the ē prob. continues a diphthong ei or oi (IE * preisgʷu-?) and usu. connected with Lat. prīscus. Cf. on μεσσηγύς: the second member continues a root * gʷeu-, a variant of * gʷem-.

Page in Frisk: 2,592-593