Ἀργαλέον φρονέοντα παρ' ἄφροσι πόλλ' ἀγορεύειν

A saying of Euripides in Bacchae.¹
Also [sc. attested is] a)rgale/on ["painful"], [meaning] difficult.² It is said from a)/lgos ["pain"], a)lgale/on with a change of lambda into rho.³
Something difficult was called "work" [e)/rgon] by the ancients. From this derives e)rgale/on, and by an alteration [it became a)rgale/on]; just as a)pu/w ["I call upon"] from e)/pw ["I say"], [meaning] I speak. Then a)rgale/on [comes to mean] troublesome, difficult.⁴
Also [sc. attested is] a)rgale/ws ["painfully"], the adverb.⁵ And a)rgalew/teron ["more/rather painful"].⁶