# λύω
## Ancient Greek
### Etymology

From Proto-Indo-European *lewh₁- (“to cut off, separate, free”), (which Beekes reconstructs as *lh₁u-). Cognates include Latin luō (“expiate, pay”), Sanskrit लुनाति (lunā́ti, “to sever, cut forth, destroy, annihilate”), English loose, and possibly Old Armenian լուծանեմ (lucanem) and Albanian lirë.
According to Beekes the stem vowel was originally short (λῠ-), to be lengthened only later in Attic (and sometimes in Homer; λῡ-) due to the influence of a laryngeal. The upsilon remains short (ῠ) before temporal endings beginning with <κ, θ, μ> and at all paragoga (derivatives). But compounds' prosody, as for λῡ́ω.
Derivatives, from stems λῠσ-, λῠσῐ- (compounds with λῡσῐ-), λῠτ-.
Unrelated to κωλῡ́ω (kōlū́ō, “prevent”), ὄλλῡμῐ (óllūmĭ, “destroy, lose”) or λύσσᾰ (lússă, “rage”).

### Pronunciation

* IPA: /ly̌ː.ɔː/ → /ˈly.o/ → /ˈli.o/
* (5th BCE Attic) IPA: /ly̌ː.ɔː/
* (1st CE Egyptian) IPA: /ˈly.o/
* (4th CE Koine) IPA: /ˈly.o/
* (10th CE Byzantine) IPA: /ˈly.o/
* (15th CE Constantinopolitan) IPA: /ˈli.o/

### Verb

λῡ́ω • (lū́ō)
* to loose, loosen, untie
* to slacken
* to unbend
* to set free, release
* to redeem
* to dissolve, sever
* to break (up), destroy
* to abrogate, annul
* to atone, amend
* to profit, to be useful
* to discharge, fulfill, pay off

#### Derived terms

expressions:
* τέλη λύειν (télē lúein, “pay one's dues”)
Derivatives from λῡ́ω (and see their compounds):
Participles
* active: λῡ́ων, λῡ́σων, λῡ́σᾱς, λελῠκώς
* mediopassive: λῡόμενος, λῡσόμενος/λῠθησόμενος, λῡσᾰ́μενος/λῠθείς, λελῠμένος
Verbal adjectives
* λῠτός (lŭtós, “that may be loosed, solved”)
* λῠτέος (lŭtéos, “that must be loosed, solved”)
From stems λῠσ- λῡσ-
* λῠ́σῐμος (lŭ́sĭmos, “able to loose or relieve”)
* λῠ́σῐς f (lŭ́sĭs, “releasing, solution”)
* λῡσῐτελέω (lūsĭteléō, “to solve expenses, to profit”)
* λῡσῐτελής (lūsĭtelḗs, “solving expenses, profitable”)
* and see λῡσῐ- (lūsĭ-)
From stem λῠτ
* ἄλῠτος (álŭtos, “not to be loosed”)
* λῠ́ται m pl (lŭ́tai)
* Λῠταῖος (Lŭtaîos, “title of Poseidon”)
* λῠ́τειρα (lŭ́teira, “feminine of λυτήρ”)
* λῠτέον n (lŭtéon, “one must refute”)
* λῠτέος (lŭtéos, “one must solve”)
* λῠτήρ m (lŭtḗr, “one who looses, deliverer”)
* λῠτηριάς f (lŭtēriás, “λύτειρα”)
* λῠτήριος (lŭtḗrios, “loosing, delivering”)
* λῠτῐκός (lŭtĭkós, “able to loose, laxative”)
* λῠτός (lŭtós, “that may be untied”)
* λῠ́τρον n (lŭ́tron, “price of release”)
* λῠτρόω (lŭtróō, “release/hold to ransom”) and its derivatives
* λῠ́τωρ (lŭ́tōr, “λυτήρ”)
Also
* λῦμα n (lûma, “2nd meaning: pledge, security”)
Compounds with λῡ́ω (and see their Derived terms):
* ᾰ̓νᾰλῡ́ω (ănălū́ō, “to unsettle, unloose”), ἀλλῡ́ω
* ἀντᾰνᾰλῡ́ω (antănălū́ō, “to counteract”)
* ᾰ̓ποδῐᾰλῡ́ω (ăpodĭălū́ō, “to dissipate”)
* ᾰ̓πολῡ́ω (ăpolū́ō, “to loose from”)
* δῐᾰλῡ́ω (dĭălū́ō, “to loose”)
* ἐκλῡ́ω (eklū́ō, “to set free”)
* ἐνᾰπολῡ́ω (enăpolū́ō, “to acquit”)
* ἐνδῐᾰλῡ́ω (endĭălū́ō, “to loosen, disperse”)
* ἐξᾰνᾰλῡ́ω (exănălū́ō, “to set free”)
* ἐπᾰνᾰλῡ́ω (epănălū́ō, “to return”)
* ἐπᾰπολῡ́ω (epăpolū́ō, “to discharge against”)
* ἐπῐδῐᾰλῡ́ω (epĭdĭălū́ō, “to come as a relief to”)
* ἐπικᾰτᾰλῡ́ω (epikătălū́ō, “to reduce yet further”)
* ἐπῐλῡ́ω (epĭlū́ō, “to loose, untie”)
* κᾰτᾰλῡ́ω (kătălū́ō, “to destroy”)
* πᾰρᾰλῡ́ω (părălū́ō, “to detach, weaken”)
* περῐλῡ́ω (perĭlū́ō, “to loosen about”)
* προᾰπολῡ́ω (proăpolū́ō, “to dismiss before”)
* προδῐᾰλῡ́ω (prodĭălū́ō, “to dissolve”)
* προεπῐλῡ́ω (proepĭlū́ō, “to solve previously”)
* προκᾰτᾰλῡ́ω (prokătălū́ō, “to break up, annul beforehand”)
* προλῡ́ω (prolū́ō, “to undo, refute before”)
* προσᾰνᾰλῡ́ω (prosănălū́ō, “to break up as well”)
* προσᾰπολῡ́ω (prosăpolū́ō, “to free besides”)
* προσδῐᾰλῡ́ω (prosdĭălū́ō, “to relax further”)
* προσκᾰτᾰλῡ́ω (proskătălū́ō, “to undo”)
* προϋπεκλῡ́ω (proüpeklū́ō, “to loosen”)
* συγκᾰτᾰλῡ́ω (sunkătălū́ō, “to help in undoing”)
* συλλῡ́ω (sullū́ō, “to help in loosing, solve difficulties”)
* συμπεριλῡ́ω (sumperilū́ō, “to release”)
* σῠνᾰνᾰλῡ́ω (sŭnănălū́ō, “to remit”)
* σῠνᾰπολῡ́ω (sŭnăpolū́ō, “to release together”)
* σῠνδῐᾰλῡ́ω (sŭndĭălū́ō, “to help in putting an end to”)
* σῠνεκλῡ́ω (sŭneklū́ō, “to help to relax, enfeeble”)
* ῠ̔πεκλῡ́ω (hŭpeklū́ō, “to loosen”)
* ῠ̔πεκπρολῡ́ω (hŭpekprolū́ō, “to loose from under”)
* ῠ̔πολῡ́ω (hŭpolū́ō, “to loosen beneath”)

