Ancient Greek

Noun

πώλης • ‎(pṓlēs) m ‎(genitive πώλου); first declension

1. a seller, a dealer
   • 424 BCE, Aristophanes, The Knights 131

     εἷς οὑτοσὶ πώλης. τί τοὐντεῦθεν; λέγε.

   • 424 BCE, Aristophanes, The Knights 133

     δύο τώδε πώλα. καὶ τί τόνδε χρὴ παθεῖν;

   • 424 BCE, Aristophanes, The Knights 139–140

     οἴμοι δείλαιος. // πόθεν οὖν ἂν ἔτι γένοιτο πώλης εἶς μόνος;

Usage notes

• This agent noun occurs almost exclusively in compounds. It is only attested in independent existence in lines 131–140 of Aristophanes’ Knights, where it is used comically, as the last part of an intended compound.

Declension

Synonyms

• (seller, dealer): πρᾱτήρ ‎(prātḗr)

Derived terms

• βῐβλῐοπώλης ‎(bibliopṓlēs)

Descendants

• Greek: -πώλης ‎(-pólis)

References

• πώλης in Liddell & Scott (1940) A Greek–English Lexicon, Oxford: Clarendon Press
• πώλης in Liddell & Scott (1889) An Intermediate Greek–English Lexicon, New York: Harper & Brothers
• Woodhouse, S. C. (1910) English-Greek Dictionary: A Vocabulary of the Attic Language, London: Routledge & Kegan Paul Limited.
  • monger idem, page 539.
  • seller idem, page 751.