ἄν

Forms

ᾰ̓́ν (án) (modal particle)^[1] Epic, Aeolic and Thessalian use κεν (ken) or κε (ke) instead, and Doric, Boeotian and Elean κα (ka); epic and Arcadian also combine the two particles.^[2][3] Before a vowel κε can be elided.^[3]

Etymology

The origin is disputed.^[3][1] Frisk takes it to be identical with the question particles Latin an and Gothic 𐌰𐌽 (an), from Proto-Indo-European *h₂en in Wiktionary's form.^[4][1][3] Beekes calls that comparison superfluous and follows Forbes: ἄν came from the epic particle κεν (ken), whose zero grade would be *καν (*kan), when a frequent *οὐ καν (*ou kan) was divided as οὐκ ἄν (ouk án).^[5][1] Chantraine sets out the same idea with the Arcadian combination εἰκ ἄν (eik án), which may be read εἰ κάν (ei kán), and notes that only Arcadian and Ionic-Attic, the dialects that have ἄν, would have made the split.^[6]

Earliest recorded meaning

It is in the Iliad from its first book, beside κεν (ken), which Homer uses about four times as often.^[7][2] Homer prefers ἄν in negative clauses and κε(ν) with relatives, though no clear difference of meaning can be traced.^[2][6]

Semantic evolution

The particle marks the action of its verb as limited by circumstances or conditions.^[2][8] At first it went with the subjunctive and optative, and its use with the indicative, though already Homeric, is secondary, and still more so with the infinitive and participle.^[6] The choice of ἄν or κε, κα divides the dialects: ἄν is Homeric (beside κε), lyric, Ionic, Attic and Arcadian, while Cypriot has only κε.^[6][2] With a past tense it refers in Homer always to past time; the imperfect with ἄν first refers to the present in Theognis.^[2] Fused with conjunctions it gave ἐάν (eā́n), ὅταν (hótan) and ἐπειδάν (epeidán).^[1][6]

In Koine ἐάν was often used for ἄν after relatives, and the manuscripts of the New Testament vary greatly between them.^[9] In late Greek the conjunction and the particle merged, and Modern Greek uses αν for “if”.^[6]

Timeline

• Homer – The Iliad and the Odyssey use ἄν beside the commoner κε(ν).^[2][7]
• 6th century BC – Theognis first uses the imperfect with ἄν of present time.^[2]
• 5th–4th century BC – Attic prose and drama use it with all the moods, and GLAUx has most of its tokens from the 5th century BC on.^[2][7]
• 4th century BC – An Arcadian inscription has εἰκ ἄν (eik án).^[2][6]
• 1st century AD – In the New Testament ἐάν often stands for ἄν after relatives.^[9]
• Modern Greek – The merged particle αν (an) means “if”.^[6]

Meanings

Particle

1. With a past tense of the indicative, in the main clause of an unreal condition: would have done, would be doing.^[2][1][8]
2. With a past tense of the indicative, of repeated action: used to, would.^[1][2]
3. With the optative, of what may happen: would, could, might.^[2][1][8]
4. With the subjunctive in relative, temporal and conditional clauses, of indefinite or general cases: -ever, whenever, if ever.^[2][1]
5. With an infinitive or participle, keeping the potential sense of a finite verb with ἄν in indirect speech.^[1][2]
6. (Epic) With the subjunctive or future in main clauses: in that case, then.^[1][2]

Word family

• ἐπήν (epḗn)
• ὁπόταν (hopótan)
• ὅταν (hótan)
• ὡσανεί (hōsaneí)
• ἅν (hán)
• ἐάν (eā́n)
• ἐπάν (epán)
• ἐπειδάν (epeidán)
• ἤν (ḗn)
• κἄν (kā́n)
• ὡσάν (hōsán)
• ὡσπεράν (hōsperán)

Usage notes

The ancient grammarians called it the “potential” conjunction, because it shows a thing that did not happen but could have happened.^[10] LSJ distinguishes three other words spelled ἄν: an Attic ἄν with a long vowel, a contraction of ἐάν (eā́n) “if”, common in Plato;^[2][3][1] an epic form of ἀνά (aná) cut short;^[2][3] and ἄνα, a shortening of the same preposition.^[2]

References

1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s Liddell, Henry George; Scott, Robert; Jones, Henry Stuart (1940), A Greek-English Lexicon, 9th ed., Oxford: Clarendon Press
3. ^ a b c d e f Rodríguez Adrados, Francisco, et al., eds. (1980–), Diccionario Griego-Español, Madrid: CSIC, http://dge.cchs.csic.es/xdge
4. ^ Frisk, Hjalmar (1960–1972), Griechisches etymologisches Wörterbuch, 3 vols, Heidelberg: Carl Winter
5. ^ 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
6. ^ a b c d e f g h 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
7. ^ a b c Keersmaekers, Alek (2021–2025), GLAUx: The Greek Language Automated corpus, https://github.com/alekkeersmaekers/glaux
8. ^ a b c Lust, Johan; Eynikel, Erik; Hauspie, Katrin (2003), Greek-English Lexicon of the Septuagint, rev. ed., Stuttgart: Deutsche Bibelgesellschaft
9. ^ 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
10. ^ Lexica Segueriana, in Immanuel Bekker, ed. (1814), Anecdota Graeca I, Berlin: Nauck