Postclassical 'shame': ἐντρέπομαι and ἐντροπή

This paper traces the semantic development of the complement-taking verb ἐντρέπομαι ‘turn in’, ‘turn towards’, ‘feel regard for’, ‘feel shame’ from Homeric Greek to Postclassical Greek, analyzing it as an example of subjectification according to the corresponding Traugott's theory. Emphasis is placed on the intransitive use of the verb as attested in Polybius, especially where it is possible to detect a correlation in meaning between ‘afterthought’ and ‘shame’, causing interpretation to be difficult at times (e.g., in Polyb. 7.12.9). Similarly, it came to light that at least two main meanings can be isolated for ἐντροπή: ‘regard’, ‘honour’ (a), developed from the transitive pattern, and ‘shame’ (b), developed from the intransitive pattern. Additionally, the paper provides evidence that the use of the verb ἐντρέ- πομαι and its co-radicals can be traceable to the progressive decline of the ancient and poetic αἰδώς.