The verb δαμαζω (damazo) means to overpower in the sense of bringing someone or some animal into the common fold. It stems from the same Proto-Indo-European root "demh-", to tame, as the familiar Latin verb domo, to tame, from which English gets words like domesticate and domicile. Also note the striking resemblance with the important Hebrew root דמם (damam), to be still; hence words like דמות (demut), meaning "still" image or likeness (as in "according to our likeness"; Genesis 1:26), דם (dam), blood, hence אדם ('adom), red, אדמה ('adama), arable soil, and of course אדם ('adam), meaning man, whose first order of business was to name the animals (Genesis 2:19-20). For more Greek words that look suspiciously similar to Hebrew ones, see our article on the many Hebrew roots of Greek.

Our verb δαμαζω (damazo) is used in the classics to describe the breaking of animals such as horses, but also of maidens, who were evidently thought of as naturally feral but destined to be domesticated (the unused noun δαμαρ, damar, means wife or spouse; see συζευγνυμι, suzeugnumi, to yoke together, to marry). Metallurgy was also described by this verb (see our article on χαλκος, chalkos, copper, for a closer look at metals in the Bible). Our English verb to tame ultimately came from this Greek verb, and it's closely similar to the familiar Latin word domus, hence our English verb to domesticate and the noun dame.

The Hebrew equivalent of our verb is כנע (kana'), hence the name Canaan, which speaks of the synchronization of many elements into a larger, unified whole, which is the basis of all speech, all intelligence and all society. We moderns may sometimes romanticize the wilderness, but that's because we have Gore-Tex and GPS and canned food, science, medical facilities, laws that keep us from getting robbed, and either the absence of or else carefully managed wild animals. For actual pre-civilized humans, the wilderness was something they couldn't wait to get out of.

Fortunately for all of us, some pre-civilized humans actually didn't wait but investigated, invented and engineered, until mankind had cities and food galore, information technology and arts to inspire, and the grateful masses lavished the engineers will all the honor and funding they desired. Freedom only actually feels like freedom when it is governed, guarded and guaranteed by law — and read for more on this our riveting article on ελευθερια (eleutheria), meaning freedom-by-law.

Our verb δαμαζω (damazo), to tame and so give freedom, is used 4 times; see full concordance. From it comes:

Obviously from the same root as the above, the verb δεμω (demo) means to build, mostly of houses but also of other buildings. On rare occasions this verb is used in the sense of preparing an outfit for a journey.

In the classics, the act of building has a strong social connotation. The Greek patron of cities was Athena, who was also revered as an embodiment of wisdom (specifically peace-keeping wisdom). The Hebrew verb for to build is בנה (bana), which closely resembles the noun בן (ben), meaning son. The noun אב (ab) means father and אבן ('eben) means stone. From the word for son comes the word for daughter, namely בת (bat), which resembles the noun בית (bayit), meaning house or temple.

Our verb δεμω (demo), to build, is not used in the New Testament but from it derive: