What school did πραϋπαθία originate in?

Semantic Range, Lexicography, and other approaches to word meaning - in general, or for particular words.
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Stephen Hughes
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Joined: February 26th, 2013, 7:12 am

What school did πραϋπαθία originate in?

Post by Stephen Hughes »

According to LSJ, ἀπαθία "freedom from passions" is Stoic and μετριοπαθία "moderation one's passions" is Peripatetic.

What school of ethics (philosophy) does πραϋπαθία "gentle (BDAG)" come from?

It seems that there are a few possible ways of understanding it etymologically, taking -παθία in the experiential sense, it could mean "experiencing things without abrassiveness (πικρός)", and taking -παθία as "passions", it could be either "taming (causing to be tame) of the passions", or "mildness (not hot or sharp) of passions".

Κακοπαθία - mentioned in BDAG's entry - uses -παθία as experiential, while ἡσυχία and πραΰτης seem to both be words with reference to the internal workings of a person, and if -παθία also has that sense, it is probably in the meaning "passion".

Perhaps knowing the background of πραϋπαθία might make the choice of derivations more clear.
Γελᾷ δ' ὁ μωρός, κἄν τι μὴ γέλοιον ᾖ
(Menander, Γνῶμαι μονόστιχοι 108)
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