ἐπέχω

Forms

ἐπέχω (epékhō) ^[1]

Etymology

It is formed from Ancient Greek ἐπι- (epi-, “on, upon”) + ἔχω (ékhō, “to have, hold”).^[1][2] Its aorist is ἐπέσχον (epéskhon), and some of its unaugmented aorist forms cannot be told apart from those of the related present ἐπίσχω (epískhō).^[3][4]

Earliest recorded meaning

It is found from Homer on.^[3][5] In the Iliad it means to rest one's feet on a footstool, to hold out wine or a cup to someone, to offer the breast to a child, to hold back a river's streams, and to cover a stretch of ground.^[3][5][4]

Semantic evolution

Babiniotis traces its senses from “hold on something” to “hold back, stop, wait” and to “occupy a space”.^[2] From Homer on it also meant to aim or direct something towards a target, and so, intransitively, to set upon or attack.^[3][4] Hesiod uses it of opponents attacking each other and Thucydides of ships bearing down on the enemy.^[3][4] Herodotus uses it for turning one's mind to a plan, “to intend”, and for an army facing an enemy line.^[3][4] Polybius and Aristophanes for being intent on something.^[3][4]

The sense “hold back” is common in tragedy: Sophocles has a hand and reins held back, Euripides anger and speech.^[3][4] Thucydides and Demosthenes use it for adjourning proceedings, and the imperative ἐπίσχες meant “stop!” in Aeschylus and Sophocles.^[3][4] Intransitively it meant to pause or wait, and in Sceptic philosophy to suspend judgement.^[3][1] Medical writers such as Galen use it for holding the breath and for suppressed evacuations.^[3]

In the New Testament it means to hold fast the word of life, to fix one's attention on someone, to take pains with oneself, and to stay for a while in a place.^[6] Procopius uses it for imposing a task, and medieval vernacular Greek for holding, occupying a position and having something within.^[3][7] In Modern Greek it survives only as a learned word in the phrase επέχει θέση (epéchei thési) “it takes the place of”, a calque on French tenir lieu.^[8][2]

Timeline

• Homer – The Iliad uses it for resting the feet on a footstool, offering wine or the breast, and holding back a river's streams.^[3][5]
• Before the 6th century BC – Hesiod uses it of opponents attacking each other.^[3][4]
• 5th century BC – Herodotus uses it for intending to do something and for facing an enemy in battle.^[3][4]
• 5th century BC – Sophocles uses it for holding back one's hand, and its imperative for “stop!”.^[3]
• 5th century BC – Thucydides uses it for adjourning proceedings.^[3]
• 2nd century BC – Polybius uses it with a dative for being intent on something.^[3][6]
• 1st century AD – The New Testament uses it for holding fast the word of life, for fixing one's attention and for staying in a place.^[6]
• 6th century AD – Procopius uses it for imposing a task.^[3]
• 1100–1669 – Medieval vernacular Greek uses it for holding and for occupying a position.^[7]
• Modern Greek – The learned επέχω (epécho) survives in a phrase meaning “to take the place of”, calqued on French.^[8][2]

Meanings

Verb

1. To hold or rest something upon something.^[3][4]
2. To hold out, offer, present (a cup, wine, the breast); (middle) to put a cup to one's lips.^[3][4]
3. To aim or direct something towards, or (middle) to take aim.^[3][4]
4. (intransitive) To attack, set upon; of ships, to head for a place.^[3][4]
5. To direct one's mind to something, to intend, to be intent on, and (New Testament) to fix one's attention on, take heed.^[3][4][6]
6. To face an enemy in line of battle.^[3]
7. To hold back, restrain, check; to stop someone from something; to adjourn or suspend proceedings.^[3][4]
8. (intransitive) To stop, pause, wait, refrain; to stay in a place.^[3][6]
9. (Scepticism) To suspend judgement.^[1]
10. To extend over, cover; to occupy.^[5][1]
11. To hold fast; of writings, to contain.^[3][6]

Related words

• ἐπίσχεσις (epískhesis)
• ἐπισχετέον (episkhetéon)
• ἐπίσχω (epískhō)
• ἐποχή (epokhḗ)
• ἔφεξις (éphexis)

References

1. ^ a b c d e f g h Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d Babiniotis, Georgios (2010), Ετυμολογικό λεξικό της νέας ελληνικής γλώσσας [Etymological Dictionary of Modern Greek], Athens: Κέντρο Λεξικολογίας
3. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z 27 28 Liddell, Henry George; Scott, Robert; Jones, Henry Stuart (1940), A Greek-English Lexicon, 9th ed., Oxford: Clarendon Press
4. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p Diggle, James, et al., eds. (2021), The Cambridge Greek Lexicon, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press
5. ^ a b c d Cunliffe, Richard John (1924), A Lexicon of the Homeric Dialect, London: Blackie and Son
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 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