Lemizh / English dictionary
782 lemmata in dictionary – view complete dictionary on one page (slow!) – multilingual dictionary
psàx.
to make psyches, souls
Usage notes
This is the Ancient Greek concept of the ‘metaphysic shadow’, the immortal part of a human and possibly other animals. It differs from our monotheistic soul in that it is not the human’s essence; the Greeks didn’t identify with their psyches but with their bodies. The Iliad’s lines 3 and 4 may clarify this viewpoint:
πολλὰς δ’ ἰφθίμους ψυχὰς Ἄϊδι προΐαψεν
ἡρώων, αὐτοὺς δὲ ἑλώρια τεῦχε κύνεσσιν
‘[Achilles’s wrath] hurled many valiant psyches of heroes down to Hades, and made themselves a prey to dogs …’
Compare Ràg..
Etymology
< NLem psUx‑a
< LMLem psUx‑yr
< Koi ψῡχ‑ή, nominalisation of
Koi ψῡ́χ‑ω ‘blow’
< SHell *psū́kh‑ō, of uncertain origin