ἵστημι

Pronunciation

• IPA (5th-century BC Attic): /hís.tɛː.mi/^[1]
• IPA (4th-century AD Koine): /ˈis.ti.mi/^[1]
• IPA (10th-century Byzantine): /ˈis.ti.mi/^[1]

Forms

ῐ̔́στημῐ (hístēmi) ^[1]

Etymology

It is inherited from Proto-Hellenic *hístāmi, inherited from Proto-Indo-European *stísteh₂ti, the reduplicated present of Proto-Indo-European *steh₂- (“to stand, set”).^[1][2] Beekes and Frisk note that the transitive reduplicated athematic present is limited to Greek, like τίθημι (títhēmi).^[2][3] Indo-Iranian and Italic have thematic presents, Sanskrit तिष्ठति (tíṣṭhati, “stands”) and Latin sistō.^[2][3] The Doric form is ⟨ἵστᾱμι⟩, with the old ā.^[2][3]

Other old forms are the intransitive root aorist ⟨ἔστην⟩, which matches Sanskrit अस्थाम् (ásthām), the perfect ⟨ἕστηκα⟩ “I stand”, which matches Sanskrit तस्थौ (tastháu) and Latin stetimus, and the verbal adjective στατός (statós), which matches Latin status.^[2][3] The transitive aorist ⟨ἔστησα⟩ is a Greek innovation.^[2][3] The root is also in Old English standan (“to stand”).^[1]

Earliest recorded meaning

Homer uses both the transitive forms, “to make stand, set up, stop”, and the intransitive aorist and perfect, “to stand”.^[2][4][5]

Semantic evolution

Transitively it means to make stand, to station or place, to set up a statue or a trophy, to raise, to bring to a halt, and to appoint; in the Septuagint God “establishes” a covenant, and one sets up a stone pillar or pitches a tent.^[5][6] Intransitively, in the middle and in the aorist ἔστην and perfect ἕστηκα, it means to take one's stand, to stand up, to stand still, and to be standing.^[2][5][3]

Many words come from the same root: στάσις (stásis, “standing, faction”), στήλη (stḗlē, “pillar”), στατήρ (statḗr, “a weight, coin”), σταθμός (stathmós, “standing place, weight”), ἱστός (histós, “mast, loom”) and στοά (stoá, “colonnade”).^[2][3] Its present gave Byzantine στήνω, and the perfect led to Modern Greek στέκω (stéko) “to stand”.^[1]

Timeline

• Homer – It is used both for setting up and for standing.^[2][4]
• 5th century BC – Herodotus and the tragedians use it for setting up statues and trophies.^[5]
• 4th century BC – The Attic perfect ἕστηκα is used for “I stand”.^[2][7]
• 3rd–1st century BC – The Septuagint uses it for establishing a covenant.^[6]
• 1st century AD – The New Testament uses it for setting and standing; the new present ἱστάνω appears.^[8]
• Byzantine period – It gives στήνω.^[1]

Meanings

Verb

1. (transitive) To make stand; to station, place.^[5][2]
2. (transitive) To set up, erect a statue or a trophy; to pitch a tent.^[5][6]
3. (transitive) To bring to a standstill, stop.^[2][5]
4. (transitive) To establish, confirm; to appoint.^[6][5]
5. (intransitive, middle, aorist ἔστην) To take one's stand; to stand up, arise.^[2][5]
6. (perfect ἕστηκα) To stand, be standing; to stand still.^[2][3]

Word family

• ἀνθίστημι (anthístēmi)
• ἀνθυφίσταμαι (anthuphístamai)
• ἀνίστημι (anístēmi)
• ἀντικαθίστημι (antikathístēmi)
• ἀντικατίστημι (antikatístēmi)
• ἀντιμεθίστημι (antimethístēmi)
• ἀπανίστημι (apanístēmi)
• ἀποκαθίστημι (apokathístēmi)
• ἀφίστημι (aphístēmi)
• ἐγκαθίστημι (enkathístēmi)
• ἐνίστημι (enístēmi)
• ἐξανίστημι (exanístēmi)
• ἐξαφίσταμαι (exaphístamai)

Related words

• ἀντιστήκω (antistḗkō)
• ἀποκαθιστάνω (apokathistánō)
• ἄστατος (ástatos)
• ἀφιστάνω (aphistánō)
• διϊστάνω (diïstánō)
• δύστηνος (dústēnos)
• ἐξιστάνω (existánō)
• ἐφιστάνω (ephistánō)
• ἐφιστάω (ephistáō)
• καθιστάνω (kathistánō)
• στάσις (stásis)
• στήλη (stḗlē)
• στατήρ (statḗr)
• σταθμός (stathmós)
• ἱστός (histós)
• ἔκστασις (ékstasis)
• σύστημα (sústēma)
• Latin sisto
• English stand

References

1. ^ a b c d e f g h Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o 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 Frisk, Hjalmar (1960–1972), Griechisches etymologisches Wörterbuch, 3 vols, Heidelberg: Carl Winter
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 Diggle, James, et al., eds. (2021), The Cambridge Greek Lexicon, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press
6. ^ a b c d Lust, Johan; Eynikel, Erik; Hauspie, Katrin (2003), Greek-English Lexicon of the Septuagint, rev. ed., Stuttgart: Deutsche Bibelgesellschaft
7. ^ Rix, Helmut, et al. (2001), Lexikon der indogermanischen Verben, 2nd ed., Wiesbaden: Reichert
8. ^ 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