[B-Greek] Correct notions about "deponent" verbs
James Ernest
jdemail at charter.net
Thu Nov 20 19:20:42 EST 2003
All this made me wonder who first called these verbs "deponent." OED
says "late Latin grammarians" and explains [... thanks for waiting, had
to go get the high-powered bug-eye magnifiers...]:
OED now:
Definition: "of verbs: passive or middle in form but active in meaning:
originally a term of Latin Grammar."
then in smaller (sheesh, to think I could read this stuff with my
unaided eyeballs when I got this OED free from BOMC in high school and
woke my dad up with my howling as I read all the usage examples for ...
but I digress) type: "Both form and meaning were originally reflexive
(e.g., utor, I serve myself, fruor, I delight myself, profiscor, I put
myself forward, etc.) as in the Middle Voice in Greek; as, however in
ordinary verbs the reflexive form had become a passive in Latin, these
verbs were erroneously regarded as having *laid aside* or dropped a
passive meaning, whence the name. In reality, what was laid aside, or
lost sight of, was the reflexive sense."
James
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James Ernest
+1 616 891 5625 (office)
jernest at bakerbooks.com
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