Ancient Greek

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Etymology

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From Proto-Indo-European *h₂enǵʰ-. Cognates include Old English enge (whence the first element in English hangnail), Latin angō, Sanskrit अंहु (aṃhu), and Old Armenian անձուկ (anjuk, narrow, tight).

Pronunciation

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Verb

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ἄγχω (ánkhō) (Epic, Attic, Doric, Koine)

  1. (transitive) to compress, press tight, especially the throat
  2. (transitive) to strangle, throttle, choke
  3. (figurative, transitive) to put pressure on
    • 424 BCE, Aristophanes, The Knights 773–777:
      καὶ πῶς ἂν ἐμοῦ μᾶλλόν σε φιλῶν ὦ Δῆμε γένοιτο πολίτης;
      ὃς πρῶτα μὲν ἡνίκ’ ἐβούλευον σοὶ χρήματα πλεῖστ’ ἀπέδειξα
      ἐν τῷ κοινῷ, τοὺς μὲν στρεβλῶν τοὺς δ’ ἄγχων τοὺς δὲ μεταιτῶν,
      οὐ φροντίζων τῶν ἰδιωτῶν οὐδενός, εἰ σοὶ χαριοίμην.
      kaì pôs àn emoû mâllón se philôn ô Dême génoito polítēs?
      hòs prôta mèn hēník’ eboúleuon soì khrḗmata pleîst’ apédeixa
      en tôi koinôi, toùs mèn streblôn toùs d’ ánkhōn toùs dè metaitôn,
      ou phrontízōn tôn idiōtôn oudenós, ei soì kharioímēn.
      • Translation by Eugene O'Neill, Jr.
        Is it possible, Demos, to love you more than I do? And firstly, as long as you have governed with my consent, have I not filled your treasury, putting pressure on some, torturing others or begging of them, indifferent to the opinion of private individuals, and solely anxious to please you?
    • 125 CE – 200 CE, Lucian, The Symposium 32

Inflection

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Derived terms

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References

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