φάρμακον

Ancient Greek

Etymology

Unclear etymology, but most likely derived from Proto-Hellenic *pʰármakon, Pokorny (1959) connects the Greek root φαρ- of φαρόω (pharóō, to plough), φάρυγξ (phárunx, throat), from a Proto-Indo-European *bʰer- (to cut, pierce, scrape) (i.e., a medicinal herb or root as something cut off or dug up), cognate with Proto-Germanic *burōną (conflated with *bazją) and Latin ferio. A Pre-Greek etymology has been proposed by R. S. P. Beekes.[1]

Cognate with Mycenaean Greek [script needed] (pa-ma-ko /pʰármakon/).

Pronunciation

 

Noun

φάρμᾰκον (phármakon) n (genitive φαρμᾰ́κου); second declension

  1. A drug, whether healing or noxious
  2. A healing drug, medicine, remedy
    • 46 CE – 120 CE, Plutarch, Moralia :
      τῶν δὲ τῆς ψυχῆς ἀρρωστημάτων καὶ παθῶν ἡ φιλοσοφία μόνη φάρμακόν ἐστι.
      tôn dè tês psukhês arrhōstēmátōn kaì pathôn hē philosophía mónē phármakón esti.
      but for the soul's illnesses and sufferings, the only remedy is philosophy. (@perseus.tuftus.edu)
  3. A potion, charm, spell
  4. A deadly drug, poison
  5. A dye, color

Declension

Derived terms

Descendants

References

  1. Beekes, Robert S. P. (2010) Etymological Dictionary of Greek (Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series; 10), with the assistance of Lucien van Beek, Leiden, Boston: Brill, page 1554

Further reading

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