The purpose of this project is to perform an etymological study on the Greek verb ‘to adapt’ and its cognates. The origin of the word, i.e. its original shape and meaning, will be explored. A key element in this
investigation is its verbal root, which can be linked to the Proto-Indo-European (hence PIE)
language. This root gave birth to hundreds of different words in the IE languages, as in the
common English words harmony, order and rite. First I will examine other Greek words of which it is assumed that they contain the same root. Although diverse etymological hypotheses have been introduced for each of them, all these have
never been united in a comprehensive survey whose purpose is to find sufficient proof to advance
one of them.
The next phase will be dedicated to the reconstruction of the exact shape and meaning of this
common root. Several possibilities have been proposed, but an in-depth study is still lacking. One
of the main difficulties is that the words that are believed to be derived from this root, have
strikingly divergent meanings. However, the outcome of the first part of the project and the study
of a selection of Anatolian words, which may also share this root, will provide indications of its
origins. Once a solution has been found, the semantic and morphological development from the PIE root
to the verb and all its cognates can be reconstructed.