#### Descendants

* → English: lyo-, ly-
* Greek: λύνω (lýno)
* → Greek: λύω (lýo)

#### See also

* ῥήγνυμι (rhḗgnumi)

### References

* ↑ Beekes, Robert S. P. (2010) “λύω”, in Etymological Dictionary of Greek (Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series; 10), with the assistance of Lucien van Beek, Leiden, Boston: Brill, →ISBN, pages 881-2

### Further reading

* “λύω”, in Liddell & Scott (1940) A Greek–English Lexicon, Oxford: Clarendon Press
* “λύω”, in Liddell & Scott (1889) An Intermediate Greek–English Lexicon, New York: Harper & Brothers
* “λύω”, in Autenrieth, Georg (1891) A Homeric Dictionary for Schools and Colleges, New York: Harper and Brothers
* λύω in Bailly, Anatole (1935) Le Grand Bailly: Dictionnaire grec-français, Paris: Hachette
* λύω in Cunliffe, Richard J. (1924) A Lexicon of the Homeric Dialect: Expanded Edition, Norman: University of Oklahoma Press, published 1963
* “λύω”, in Slater, William J. (1969) Lexicon to Pindar, Berlin: Walter de Gruyter
* G3089 in Strong, James (1979) Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance to the Bible
* James Diggle et al., editors (2021), Cambridge Greek Lexicon, Cambridge University Press, →ISBN, page 30

## Greek
### Alternative forms

* λύνω (lýno) (common, standard)

### Etymology

Learned borrowing from Ancient Greek λῡ́ω (lū́ō). Also see λύνω (lýno).

### Pronunciation

* IPA: /ˈli.o/
* Hyphenation: λύ‧ω

### Verb

λύω • (lýo) (past έλυσα, passive λύομαι) (formal)
* to terminate, adjourn, end (especially in passive form)
    λύεται η συνεδρίαση ― lýetai i synedríasi ― (especially of court) the session is adjourned
    λύεται η σύμβαση ― lýetai i sýmvasi ― the contract is terminated
* to dismantle, disassemble → see participle λυόμενος

#### Derived terms

* δεσμείν και λύειν (desmeín kai lýein) (polytonic script: δεσμεῖν καί λύειν)

#### Related terms

* άλυτος (álytos)
* αλύτρωτος (alýtrotos)
* λελυμένος (lelyménos, “solved”, participle) (formal, archaic)
* λυσάρι n (lysári)
* λύσατε (lýsate) (imperative)
* λύση f (lýsi, “solution”)
* λύσιμο n (lýsimo)
* λυσιτελής (lysitelís)
* λυσιτελώ (lysiteló)
* λυόμενο n (lyómeno, “prefabricated house”)
* λυόμενος (lyómenos, “dismantled, unbound”, participle)
* λύτης (lýtis, “one who solves”)
* λύτρα n pl (lýtra, “ransom”)
* λύτρωση f (lýtrosi)
* λυτρώνω (lytróno)
Compounds of the ancient λύω (and see their Derivatives):
* αναλύω (analýo, “analyse”)
* απολύω (apolýo, “discharge, sack”)
* διαλύω (dialýo, “dissolve”)
* εκλύω (eklýo)
* εξαπολύω (exapolýo)
* επιλύω (epilýo)
* καταλύω (katalýo, “abolish; stay, find lodgement”)
* παραλύω (paralýo, “paralyse”)