εἶδον

Forms

εἶδον (eîdon) ^[1] Second aorist, used as the aorist of ὁράω (horáō): infinitive ἰδεῖν (ideîn), participle ἰδών (idṓn), subjunctive ἴδω (ídō), imperative ἴδε (íde), Attic ἰδέ (idé); Epic unaugmented ἴδον (ídon), iterative ἴδεσκον (ídeskon); middle εἰδόμην (eidómēn), Epic ἰδόμην (idómēn), mostly in verse.^[2][3] Koine also has mixed forms with first-aorist endings, such as εἶδα (eîda) and εἴδαμεν (eídamen), and the spelling ἴδον (ídon), often as variants in the New Testament manuscripts.^[3]

Etymology

It is inherited from Proto-Indo-European *h₁é-wid-et,^[4] an old thematic root aorist of Proto-Indo-European *weyd- (“to see, catch sight of”).^[4][5][1] The augment ⟨ἐ-⟩ contracted with the following syllable after the loss of the digamma: ἔϝιδον (éwidon) became εἶδον.^[6][7] Formally it is identical with Old Armenian եգիտ (egit, “he found”) and Sanskrit अविदत् (ávidat, “he found”).^[4][5] Latin videō (“to see”) is a cognate.^[4][7]

The root had no present of this kind in Greek: the present was supplied by ὁράω (horáō), and the perfect of the same root, οἶδα (oîda), means “I know”.^[4][7][2] The middle present εἴδομαι (eídomai, “to appear, seem”) and the noun εἶδος (eîdos, “appearance, form”) belong to the same root.^[4]

Earliest recorded meaning

It is found from Homer on, meaning to see or behold something with the eyes, to look at it, or to examine it.^[2][7] Homer already has the infinitive after a noun, as in θαῦμα ἰδέσθαι “a marvel to behold”.^[7]

Semantic evolution

From seeing with the eyes the verb moved to experiencing (to “see” one's homecoming or one's slavery) and to meeting someone; in Aeschylus it also means to have an eye to gain.^[2] The imperative ἴδε, Attic ἰδέ, became an exclamation, “look!”, even when said to several people (Sophocles, Euripides, Theocritus, the New Testament); the middle imperative gave the interjection ἰδού (idoú).^[2]

In Koine the aorist took the endings of the first aorist, as in εἶδα, and such forms are frequent among the manuscript readings of the New Testament.^[3] Medieval Greek kept είδα (eída), refashioned after the other aorists in -α such as έγραψα (égrapsa).^[8] In Modern Greek είδα (eída) is the aorist of βλέπω (vlépo, “to see”), with the imperative δες (des).^[8][1]

Timeline

• Homer – The Iliad uses it for seeing, looking at and examining.^[2][7]
• 6th–5th century BC – Aeschylus uses it for having an eye to gain.^[2][9]
• 5th century BC – Sophocles and Euripides use the imperative as an exclamation, “look!”.^[2][9]
• 1st century AD – The New Testament manuscripts often have mixed forms such as εἶδα and εἴδαμεν.^[3]
• Medieval Greek – It becomes είδα (eída), with the ending of the aorists in -α.^[8]
• Modern Greek – είδα (eída) serves as the aorist of βλέπω (vlépo).^[8]

Meanings

Verb

1. To see, perceive with the eye.^[2][1]
2. To look at, observe; to look in a direction.^[2]
3. To examine, investigate; to see whether or what something is.^[2][1]
4. To see in the sense of experiencing: to see people or places, a benefit, the day of one's return.^[2]
5. To meet with someone, to see and speak with them.^[2][1]
6. To have an eye to, look out for (gain).^[2]
7. (imperative) ἴδε, ἰδέ: see!, look!^[2]

Related words

• οἶδα (oîda)
• ὁράω (horáō)
• εἴδομαι (eídomai)
• εἶδος (eîdos)
• ἰδέα (idéa)
• Latin videō

References

1. ^ a b c d e f g h i Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o Diggle, James, et al., eds. (2021), The Cambridge Greek Lexicon, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press
3. ^ a b c d Bauer, Walter; Danker, Frederick W., et al. (2000), A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament and Other Early Christian Literature, 3rd ed., Chicago: University of Chicago Press
4. ^ a b c d e f Beekes, Robert S. P. (2010), Etymological Dictionary of Greek, with the assistance of Lucien van Beek, Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series 10, Leiden; Boston: Brill
5. ^ a b Rix, Helmut, et al. (2001), Lexikon der indogermanischen Verben, 2nd ed., Wiesbaden: Reichert
6. ^ Pokorny, Julius (1959), Indogermanisches etymologisches Wörterbuch, Bern; Munich: Francke
7. ^ a b c d e f Liddell, Henry George; Scott, Robert (1889), An Intermediate Greek-English Lexicon, Oxford: Clarendon Press
8. ^ a b c d Ινστιτούτο Νεοελληνικών Σπουδών (Ίδρυμα Μανόλη Τριανταφυλλίδη) (1998), Λεξικό της κοινής νεοελληνικής, Thessaloniki: Aristotle University of Thessaloniki
9. ^ a b Rodríguez Adrados, Francisco, et al., eds. (1980–), Diccionario Griego-Español, Madrid: CSIC, http://dge.cchs.csic.es/xdge