ἐλλείπω

Forms

ἐλλείπω (elleípō) ^[1]

Etymology

It is formed from Ancient Greek ἐν- (en-) + λείπω (leípō, “to leave”), with the prefix assimilated to ἐλ- before λ.^[1][2] The verb λείπω (leípō) is inherited, from Proto-Indo-European *leykʷ- (“to leave behind”).^[3]

Earliest recorded meaning

The earliest example is in the Homeric Hymn to Apollo, where a runner “did not fall short of Triops”.^[4][5][6]

Semantic evolution

In tragedy and Attic prose it had two main uses.^[4][7] Transitively it meant to leave behind or leave in a place, and more often to leave something out or undone, frequently with a negative (“leaving nothing out”).^[4][7] Intransitively it meant to fall short, fail, or be lacking, with a genitive of what is lacking, and Aristotle uses it of falling short of the mean, the opposite of exceeding it.^[4][7] Attic law used it of failing to pay a tax, being in arrears.^[4][7] In geometry it meant to fall short by an area, in Plato's Meno and in Euclid.^[4] From it come ἔλλειψις (élleipsis), a falling short, already in Plato, and ἐλλειπτικός (elleiptikós).^[2][1]

The Epistle of Barnabas uses it in exhortations not to fail in any respect.^[8] Modern Greek keeps the learned ελλείπω (elleípo), used only in the present, of something missing where it is expected.^[9]

Timeline

• 6th century BC – The Homeric Hymn to Apollo uses it of a runner who did not fall short of another.^[4][5][6]
• 6th–5th century BC – Aeschylus uses it with the genitive, of lacking the prime of youth.^[4]
• 5th century BC – Thucydides uses it of lacking money and of falling short in action.^[4]
• 4th century BC – Aristotle uses it of falling short of the mean, and Demosthenes of failing to pay a tax.^[4][7]
• 3rd century BC – Euclid uses it in geometry for falling short by an area.^[4]
• Modern Greek – The learned ελλείπω (elleípo) means “to be missing”.^[9]

Meanings

Verb

1. To leave in a place or among people; to leave behind.^[4][7]
2. To leave out, leave undone, omit; the passive means “to be left out”.^[4][7]
3. To leave unpaid, be in arrears with a tax or payment.^[4][7]
4. (intransitive) To fall short, fail; to do too little, opposed to doing too much.^[4][7]
5. (geometry) To fall short by an area.^[4]
6. With the genitive, to lack, fall short of; to be inferior to someone.^[4][7]
7. Of things, to be wanting or lacking.^[7][4]

Word family

• ἔλλειψις (élleipsis)
• ἐλλειπτικός (elleiptikós)

Related words

• English ellipsis
• English ellipse

Usage notes

The participle ἐλλείπων was the name of a throw at dice.^[4]

References

1. ^ a b c d e f Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b Babiniotis, Georgios (2010), Ετυμολογικό λεξικό της νέας ελληνικής γλώσσας [Etymological Dictionary of Modern Greek], Athens: Κέντρο Λεξικολογίας
3. ^ 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 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
5. ^ a b Rodríguez Adrados, Francisco, et al., eds. (1980–), Diccionario Griego-Español, Madrid: CSIC, http://dge.cchs.csic.es/xdge
6. ^ a b Keersmaekers, Alek (2021–2025), GLAUx: The Greek Language Automated corpus, https://github.com/alekkeersmaekers/glaux
7. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k Diggle, James, et al., eds. (2021), The Cambridge Greek Lexicon, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press
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