ἔστε

Forms

ἔστε (éste) ^[1] Doric ἕστε (héste), Boeotian ἔττε (étte), Locrian ἔντε (énte), Delphian ἕντε (hénte) and εἴστε (eíste).^[2][3]

Etymology

It goes back to *ἐν(σ)-τε (*en(s)-te), whose first part is from Proto-Indo-European *h₁én (“in”), with the form *h₁ens (“into”) that also gave εἰς (eis).^[2][1][4] The ending -τε is unclear.^[2][4] It may be the -τε of ὅτε (hóte, “when”), with an original dental (Mycenaean has o-te), or come from Proto-Indo-European *-kʷe, as Wackernagel proposed, reading it as a shortened ἐς ὅ τε (es hó te); the form ἔσκε (éske) in Archilochus would support this, and the same element is found in Latin dōnec (“until”).^[2][4][5]

Earliest recorded meaning

It is first found, not quite certainly, in Hesiod's Theogony, meaning “until”.^[2][5][6]

Semantic evolution

Homer does not use it: it is found in post-Homeric epic, in Ionic, in Doric and Aetolian, in tragedy and in Xenophon, but not in other Attic prose.^[4][3][2] As a conjunction it means “until”, with the indicative of past events and with ἄν and the subjunctive of future ones.^[3][7] Theognis and Xenophanes also use it for “as long as, while”.^[3][7]

Xenophon and Arrian also use it as an adverb before ἐπί (“right up to”), and Hellenistic and later Greek as a preposition with the accusative, “up to” a boundary or a date, as in a Coan inscription of the 3rd or 2nd century BC.^[3][4]

Timeline

• Before the 6th century BC – Hesiod's Theogony probably has it, meaning “until”.^[2][6]
• 6th century BC – Theognis uses it for “as long as”.^[3][7]
• 5th century BC – Aeschylus and Sophocles use it for “until”.^[3][7]
• 5th–4th century BC – Xenophon uses it often, also as an adverb of space.^[3][4]
• 3rd–2nd century BC – An inscription from Cos uses it as a preposition of time.^[3]
• 2nd century AD – Arrian uses it as an adverb and a preposition.^[3]

Meanings

Conjunction

1. Until, up to the time that: with the indicative of a past event, with ἄν and the subjunctive of a future one.^[3][7]
2. As long as, while.^[3][7]

Adverb

1. Even to, right up to, of space or time, before ἐπί, ἐς or κατά.^[3][7]

Preposition

1. (with the accusative, Hellenistic) Up to a place; until a time.^[3][4]

Related words

• εἰς (eis)
• ἐν (en)
• ἕως (héōs)

References

1. ^ a b c d e Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d e f g 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
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. ^ a b c d e f g Chantraine, Pierre (2009), Dictionnaire étymologique de la langue grecque: histoire des mots, new ed. with a supplement (Chroniques d'étymologie grecque 1–10), Paris: Klincksieck
5. ^ a b Frisk, Hjalmar (1960–1972), Griechisches etymologisches Wörterbuch, 3 vols, Heidelberg: Carl Winter
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 Diggle, James, et al., eds. (2021), The Cambridge Greek Lexicon, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press