Daily Greek Vocabulary Challenge: Nov. 11

Here are today's vocabulary words; it's Group 101. Click on the word to learn more at Logeion:

ἔχθρα ~ ἔχθρας (noun f.): hatred, enmity 

ἑορτή ~ ἑορτῆς (noun f.): festival, holiday 

συμφορά ~ συμφορᾶς (noun f.): accident, mishap 

ζωή ~ ζωῆς (noun f.): life, living

τυραννίς ~ τυραννίδος (noun f.): monarchy, tyranny 

These are the proverbs (and there are always more proverbs at the blog):

Ἔχθρας διάλυε.

Ἀεργοῖς αἲὲν ἑορτά. 

Πᾶν ἐστὶ ἄνθρωπος συμφορή. 

Φίλος πιστὸς φάρμακον ζωῆς. 

Ἡ γὰρ τυραννὶς ἀδικίας μήτηρ ἔφυ.

And now, some commentary:

Ἔχθρας διάλυε.

Dissolve hatreds.

In other words, put a stop to them, break them up, let them go. This is one of the maxims attributed to the Seven Sages as reported in Stobaeus. The Greek verb διαλύω is at the root of the English word dialysis.

Ἀεργοῖς αἲὲν ἑορτά.

For lazy (people), (it's) always a holiday.

The saying is reported in one of the idylls of Theocritus; you can find out more at Wikipedia: Idyll 15. The adjective ἀεργός is an alpha-privative: ἀ-εργός, not-working, and it is being used substantively here: lazy people.

Πᾶν ἐστὶ ἄνθρωπος συμφορή.

In every way, a person is (a thing of) chance.

The words appear in Herodotus when Solon is speaking to Croesus; specifically, Solon is arguing that whether a person is rich or poor is entirely a matter of chance. For more about Solon and about Croesus, see Wikipedia.

Φίλος πιστὸς φάρμακον ζωῆς.

A faithful friend is life's remedy.

The saying is found in the Biblical wisdom book known as Sirach, or Ecclesiasticus.The King James translation reads: A faithful friend is the medicine of life. The Greek word φάρμακον gives us English pharmacy; the etymology of the Greek word remains mysterious. From Greek ζωῆς we get the name Zoe.

Ἡ γὰρ τυραννὶς ἀδικίας μήτηρ ἔφυ.

Tyranny is the mother of injustice.

The words come from Plutarch writing about Alexander the Great, quoting a line from a tragedy, "The Ransom of Hector," by Dionysius. Here is the iambic meter marked:

Ἡ γὰρ τυραν||νὶς ἀδ-(ι)κίας || μήτηρ ἔφυ.

From Greek τυραννίς, we get English "tyranny."

Solon and Croesus by Claude Vignon

And here's a random proverb too:

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