ἀσθενέσ-τερος

Grammatical information: v.

Meaning: `to exert oneself, to toil, to work, to prepare, to provide' (Il.), `to exert onself, to (have to) do hard labour, to be poor, to lack smth.' (Sol., trag., Pl.).

Other forms: only pres. a. ipf.

Compounds: Often w. ἀμφι-, also w. συν-.

Derivatives: 1. πενία, ion. - ίη f. `poverty, lack' (ξ 157; Scheller Oxytonierung 23 a. 39); 2. πενιχρ-ός `poor, devoid of smth.' (γ 348; cf. zu μελιχρός s. μέλι) with - ότης f. (S. E.). - αλέος `id.' (AP). 3. πένης, - ητος m. (f. πένησσα πτωχή H.) `who has to live from the labour of his hands, needy, poor' in opposition both to πλούσιος and to πτωχός = `begging, destitute' (IA.) with πενέσ-τερος, - τατος (X., D.); after ἀσθενέσ-τερος a.o.; not with Schwyzer 535 from *πενετ-τερος); from it πενητ-εύω `to be poor' (Emp.), - υλίδας m. "son of poverty" (Cerc.), from a hypocor. *Πενητ-ύλος (as Φειδ-ύλος, Πενθ-ύλος a.o.). -- 4. πόνος m. `(hard) labour, effort, struggle, sorrow, pain, fruit of the labour' (Il.; on the meaning Trümpy Fachausdrücke 148 ff.); also as 2. member, e.g. παυσί-πονος `ending pain' (E., Ar. in lyr.); but ματαιο-πόνος a.o. to πονέομαι, s. v. From it πον-ηρός `toilsome, useless, bad, evil' (IA.) with - ηρία, - ηρεύομαι, - ήρευμα; πονόεις `id.' (Man.). -- 5. Iterative deverbative πονέομαι, also w. ἀμφι-, δια- a.o. (Il., mostly in the older language), πονέω, also w. δια-, ἐκ-, κατα- a.o. (posthom.) `to exert oneself, to provide, to suffer', trans. `to cause pain'. As 2. member a.o. in ματαιο-πονέω `to labour in vain' (Democr.) with - πονία (Str.), - πόνημα (Iamb.), - πόνος (Plu., Gal.). From it πόν-ημα ( δια-) n. `labour, work' (Pl., E. u.a.), - ησις ( δια-, κατα-) f. `labour, effort' (Plu., D. L.); as backformation e.g. διάπον-ος `working hard, weary' (Plu.) from δια-πονέω. 6. Beside it πονάω only in ἐπονάθη (Pi.) and ἐπόνασαν (Theoc.); s. Schwyzer 719 w. n. 1.

Origin: XX [etym. unknown]

Etymology: Not certainly explained. The primary present πένομαι, which was pushed back and replaced by its own iterative πονέομαι, - έω and by its synonyms, e.g. κάμνω, δέω, is in the epos used esp. of domestic labour (cf. Porzig Satzinhalte 15). The meaning `want, lack, be poor' (from where πενία and πενιχρός already since Od.) developed from there like Lat. laborare `exert oneself', also `be in need, be pressed' (unargumented doubt in WP. 2, 661). Unclear is however the earlier history of the meaning. Possible is, that πένομαι orig. indicated a certain kind of domesic labour and from there was generalized. One may compare in that case expressions for `stretch, twist, weave' in Lith. pìnti `twist', OCS pęti `stretch', Arm. hanum and henum `weave', further OHG etc. spin. As the basic meaning of this verb seems to have been `unharness', one may also from there through `harness oneself' come to `exert oneself' (cf. Arm. y-enum `stem or stut smthing with hands or shoulders'?). Thus (after Schleicher, Benfey, Fick; s. Curtius 271f.) Pedersen KZ 39, 414 and Persson Beitr. 1, 411 ff.; further combinations in WP. 2, 660ff., Pok. 988, W.-Hofmann s. pendeō. As however the semantic development can be interpreted in diff. ways, this etymology, though quite possible, cannot be proven. A loan is hard to envisage. -- On the meaning of πένητες and πλούσιοι and synonyms and of πενία and πλοῦτος s. J. Hemelrijk Πενία en Πλοῦτος. Diss. Utrecht 1925. Cf. πεῖνα und σπάνις.

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