ἐπί

Forms

ἐπῐ́ (epí) (governs the genitive, dative, and accusative)^[1] Elided ἐπ’ before a vowel and ἐφ’ before a vowel with rough breathing.^[1][2] Thessalian ἐτ before /t/.^[1][2] Placed after its noun it takes the accent on the first syllable (anastrophe), ἔπι.^[3] Mycenaean e-pi.^[1][4]

Etymology

It is inherited from Proto-Hellenic *epí,^[1] inherited from Proto-Indo-European *h₁épi (“on, at”), an old adverb.^[5][1] Cognate with Sanskrit अपि (ápi, “also, at it”), Old Armenian եւ (ew, “also, and”), Latin ob, Old High German bī and Old English bī.^[1][5] The same root shows another ablaut grade in ὄπιθεν (ópithen) “behind”, and a reduced form πι- (pi-) is thought to underlie πιέζω (piézō) and πτυχή (ptukhḗ).^[5]

Its three cases have different histories: the dative continues the old locative, the accusative an old case of direction, and the genitive is a Greek innovation.^[1]

Earliest recorded meaning

It is already on the Mycenaean tablets, as e-pi.^[1][4] In Homer it is both an adverb, “on top, thereupon”, and a preposition with the genitive, dative and accusative; the basic idea is position “upon” a surface or point.^[3][2] The Iliad has καθέζετ’ ἐπὶ θρόνου, “sat down on the throne”, with the genitive.^[2]

Semantic evolution

From the sense “on, upon” the preposition spread to nearness (“at, by, beside”), motion “onto, towards” and “against”, time (“in the time of” someone, “during”, “for” a length of time), authority “over” someone, condition (“on condition that”), purpose (“for”), and addition (“on top of, besides”).^[3][2] Classical Greek has many set phrases with it, such as ἐπ’ αὐτοφώρῳ “in the act” and ὡς ἐπὶ τὸ πολύ “for the most part”.^[3]

New Testament Greek uses it with all three cases, with the basic idea “upon”, opposed to ὑπό (hupó).^[6] Medieval Greek kept the word with its ancient sense.^[7] In Modern Greek επί (epí) is a learned preposition: with the genitive it marks a period (“in the time of”), it is used in calques of French and German phrases, and with numerals it means “times”, the opposite of διά (diá) in division.^[8] Phrases such as επί κεφαλής (epí kefalís, “at the head”) go back to Hellenistic Greek.^[4]

As a prefix it formed a great many compounds, and English has epi- (ep-, eph-) from it.^[9]

Timeline

• Mycenaean period – The Linear B tablets have the form e-pi.^[1][4]
• Homer – The Iliad uses it with the genitive, dative and accusative, and as an adverb.^[2][3]
• 5th century BC – Herodotus writes ἐπὶ κεφαλήν “head first” and uses it with the genitive for a ship riding at anchor.^[3][2][10]
• 5th–4th century BC – Xenophon uses ἐπί with numerals for the depth of a body of soldiers.^[2][10]
• 1st century AD – The New Testament uses it with all three cases.^[6]
• Modern Greek – It survives as the learned preposition επί (epí).^[8]

Meanings

Preposition

1. (with the genitive) On, upon a surface or object; at a place; on the coast of a region; in the presence of people.^[3][2]
2. (with the genitive) In the time of a person; on an occasion; in the power or charge of; named after someone; on a subject; to a depth of so many men.^[3][2]
3. (with the dative) On, upon; at, by, beside a river or place.^[3][2]
4. (with the dative) After, following; in addition to; in the power of someone; on condition of; for a sum or reason; in honour of the dead.^[3]
5. (with the accusative) To, up to, onto; towards; against an enemy; over an area; as far as a limit.^[3][2]
6. (with the accusative) For a length of time, up to a certain time; for a purpose, to fetch someone or something.^[3]
7. (adverb) On top, thereupon; besides, in addition.^[3]

Word family

• ἐπιβαίνω (epibaínō)
• ἐπιβουλεύω (epibouleúō)
• ἐπιγράφω (epigráphō)
• ἐπέρχομαι (epérkhomai)
• ἐπιθυμέω (epithūméō)
• ἐπιθυμία (epithūmíā)
• ἐπιμελέομαι (epimeléomai)
• ἐπίσκοπος (epískopos)
• ἐπίσταμαι (epístamai)
• ἐπιστήμη (epistḗmē)
• ἐπιστολή (epistolḗ)
• ἐπιτήδειος (epitḗdeios)
• ἐπιτίθημι (epitíthēmi)
• ἐπιφανής (epiphanḗs)
• ἐπιχειρέω (epikheiréō)

Related words

• ὄπιθεν (ópithen)
• Latin ob
• English epi-

Usage notes

As a preverb it adds the ideas of position on, motion towards, attack and addition to many verbs (ἐπιβαίνω (epibaínō) “to step on”, ἐπιτίθημι (epitíthēmi) “to put on”).^[2][3] After its noun it is accented ἔπι: “they rushed upon each other”, in Euripides, has ἀλλήλοις ἔπι.^[3]

References

1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m 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 g h i j k l m n o Diggle, James, et al., eds. (2021), The Cambridge Greek Lexicon, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press
4. ^ a b c d Babiniotis, Georgios (2010), Ετυμολογικό λεξικό της νέας ελληνικής γλώσσας [Etymological Dictionary of Modern Greek], Athens: Κέντρο Λεξικολογίας
5. ^ 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
6. ^ 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
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. ^ Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
10. ^ a b Rodríguez Adrados, Francisco, et al., eds. (1980–), Diccionario Griego-Español, Madrid: CSIC, http://dge.cchs.csic.es/xdge