κτάομαι

Forms

κτᾰ́ομαι (ktáomai) ^[1] Future κτήσομαι (ktḗsomai), aorist ἐκτησάμην (ektēsámēn), perfect κέκτημαι (kéktēmai) and ἔκτημαι (éktēmai), future perfect κεκτήσομαι (kektḗsomai), passive aorist ἐκτήθην (ektḗthēn).^[2][3] Ionic κτέομαι (ktéomai) only as a variant reading in Herodotus.^[3]

Etymology

In Beekes's view it is probably inherited from Proto-Indo-European *tkeh₁- (“to rule, gain, acquire”), comparing the Indo-Iranian present Avestan xšaiieiti (“rules, has power”) and its Sanskrit counterpart, which fits well in meaning.^[4] All the Greek forms have ⟨κτη-⟩ except the present itself, which is rather rare and late, and their ⟨η⟩ confirms a root ending in *h₁.^[4] Since the two presents do not match well in formation, LIV gives up this etymology and derives the verb from a noun *tk-eh₂- (“possessions”).^[4] Wiktionary likewise starts from *tk-éh₁- (“acquisition”), of *tek- (“to take by the hand; to receive, obtain”).^[1] Pokorny set up a root *kþē(i)- (“to acquire, possess”).^[5]

Beekes also assumes an old heteroclitic noun, Proto-Greek *ktē-war, behind κτέαρ (ktéar) and κτέανα (ktéana, “possessions”).^[4]

Earliest recorded meaning

In Homer it means to acquire or win, and in the perfect to possess: the Iliad speaks of the possessions that Peleus acquired, and the Odyssey of slaves acquired by Odysseus.^[6][2][4]

Semantic evolution

From the tragedians and Thucydides on it is used of gaining things that are not material, such as power, skill or goodwill, and of gaining persons: a wife, friends, allies, children by a woman.^[2][3] Sophocles uses it of bringing death or a goddess's anger on oneself.^[3] Demosthenes says that “it often seems harder to keep good things than to acquire them” (τὸ φυλάξαι τἀγαθὰ τοῦ κτήσασθαι χαλεπώτερον).^[3] In comedy and Plato the participle means an owner or master of slaves.^[2]

In the New Testament it means to procure or get, of gold for one's belt or the gift of God bought with money, and “all I get” is a man's income.^[7] Coptic borrowed it; its earliest dated manuscript is of 625.^[8] Medieval Greek kept κτώμαι (któmai), with the Pontic form χτήσκουμαι.^[9] Modern Greek uses the compound αποκτώ (apoktó, “to acquire”), an active form of the ancient ἀποκτάομαι (apoktáomai).^[10][11]

Timeline

• Homer – The Iliad and the Odyssey use it for acquiring possessions and slaves.^[6][3]
• 7th century BC – Archilochus has the future κτήσομαι (ktḗsomai).^[3][12]
• 5th century BC – Sophocles uses it for bringing death or anger on oneself, and Thucydides for winning goodwill and allies.^[3][2][12]
• 4th century BC – Demosthenes contrasts acquiring good things with keeping them.^[3][12]
• 1st century AD – The New Testament uses it for procuring and for one's income.^[7]
• 7th century AD – A Coptic manuscript of 625 has it as a loanword.^[8]
• Modern Greek – The compound αποκτώ (apoktó) means to acquire.^[10][11]

Meanings

Verb

1. To acquire, get or gain material things: land, money, slaves, and in the perfect to possess.^[2][3] The perfect participle as a noun: an owner or master.^[2][3]
2. To acquire things that are not material: power, skill, goodwill, gratitude.^[2][3]
3. To gain persons: a wife, friends, allies; to have children by a woman.^[2][3]
4. To bring on oneself, incur: death, anger, hatred.^[3]
5. To procure for another.^[3]

Word family

• ἀνακτάομαι (anaktáomai)
• ἐγκτάομαι (enktáomai)
• ἐπικτάομαι (epiktáomai)
• κατακτάομαι (kataktáomai)
• κτῆμα (ktêma)
• κτηματικός (ktēmatikós)
• κτήσιος (ktḗsios)
• κτῆσις (ktêsis)
• κτητέος (ktētéos)
• κτητικός (ktētikós)
• κτητός (ktētós)
• κτήτωρ (ktḗtōr)
• προσκτάομαι (prosktáomai)

References

1. ^ a b c d e Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d e f g h i Diggle, James, et al., eds. (2021), The Cambridge Greek Lexicon, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press
3. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o Liddell, Henry George; Scott, Robert; Jones, Henry Stuart (1940), A Greek-English Lexicon, 9th ed., Oxford: Clarendon Press
4. ^ a b c d e 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. ^ Pokorny, Julius (1959), Indogermanisches etymologisches Wörterbuch, Bern; Munich: Francke
6. ^ a b Cunliffe, Richard John (1924), A Lexicon of the Homeric Dialect, London: Blackie and Son
7. ^ a b 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
8. ^ a b Database and Dictionary of Greek Loanwords in Coptic (DDGLC), Freie Universität Berlin and Universität Leipzig
9. ^ Kriaras, Emmanuel, Επιτομή του Λεξικού της μεσαιωνικής ελληνικής δημώδους γραμματείας 1100–1669, Κέντρο Ελληνικής Γλώσσας, https://www.greek-language.gr
10. ^ a b Ινστιτούτο Νεοελληνικών Σπουδών (Ίδρυμα Μανόλη Τριανταφυλλίδη) (1998), Λεξικό της κοινής νεοελληνικής, Thessaloniki: Aristotle University of Thessaloniki
11. ^ a b Babiniotis, Georgios (2010), Ετυμολογικό λεξικό της νέας ελληνικής γλώσσας [Etymological Dictionary of Modern Greek], Athens: Κέντρο Λεξικολογίας
12. ^ a b c Rodríguez Adrados, Francisco, et al., eds. (1980–), Diccionario Griego-Español, Madrid: CSIC, http://dge.cchs.csic.es/xdge