ἐπιστρέφω

Forms

ἐπιστρέφω (epistréphō) ^[1]

Etymology

It is formed from Ancient Greek ἐπι- (epi-, “upon, towards”) + στρέφω (stréphō, “to turn”).^[1][2] Beekes regards the root of στρέφω (stréphō) as Pre-Greek, since it has no Indo-European cognates and varies with the β of στρεβλός (streblós, “twisted”); the LIV lists it as a root Proto-Indo-European *strebʰ-.^[3]

Earliest recorded meaning

Homer has it only once, in the Iliad (3.370): a warrior drags his enemy by the helmet and, as he pulls, turns round towards his own side.^[4][5][6]

Semantic evolution

In classical Greek it is to turn something about or round, such as one's head (Euripides: δεῦρ’ ἐπίστρεψον κάρα “turn your head this way”) or one's back in flight (an oracle in Herodotus), and intransitively to turn round or turn back.^[5][6] Theognis uses it of turning one's mind towards something.^[5] In naval and military language it meant to put ships about or wheel troops round, in Thucydides, Xenophon and Polybius.^[5][6] Lucian uses it for drawing someone's attention, and for turning a person from an error.^[7][8]

The Septuagint uses it more than 500 times for “to turn” and “to return”, in a Semitic idiom before another verb for “again”, and in the passive “to be converted, to return”.^[9] In the New Testament it means to return or turn back, and also to turn people to God and to turn oneself, to change one's ways.^[10][11]

Modern Greek has the learned επιστρέφω (epistréfo), from the Hellenistic verb, mainly “to give back” and “to return”.^[12][2] Its noun ἐπιστροφή (epistrophḗ) “turning back” is found from Aeschylus on.^[2]

Timeline

• Homer – The Iliad uses it once, of a warrior turning round as he drags his enemy.^[4][5]
• 6th century BC – Theognis uses it of turning the mind towards something.^[5][13]
• 5th century BC – Euripides uses it of turning one's head, and Thucydides of putting ships about.^[5][13]
• 2nd century BC – Polybius uses it of ships changing course.^[5][6][13]
• 1st century AD – The New Testament uses it for returning and for turning to God.^[10]
• 2nd century AD – Lucian uses it of drawing the attention of Zeus.^[5][13]
• Modern Greek – The learned επιστρέφω (epistréfo) means “to give back, return”.^[12]

Meanings

Verb

1. To turn (something) about or round; to turn one's head; to turn one's back in flight.^[5][6]
2. (intransitive) To turn round, turn back, return.^[5][6][10]
3. (naval and military) To put (ships) about, to wheel (troops) round, and (intransitive) to change direction.^[5][6]
4. To turn (the mind) towards something; to draw someone's attention.^[5][7]
5. (middle and aorist passive) To turn round; to turn to move towards a place.^[6]
6. (Koine) To turn (someone) to God, convert.^[10][9]
7. (Koine, intransitive) To turn back, change one's ways.^[10][9]

Word family

• ἐπιστροφή (epistrophḗ)

Related words

• στρέφω (stréphō)
• Modern Greek επιστρέφω (epistréfo)

References

1. ^ a b c d e Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c 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 Cunliffe, Richard John (1924), A Lexicon of the Homeric Dialect, London: Blackie and Son
5. ^ 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
6. ^ a b c d e f g h Diggle, James, et al., eds. (2021), The Cambridge Greek Lexicon, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press
7. ^ a b Pape, Wilhelm (1914), Griechisch-deutsches Handwörterbuch, 3rd ed., rev. Max Sengebusch, Braunschweig: Vieweg
8. ^ Liddell, Henry George; Scott, Robert (1889), An Intermediate Greek-English Lexicon, Oxford: Clarendon Press
9. ^ a b c Lust, Johan; Eynikel, Erik; Hauspie, Katrin (2003), Greek-English Lexicon of the Septuagint, rev. ed., Stuttgart: Deutsche Bibelgesellschaft
10. ^ 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
11. ^ United Bible Societies (2023), UBS Dictionary of the Greek New Testament (revised Louw–Nida semantic domains), open-licence ed.
12. ^ a b Ινστιτούτο Νεοελληνικών Σπουδών (Ίδρυμα Μανόλη Τριανταφυλλίδη) (1998), Λεξικό της κοινής νεοελληνικής, Thessaloniki: Aristotle University of Thessaloniki
13. ^ a b c d Rodríguez Adrados, Francisco, et al., eds. (1980–), Diccionario Griego-Español, Madrid: CSIC, http://dge.cchs.csic.es/xdge