The verb αιρω (airo) means to lift up and carry along or away — hence our English word "air", which is a bit of a mismatch. Our verb usually implies taking control over and removal of that which is lifted up. It may also describe the directing of one's attention (to lift one's eyes) or expression (to raise one's voice).

Our verb is a contracted form of the more common αειρω (aeiro), and stems from the Proto-Indo-European root "hwer-", to raise. Its similarity to the verb αρω (aro), to join, and the noun αηρ (aer), air, is curiously accidental, as these words are not immediately related.

Our verb αιρω (airo) is used 102 times, see full concordance, and from it derive:

The noun αρτεμων (artemon) describes something to do with the sails of a sailing vessel (Acts 27:40 only). It's extremely rare in the Greek classics, and occurs sporadically in Latin as the transliterated term artemon. Our word is commonly interpreted to mean "top sail", the smaller sail above the main sail, but that may not be correct.

In his De Architectura, Vitruvius contemplates how the mechanisms of nature (stars, planets, plants that turn toward the sun) were translated into mechanisms to service humans, producing oils, fruit-products and sawmills and instruments of transportation such as carts and ships and finally sacred and public buildings. He discusses building cranes with pullies and ropes, and some special and complicated elevator that only experts can work, having several moving levers and pullies and multiple nets for loads. Ultimately, at the root of the machine sits a crucial central pully with three disks, through which ropes loop, with which operators can steer and lift the goods up to the level where they are needed. That central pully, says Vitruvius, is called artemon in Latin and επαγοντα (epagonta) in Greek (Arch.10.2.9).

The noun επαγοντα (epagonta) comes from the verb επαγω (epago), to lead or bring on, over or upon. This verb combines the preposition επι (epi), meaning on or upon and the very common verb αγω (ago), to guide or lead and thus to bring, carry and so on. It occurs in the New Testament in Acts 5:28, 2 Peter 2:1 and 2:5, and is very common in the classics. Aristotle used it to mean "to teach or convince by induction" and most other writers used it in the sense of to bring something or someone upon some other thing or people (like allies into one's city, or an army onto one's enemy).

Nevertheless, etymologically, our noun αρτεμων (artemon) derives from the verb αιρω (airo) means to lift up and carry along (see above). But it seems to not refer to a top sail but rather to a means of steering or even hoisting sails: a halyard (i.e. a rope to haul with), or perhaps a sheet, which is a rope attached to the edge of the main sail, in order to pull it against the wind so as to help steer the ship. Our word in Acts 27:40 appears to refer to the ship's mainsheet, that is the sheet attached to the main sail.

Figuratively (if the reader feels this applies here), our word may hint toward something like the informed attempt of learned civilians to direct the imperial government by means of the howling spirit of popular sentiment — see our articles on ναυς (naus), meaning ship, and ανεμος (anemos), meaning wind, and also note the similarity between our noun and the noun αρτος (artos), meaning bread, and the adverb αρτι (arti), meaning exactly right; both from the Proto-Indo-European root "her-" meaning to join. Also note the name Artemis.