νήφω

Forms

νήφω (nḗphō) ^[1] Doric νάφω, which Weiss, as Beekes reports, considers a hyperdorism.^[2][3]

Etymology

It is a back-formation from Ancient Greek νήφων (nḗphōn, “sober”), whose stem ⟨νηφον-⟩ (not ⟨*νηφοντ-⟩) shows that it was not originally a present participle.^[1][2][4] Following Frisk and Weiss, Beekes and Chantraine take the nominal forms as primary and the rare present as a denominative.^[2][4] Weiss reconstructs Proto-Indo-European *n̥-h₁gʷʰ-on-, “not drinking”, from the root *h₁egʷʰ- (“to drink”).^[2][1]

The same root is found in Hittite eku-zi (“drinks”) and Latin ēbrius (“drunk”).^[2] Beekes considers the comparison with an Armenian word for “sober” probably wrong, and Old High German nuohturn (“sober”) a loan from Latin nocturnus.^[2]

Earliest recorded meaning

Early writers use it only in the present, mostly as a participle, meaning to be sober and drink no wine.^[3][5] Archilochus and Theognis have it.^[3][5]

Semantic evolution

In Herodotus and Attic writers the participle νήφων served as an adjective, “sober”, and Plato called water a “sober god”.^[3] A proverb in Plutarch says that what is in the heart of the sober is on the tongue of the drunk.^[3] From Plato on it also meant to be self-controlled and level-headed, and Aristotle praised Anaxagoras as a sober man among people who talked at random.^[3][5]

In the New Testament it is used only figuratively, of being free from every kind of spiritual intoxication, alert and self-possessed, often beside γρηγορέω (grēgoréō, “to keep awake”).^[6][3] Later writers used it of recovering oneself from an evil, and an aorist ἔνηψα appears.^[3][6]

Timeline

• 7th century BC – Archilochus uses it.^[3][5][7]
• 6th century BC – Theognis says he is neither sober nor too drunk.^[3][5][7]
• 5th century BC – Herodotus uses the participle as an adjective, “sober”.^[3][7]
• 5th–4th century BC – Plato uses it for being self-controlled.^[3][5][7]
• 4th century BC – Aristotle compares Anaxagoras to a sober man.^[3][7]
• 1st century AD – The New Testament uses it for spiritual watchfulness.^[6][3]
• 2nd century AD – Achilles Tatius uses it for recovering from an evil.^[3][6][7]

Meanings

Verb

1. To be sober, drink no wine.^[3][5]
2. To be self-controlled, level-headed, wary.^[3][5]
3. (New Testament) To be spiritually sober, watchful, self-possessed.^[6]
4. To recover oneself (from an evil).^[3][6]

Word family

• ἀνανήφω (ananḗphō)
• ἐκνήφω (eknḗphō)
• νηφάλιος (nēphálios)
• νῆψις (nêpsis)
• ἔκνηψις (éknēpsis)
• ἐννήφω (ennḗphō)
• ἐπινήφω (epinḗphō)
• ὑπονήφω (huponḗphō)

References

1. ^ a b c d e f Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ 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
3. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r Liddell, Henry George; Scott, Robert; Jones, Henry Stuart (1940), A Greek-English Lexicon, 9th ed., Oxford: Clarendon Press
4. ^ a b Chantraine, Pierre (2009), Dictionnaire étymologique de la langue grecque: histoire des mots, new ed. with a supplement (Chroniques d'étymologie grecque 1–10), Paris: Klincksieck
5. ^ a b c d e f g h Diggle, James, et al., eds. (2021), The Cambridge Greek Lexicon, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press
6. ^ a b c d e f 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
7. ^ a b c d e f Rodríguez Adrados, Francisco, et al., eds. (1980–), Diccionario Griego-Español, Madrid: CSIC, http://dge.cchs.csic.es/xdge