# κωλύω
## Ancient Greek
### Etymology

Possibly a Pre-Greek word; see also Semitic: Akkadian 𒄢 (kalû /⁠GUL⁠/, “to detain, delay, hold back [a person], to keep in custody, in confinement, to distrain, to prevent, to hinder”) Biblical Hebrew כֶּלֶא (kéle, “prison, jail”), Aramaic כלא (kəlāʾ, “to hinder, to restrain, to forbid”), Classical Syriac ܟ݁ܳܠܶܐ (kale, “hinder, forbid, restrain”) and Arabic كَلَأَ (kalaʔa, “to guard, to protect, to stop, to keep from access”).

### Pronunciation

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

### Verb

κωλῡ́ω • (kōlū́ō)
* (with accusative of person and infinitive) to hinder, prevent someone from doing something

#### Usage notes

The other verbs of preventing usually take μή (mḗ) before the infinitive, but this is not the case with κωλύω (kōlúō).

#### Derived terms

* ἀντικωλύω (antikōlúō)
* ἀποκωλύω (apokōlúō)
* διακωλύω (diakōlúō)
* ἐγκωλύω (enkōlúō)
* ἐπικωλύω (epikōlúō)
* κατακωλύω (katakōlúō)
* κώλυμα (kṓluma)
* κωλύμη (kōlúmē)
* κώλυσις (kṓlusis)
* κωλυτέον (kōlutéon)
* κωλυτήρ (kōlutḗr)
* κωλυτήριος (kōlutḗrios)
* κωλυτής (kōlutḗs)
* κωλυτικός (kōlutikós)
* κωλυτός (kōlutós)
* συγκωλύω (sunkōlúō)

#### References

* “κωλύω”, in Liddell & Scott (1940) A Greek–English Lexicon, Oxford: Clarendon Press
* “κωλύω”, in Liddell & Scott (1889) An Intermediate Greek–English Lexicon, New York: Harper & Brothers
* κωλύω in Bailly, Anatole (1935) Le Grand Bailly: Dictionnaire grec-français, Paris: Hachette
* “κωλύω”, in Slater, William J. (1969) Lexicon to Pindar, Berlin: Walter de Gruyter
* G2967 in Strong, James (1979) Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance to the Bible

## Greek
### Etymology

From Ancient Greek κωλύω of unknown etymon. Possibly related to the ancient κολούω (koloúō, “curtail, cut short”) or to *κῶλ-ος ("peg").

### Pronunciation

* IPA: /koˈli.o/
* Hyphenation: κω‧λύ‧ω

### Verb

κωλύω • (kolýo) (past κώλυσα, passive κωλύομαι) found chiefly in the present and imperfect tenses
* to prevent by putting an obstacle, hinder, preclude
    (usually in the passive) I am unable to
    Κωλύομαι, δεν μπορώ να σου πω τι συνέβη. Του υποσχέθηκα ότι θα το κρατήσω μυστικό.Kolýomai, den boró na sou po ti synévi. Tou yposchéthika óti tha to kratíso mystikó.I am hindered, I cannot tell you what happened. I promised him I will keep it a secret.
* perfective tenses: for legal expressions
    Η διάταξη αυτή κωλύει την εφαρμογή της εθνικής ρυθμίσεως.I diátaxi aftí kolýei tin efarmogí tis ethnikís rythmíseos.That rule precludes the application of national legislation. (eur‑lex, 1993)
    Kωλύθηκε για λόγους υγείας. ― Kolýthike gia lógous ygeías. ― s/he was prevented because of health (problems) (Government Gazette 180/2015)

#### Usage notes

Past tenses: active κώλυσα and passive κωλύθηκα are mostly found in the compound and synonym παρακωλύω, in legal expressions and in old texts.
* Very frequent misspellings of κόλλησα (kóllisa) and κολλήθηκα (kollíthika) of verb κολλάω, κολλώ (kolláo, kolló, “glue, stick”).
    Το αυτοκίνητο κόλλησε στη λάσπη. ― To aftokínito kóllise sti láspi. ― The car stuck in the mud.
    Η αφίσα κολλήθηκε στον τοίχο. ― I afísa kollíthike ston toícho. ― The poster was stuck on the wall.

#### Synonyms

* εμποδίζω (empodízo)
* παρακωλύω (parakolýo)
* παρεμποδίζω (parempodízo)

#### Related terms

* ακώλυτος (akólytos, “unhindered”)
* απαρακώλυτος (aparakólytos, “unhindered”)
* κώλυμα n (kólyma, “hindrance”)
* κωλυόμενος (kolyómenos, “being hindered”, participle)
* κωλυσιεργία f (kolysiergía)
* κωλυσιεργώ (kolysiergó, “prevent by prolonging”)
* παρακώλυση f (parakólysi, “hindrance”)
* παρακωλύω (parakolýo, “hinder”)

### References

* ↑ κωλύω - Babiniotis, Georgios (2010) Ετυμολογικό λεξικό της νέας ελληνικής γλώσσας Etymologikó lexikó tis néas ellinikís glóssas [Etymological Dictionary of Modern Greek language] (in Greek), Athens: Lexicology Centre