διοικέω

Forms

δῐοικέω (dioikéō) ^[1]

Etymology

It is formed from Ancient Greek δια- (dia-) + οἰκέω (oikéō, “to inhabit, to manage a house”),^[1][2] the verb being from Ancient Greek οἶκος (oîkos, “house, household”).^[2] Babiniotis gives its first meaning as “to take care of one's household”, and notes that already in antiquity it had the general sense “to govern, direct”.^[2]

Earliest recorded meaning

Its earliest record is a fragment of Aeschylus, where it means to order the way of life of all Greece and its allies.^[3][2]

Semantic evolution

From Thucydides on it is the usual verb for governing a city and administering its affairs, its money and its offices.^[3][4] Plato speaks of managing houses and cities, and of the soul that governs the heavens.^[3][4][5] Aristotle uses it of holding power, and Demosthenes of running a bank and of looking after a sister.^[4][3] Menander uses it of supporting one's family.^[4][3] The middle meant to arrange things to one's own advantage.^[4] Papyri of the 2nd century BC use it for the management of land, and Diogenes Laertius uses it figuratively for digesting food.^[3]

Christian writers used it for governing a church, a bishopric or a monastery.^[3] Modern Greek διοικώ (dioikó) is learned: to administer a public body or a company, or to command a military unit.^[6][2]

Timeline

• 6th–5th century BC – A fragment of Aeschylus uses it for ordering the life of Greece.^[3][2]
• 5th century BC – Thucydides uses it for governing a city.^[3][5]
• 4th century BC – Demosthenes uses it for managing a bank and looking after a person.^[4][3]
• 4th–3rd century BC – Menander uses it for supporting a family.^[3]
• 2nd century BC – Papyri use it for administering land.^[3]
• 3rd century AD – Diogenes Laertius uses it figuratively for digesting food.^[3]
• Modern Greek – The learned verb means to administer or to command.^[6]

Meanings

Verb

1. To manage, administer, govern (a city, its affairs, money, an office); (intransitive) to hold power.^[4][3][5]
2. To organize, regulate (one's life or affairs); (passive) to be ruled, as by nature and the laws.^[3][4]
3. To look after, support (a person or a family).^[4][3]
4. (middle) To arrange to one's own advantage; to achieve, procure.^[4]
5. (passive) To be provided, of what is needed for a festival.^[3]
6. (figurative) To digest (food).^[3]
7. (Christian) To govern (a church, a bishopric, a monastery).^[3]

Word family

• διοίκησις (dioíkēsis)
• διοικητής (dioikētḗs)

Related words

• οἰκέω (oikéō)
• οἶκος (oîkos)

References

1. ^ a b c d e Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d e f Babiniotis, Georgios (2010), Ετυμολογικό λεξικό της νέας ελληνικής γλώσσας [Etymological Dictionary of Modern Greek], Athens: Κέντρο Λεξικολογίας
3. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s Rodríguez Adrados, Francisco, et al., eds. (1980–), Diccionario Griego-Español, Madrid: CSIC, http://dge.cchs.csic.es/xdge
4. ^ a b c d e f g h i j Diggle, James, et al., eds. (2021), The Cambridge Greek Lexicon, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press
5. ^ a b c Liddell, Henry George; Scott, Robert; Jones, Henry Stuart (1940), A Greek-English Lexicon, 9th ed., Oxford: Clarendon Press
6. ^ a b Ινστιτούτο Νεοελληνικών Σπουδών (Ίδρυμα Μανόλη Τριανταφυλλίδη) (1998), Λεξικό της κοινής νεοελληνικής, Thessaloniki: Aristotle University of Thessaloniki