ἕζομαι

Forms

ἕζομαι (hézomai) ^[1] Doric ἕσδομαι (Theocritus).^[2]

Etymology

It is inherited from Proto-Indo-European *séd-ye-, a present with the suffix *-ye- of the root *sed- (“to sit”).^[1][3] The same present is found in Germanic: Old English sittan, Old Norse sitja, Old Saxon sittian and Old High German sizzen.^[3][1] The related ἵζω (hízō) comes from a reduplicated present *si-sd-e/o- and matches Latin sīdō (“to sit down”).^[3]

In Homer the past forms are often aorists and may come from a reduplicated aorist *se-sd-.^[3][4] As the perfect of both verbs, Greek uses ἧμαι (hêmai) and κάθημαι (káthēmai).^[3]

Earliest recorded meaning

It is found from Homer on, meaning to sit down; its first passage in the GLAUx corpus is Iliad 1.48.^[5][3] In the Iliad it is also used of crouching to avoid a weapon and of a wounded warrior sinking to the ground.^[2]

Semantic evolution

In Homer the present itself is rare, and the forms in use are mostly aorists.^[4][3] In later Greek the compound καθέζομαι (kathézomai) is more usual.^[3] Mimnermus uses it of settling in a city, and Aeschylus of a goddess taking possession of an oracle.^[2] The nouns of the root, such as ἕδος (hédos, “seat”) and ἕδρα (hédra, “seat”), developed largely apart from the verb.^[3]

Timeline

• Homer – The Iliad and the Odyssey use it for sitting down and crouching.^[5][2]
• 6th century BC – Mimnermus uses it of settling in a city.^[2][6]
• 6th–5th century BC – Aeschylus uses it of a goddess occupying an oracle.^[2][6]
• 5th century BC – Herodotus and Sophocles use it for sitting.^[2][6]
• 4th–3rd century BC – Theocritus uses the Doric form ἕσδομαι.^[2][6]

Meanings

Verb

1. To seat oneself, sit down; to sit on (a rowing bench).^[2][4]
2. To crouch down (to avoid a weapon or hide); (of a wounded warrior) to sink to the ground.^[2]
3. To settle in a place; to occupy (an oracle).^[2]

Word family

• καθέζομαι (kathézomai)
• ἕδος (hédos)
• ἕδρα (hédra)

Related words

• ἵζω (hízō)
• ἧμαι (hêmai)
• Latin sedeō

References

1. ^ a b c d e f Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k Diggle, James, et al., eds. (2021), The Cambridge Greek Lexicon, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press
3. ^ a b c d e f g h i 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 c Cunliffe, Richard John (1924), A Lexicon of the Homeric Dialect, London: Blackie and Son
5. ^ a b Keersmaekers, Alek (2021–2025), GLAUx: The Greek Language Automated corpus, https://github.com/alekkeersmaekers/glaux
6. ^ a b c d Rodríguez Adrados, Francisco, et al., eds. (1980–), Diccionario Griego-Español, Madrid: CSIC, http://dge.cchs.csic.es/xdge