ἅπτω

Forms

ᾰ̔́πτω (háptō) ^[1]

Etymology

It is inherited from Proto-Hellenic *áptō, whose further origin is debated.^[1] Beekes, following van Beek and an older proposal by Kretschmer, derives it from Proto-Indo-European *h₂ep- (“to join, fit”), the root of Hittite ḫapp- (“to join”) and Latin aptus (“fit, apt”).^[2][3] On this view the rough breathing is secondary, after verbs such as ἕπω (hépō) from Proto-Indo-European *sep-, and the aspirate of ἁφή (haphḗ, “grip”) and the other derivatives is analogical.^[2] Furnée took ἀφάω (apháō) as evidence of a Pre-Greek origin, but Beekes explains that verb as a denominative of the noun for “grip”.^[2] Others have compared ἰάπτω (iáptō, “to send forth”) and Old Armenian ափ (apʻ, “palm of the hand”).^[1] The present stem adds a ⟨τ⟩ to the root.^[1]

Earliest recorded meaning

In Homer the middle means to take hold of something, with the genitive, and the active, to fasten, occurs once, of a string fixed at both ends on a lyre in the Odyssey.^[4][5] The Iliad also says of spears that they “reach” their mark.^[4]

Semantic evolution

From fastening and grasping, the middle developed many figurative senses in Classical Greek: to engage in or undertake a task (Sophocles, Thucydides), to attack (Pindar, Aeschylus), to lay hands on property and to touch the mind (Plato), to perceive and apprehend (Sophocles, Aristotle), to attain the truth (Plato), and to have intercourse with a woman.^[4] In geometry it was used of bodies and lines that meet or touch (Aristotle, Euclid).^[4] The active came to mean to kindle, by bringing fire into contact, from Herodotus and Aeschylus on.^[4]

In the New Testament the active is to light a lamp or a fire, and the middle to touch or take hold of, also of sexual relations (1 Corinthians 7:1).^[6][4] Medieval vernacular Greek kept Byzantine Greek άπτω (áptō), and the form survives in dialects.^[7] The standard language has the learned middle Modern Greek άπτομαι (áptome), to relate to or concern a subject.^[8][3] English haptic (1890) comes from the derived adjective ἁπτικός (haptikós).^[9]

Timeline

• Homer – The Iliad uses the middle for grasping, and the Odyssey the active for fastening a lyre string.^[4][10]
• 5th century BC – Herodotus uses the active for kindling a fire.^[4][11]
• 5th century BC – Thucydides uses the middle for prosecuting a war vigorously.^[4][11]
• 4th century BC – Aristotle uses it for apprehending a cause and for bodies in contact.^[4][11]
• 3rd century BC – Euclid uses it in defining lines and circles that touch.^[4][11]
• 1st century AD – The Gospel of Luke uses it for lighting a lamp.^[6]
• 1890 – English haptic is formed from the derived adjective.^[9]
• Modern Greek – The learned Modern Greek άπτομαι (áptome) means to concern a subject.^[8]

Meanings

Verb

1. To fasten or bind something to something; to join.^[4][5]
2. (middle) To fasten oneself to, grasp or take hold of, with the genitive.^[4][5][6]
3. (middle) Of weapons, to reach the mark.^[4]
4. (middle) To engage in, undertake; to set to work.^[4]
5. (middle) To fasten upon, attack; of diseases, to seize.^[4]
6. (middle) To lay hands on; to touch or affect the mind.^[4]
7. (middle) To perceive with the senses, apprehend; to reach or attain.^[4]
8. (middle) To have intercourse with a woman.^[4][6]
9. (geometry) Of bodies, lines and curves, to be in contact, to meet.^[4]
10. To kindle, set on fire; to light a lamp.^[4][6]

Word family

• ἅμμα (hámma)
• ἀνάπτω (anáptō)
• ἀντάπτομαι (antáptomai)
• ἁπτέον (haptéon)
• ἁπτός (haptós)
• ἀφάπτω (apháptō)
• ἁφή (haphḗ)
• ἁψικορία (hapsikoría)
• ἁψίκορος (hapsíkoros)
• ἅψις (hápsis)
• ἅψος (hápsos)
• ἐνάπτω (enáptō)

Related words

• English haptic

References

1. ^ a b c d e f g Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c 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 Babiniotis, Georgios (2010), Ετυμολογικό λεξικό της νέας ελληνικής γλώσσας [Etymological Dictionary of Modern Greek], Athens: Κέντρο Λεξικολογίας
4. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u Liddell, Henry George; Scott, Robert; Jones, Henry Stuart (1940), A Greek-English Lexicon, 9th ed., Oxford: Clarendon Press
5. ^ a b c Diggle, James, et al., eds. (2021), The Cambridge Greek Lexicon, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press
6. ^ a b c d e 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. ^ Kriaras, Emmanuel, Επιτομή του Λεξικού της μεσαιωνικής ελληνικής δημώδους γραμματείας 1100–1669, Κέντρο Ελληνικής Γλώσσας, https://www.greek-language.gr
8. ^ a b Ινστιτούτο Νεοελληνικών Σπουδών (Ίδρυμα Μανόλη Τριανταφυλλίδη) (1998), Λεξικό της κοινής νεοελληνικής, Thessaloniki: Aristotle University of Thessaloniki
9. ^ a b Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
10. ^ Keersmaekers, Alek (2021–2025), GLAUx: The Greek Language Automated corpus, https://github.com/alekkeersmaekers/glaux
11. ^ a b c d Rodríguez Adrados, Francisco, et al., eds. (1980–), Diccionario Griego-Español, Madrid: CSIC, http://dge.cchs.csic.es/xdge