# οι μόρτες



## Ben Jamin

Hello again,
I would like to ask the meaning of "*μόρτες"*.
I have tried different dictionaries, and the translations are very unclear. The origin of the word has been explained as coming from a name for people that were immune to the pest disease, but what the word can mean in this context?:
*Στις μισάνοιχτες τις πόρτες
στις παλιές ανηφοριές
τραγουδούν τα βράδια οι μόρτες            
κάποιες τους παλικαριές*

And what is the connection between* μόρτες  *and* παλικαριές*? Are they the same group of persons?


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## apmoy70

Hi Ben Jamin, there's an older thread discussing μόρτης, here.

PS: Glad you're interested in rembetika


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## Ben Jamin

apmoy70 said:


> Hi Ben Jamin, there's an older thread discussing μόρτης, here.
> 
> PS: Glad you're interested in rembetika


Thanks for the thread, but it is about etymology of the word, while I'm interested what the word means in the given context. 
Are they "brave men" (something similar to παλικαρι)? But why mentioning παλικαρι in the same sentence then?


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## velisarius

Are you having trouble parsing it? 
*
τα βράδια, οι μόρτες τραγουδούν κάποιες παλικαριές τους*

In the evening, these guys sing about some of their brave deeds.


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## apmoy70

Μόρτης is spiv. Παλικαριά is almost always used with irony when related to μόρτης.


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## jcot05

Hi Ben Jamin,

I think you mistook τις παλικαριές for τα παλικάρια.
Here it's indeed the first one that is used (as translated by velisarius) : παλικαριά - Ελληνοαγγλικό Λεξικό WordReference.com


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## Ben Jamin

apmoy70 said:


> Μόρτης is spiv. Παλικαριά is almost always used with irony when related to μόρτης.


I found the Word "spiv" in a dictionary. Never heard or seen it before. I am surprised that somebody writes a song about such negatively connotated people. Do *οι μόρτες* have any romantic about them?


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## apmoy70

Ben Jamin said:


> I found the Word "spiv" in a dictionary. Never heard or seen it before. I am surprised that somebody writes a song about such negatively connotated people. Do *οι μόρτες* have any romantic about them?


It's true that μόρτης is the petty criminal with many negatives, yet in rembetika the composer usually extolls his sharp-wittedness, straightforwardness, and especially his relation to the ladies.
It's the general attitude towards life of the μόρτης that's praised, the μόρτης *«ξηγιέται μόρτικα κι αλανιάρικα*»* (sic) [k͡siˈʝe.te ˈmɔr.ti.ka ca.laˈɲa.ɾi.ka] --> _(he) behaves straightforwardly and cheeky_.

***Αdv. *«αλανιάρικα»* [a.laˈɲa.ɾi.ka] --> _mannerisms_ _of the «αλάνα»_ i.e. _the street_ therefore *«αλανιάρης»* [a.laˈɲa.ɾis] (adj. masc.) is _the person who lives, or spends most of his time, in the streets_ < Ottoman Turkish علن‎ (alen) < Ar. عَلَن‎ (ʿalan), _public_.

Note that all the aforementioned words and meanings are early 20th c. slang and largely obsolete nowadays.


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