Greek (Hesychian) κόρος ‘great number of men’ and related words

Abstract

In this paper one Hesychian gloss is discussed from the historical-comparative point of view. It is suggested that the Ancient Greek appellative κόρος denoting ‘great number of men’ (πλῆθος ὰνθρώπων) represents an archaic term (IE. *kóros ‘army, crowd; the people under arms’), which is attested also at the eastern periphery (especially in Iranian and Baltic) and the western one (in Lusitanian, cf. Lusit. PN Coro-cuta, Coro-poti, Corobulti and so on). A variant Indo-European form *koryos appears as an appellative in Celtic, Germanic and Baltic, also as a first or second part of the ethnic and personal names (e.g. in Boeotian Greek, Celtic and Germanic). A primitive derivative *koryanos ‘army leader’ is firmly attested in Greek (see Gk. κοίρανος m. ‘ruler, leader, commander (in war or peace)’, generally ‘lord, master’, also ‘king’ in the Boeotian dialect), North Germanic (cf. Odin’s by-name Herjann) and perhaps in Lusitanian (see Lusit. PN Coriana).