ἐπιλαμβάνω

Forms

ἐπῐλᾰμβᾰ́νω (epilambánō) ^[1] Future ἐπιλήψομαι, aorist ἐπέλαβον, perfect middle ἐπείλημμαι.^[2]

Etymology

It is a compound from Ancient Greek ἐπί (epí, “upon”) + λαμβάνω (lambánō, “to take”).^[1][3] Beekes traces λαμβάνω (lambánō) to Proto-Indo-European *sleh₂gʷ- (“to take, grasp”).^[4]

Earliest recorded meaning

It is first found in Herodotus and Thucydides, of a disease that seizes people, and of an enemy laid hold of.^[3][5][6]

Semantic evolution

In the active it meant to seize, of illness, sleep or winter, to take in addition, to cover a stretch of time or space, and to stop or block something, such as the water of a water-clock in the law courts.^[5][3] The passive meant to be seized by an illness, and Galen uses it of an epileptic fit.^[3][5] The middle meant to lay hold of, seize, attack, and then to criticise or object, to seize an opportunity or obtain an excuse, and to touch on a topic.^[5][3]

The Septuagint uses the middle for taking hold of someone, and also for supporting them.^[7] Medieval vernacular Greek used it for taking, taking someone along and taking power.^[8] From the sense of seizing came ἐπίληψις (epílēpsis) and ἐπιληψία (epilēpsíā), “seizure”, the source of English epilepsy.^[9] Modern Greek επιλαμβάνομαι (epilamvánomai) is a learned word meaning to take up or deal with a matter.^[10]

Timeline

• 5th century BC – Herodotus and Thucydides use it of a disease seizing people.^[3][5][11]
• 5th century BC – Sophocles uses the passive of someone seized by a sickness.^[3][5][11]
• 5th–4th century BC – Plato uses the middle for objecting to a speaker.^[5][11]
• 4th century BC – Aristotle uses it for getting a sum in addition.^[3][5][11]
• 2nd century AD – Galen uses the passive of an epileptic fit.^[3][11]
• 1100–1669 – Vernacular texts use it for taking and for taking power.^[8]
• Modern Greek – The learned middle επιλαμβάνομαι (epilamvánomai) means to deal with a matter.^[10]

Meanings

Verb

1. (active) To take or get in addition.^[3][5]
2. (active) Of a disease, sleep or winter, to seize, take hold of; to overtake.^[3][5]
3. (active) To cover a stretch of time or space; to reach.^[3][5]
4. (active) To stop or block, as a pipe or one's nose; to hinder.^[5][3]
5. (passive) To be seized by an illness; to have an epileptic fit.^[3]
6. (middle) To lay hold of, seize; to attack.^[5][7]
7. (middle) To lay claim to property; to criticise, object.^[5]
8. (middle) To seize an opportunity; to obtain; to come upon a place; to touch on a topic.^[5]

Word family

• προσεπιλαμβάνω (prosepilambánō)
• συνεπιλαμβάνω (sunepilambánō)

Related words

• ἐπιλαβή (epilabḗ)
• ἐπιληπτικός (epilēptikós)
• ἐπίληπτος (epílēptos)
• ἐπιλήπτωρ (epilḗptōr)
• ἐπιληψία (epilēpsíā)
• ἐπίληψις (epílēpsis)
• λαμβάνω (lambánō)
• English epilepsy

References

1. ^ a b c d e Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ Korinthios, J. (2025), Grande Dizionario Greco Classico: Greco–Italiano, digital ed., Milan: Hoepli
3. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n Liddell, Henry George; Scott, Robert; Jones, Henry Stuart (1940), A Greek-English Lexicon, 9th ed., Oxford: Clarendon Press
4. ^ 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
5. ^ 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
6. ^ Keersmaekers, Alek (2021–2025), GLAUx: The Greek Language Automated corpus, https://github.com/alekkeersmaekers/glaux
7. ^ a b Lust, Johan; Eynikel, Erik; Hauspie, Katrin (2003), Greek-English Lexicon of the Septuagint, rev. ed., Stuttgart: Deutsche Bibelgesellschaft
8. ^ a b Kriaras, Emmanuel, Επιτομή του Λεξικού της μεσαιωνικής ελληνικής δημώδους γραμματείας 1100–1669, Κέντρο Ελληνικής Γλώσσας, https://www.greek-language.gr
9. ^ Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
10. ^ a b Ινστιτούτο Νεοελληνικών Σπουδών (Ίδρυμα Μανόλη Τριανταφυλλίδη) (1998), Λεξικό της κοινής νεοελληνικής, Thessaloniki: Aristotle University of Thessaloniki
11. ^ a b c d e Rodríguez Adrados, Francisco, et al., eds. (1980–), Diccionario Griego-Español, Madrid: CSIC, http://dge.cchs.csic.es/xdge