φαντάζω

Forms

φᾰντᾰ́ζω (phantázō) ^[1] Megarian φαντάδδομαι (in Aristophanes).^[2]

Etymology

It is formed from Ancient Greek φαντός (phantós, “visible”) + -άζω (-ázō), a denominative from the verbal adjective of φαίνω (phaínō, “to bring to light, show”).^[1][3][4] φαίνω (phaínō) itself goes back to Proto-Indo-European *bʰeh₂- (“to shine, appear”).^[3]

Earliest recorded meaning

In early writers it is found only in the middle and passive.^[5][3] In Aeschylus' Agamemnon the avenging spirit of the house is said to take the form of the dead king's wife, and Herodotus and Euripides use the passive for becoming visible, appearing.^[5][2][6]

Semantic evolution

In Classical Greek the passive meant to appear, of people, objects, dreams and gods, and to appear in a certain way or seem,^[2][5] and Herodotus also uses it of the proud who make a show of themselves.^[2][5] Apollonius of Rhodes uses it of groans that are heard.^[5][2] From it came the nouns φαντασία (phantasíā) and φάντασμα (phántasma).^[3]

In the Imperial period the middle came to mean to picture something to oneself, to imagine (Marcus Aurelius, Epictetus, Plotinus), and the active, to make visible or present to the mind.^[5] In the Septuagint the passive means to appear, and the Letter to the Hebrews calls the sight at Sinai “what appeared”.^[7][8] A magical papyrus uses it of being terrified by apparitions.^[5]

Modern Greek φαντάζω (fantázo) means to look striking or impressive, and the middle φαντάζομαι (fantázomai) means to imagine and, under English influence, to suppose.^[9][4][1]

Timeline

• 6th–5th century BC – Aeschylus uses the middle of a spirit taking the form of a woman.^[5][2][10]
• 5th century BC – Herodotus uses the passive of things and dreams that appear, and of the proud who make a show.^[5][2][10]
• 5th–4th century BC – Plato uses it for what appears or is imagined to be so.^[5][2][10]
• 3rd century BC – Apollonius of Rhodes uses it of sounds that are heard.^[5][10]
• 2nd century AD – Marcus Aurelius and Arrian's Epictetus use the middle for imagining.^[5][10]
• 3rd century AD – Alexander of Aphrodisias uses the active for making something visible.^[5][10]
• Modern Greek – φαντάζω (fantázo) means to look impressive, and the middle means to imagine.^[9][4]

Meanings

Verb

1. (passive) To become visible, appear; to be heard.^[5][2]
2. (passive) To appear in a certain way, seem; to be imagined.^[5][2]
3. (passive) To make a show of oneself, be conspicuous.^[5][2]
4. (middle, with the dative) To take the form of someone.^[5][2]
5. (middle) To picture to oneself, imagine, fancy.^[5][11]
6. (active, late) To make visible, present to the eye or mind; to deceive the senses.^[5][11]
7. (passive) To be terrified by visions or phantasms.^[5]
8. (Aristophanes, Megarian) Of a seller of contraband, to be exposed.^[2]

Word family

• φαντασία (phantasíā)
• φάντασις (phántasis)
• φάντασμα (phántasma)
• φανταστικός (phantastikós)

Related words

• φαντός (phantós)

References

1. ^ a b c d e f Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m Diggle, James, et al., eds. (2021), The Cambridge Greek Lexicon, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press
3. ^ a b c d 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
4. ^ a b c Babiniotis, Georgios (2010), Ετυμολογικό λεξικό της νέας ελληνικής γλώσσας [Etymological Dictionary of Modern Greek], Athens: Κέντρο Λεξικολογίας
5. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t Liddell, Henry George; Scott, Robert; Jones, Henry Stuart (1940), A Greek-English Lexicon, 9th ed., Oxford: Clarendon Press
6. ^ Keersmaekers, Alek (2021–2025), GLAUx: The Greek Language Automated corpus, https://github.com/alekkeersmaekers/glaux
7. ^ Lust, Johan; Eynikel, Erik; Hauspie, Katrin (2003), Greek-English Lexicon of the Septuagint, rev. ed., Stuttgart: Deutsche Bibelgesellschaft
8. ^ 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
9. ^ a b Ινστιτούτο Νεοελληνικών Σπουδών (Ίδρυμα Μανόλη Τριανταφυλλίδη) (1998), Λεξικό της κοινής νεοελληνικής, Thessaloniki: Aristotle University of Thessaloniki
10. ^ a b c d e f Rodríguez Adrados, Francisco, et al., eds. (1980–), Diccionario Griego-Español, Madrid: CSIC, http://dge.cchs.csic.es/xdge
11. ^ a b Korinthios, J. (2025), Grande Dizionario Greco Classico: Greco–Italiano, digital ed., Milan: Hoepli