ὀψέ

Forms

ὀψέ (opsé) ^[1] Aeolic ὄψι (ópsi).^[2][3]

Etymology

Wiktionary derives it from a form of Proto-Indo-European *h₁epi (“on”) and relates it to ὀπίσω (opísō, “behind, after”) and ὄπισθεν (ópisthen).^[1] Frisk compares the Aeolic form ὄψι (ópsi) with ὕψι (húpsi, “on high”), and sees in it an unextended *ὄψ (*óps), formed like ἄψ (áps, “back”) and identical with the Latin ops- found beside ob in obstendō.^[4][5]

Earliest recorded meaning

Homer uses it for “after a long time, at length”, as when Agamemnon says that Zeus fulfils his oaths, if not at once, then late; it also means late in the day.^[2][3]

Semantic evolution

Hesiod uses it of ploughing late in the season, and the tragedians of learning too late.^[2][3] In Attic prose it is “late in the day”, as in Thucydides and Xenophon, and with a genitive “late in the day” or “late in life”.^[2][3] In later Greek it could serve as a preposition meaning “after”, as perhaps in Matthew's “after the sabbath”.^[2][6]

In medieval Greek the phrase ἀπ' ὀψέ gave απόψε (apópse), the Modern Greek word for “tonight”.^[7][8][1] English learned words such as opsigamy “marriage late in life” are built on it.^[9]

Timeline

• Homer – The Iliad uses it for “late, at length”.^[2][10]
• Before the 6th century BC – Hesiod uses it for late in the season.^[2][3]
• 5th century BC – Thucydides uses it for late in the day.^[2][3]
• 1st century AD – Matthew perhaps uses it as a preposition, “after the sabbath”.^[2][6]
• 1824 – English coins opsigamy from it.^[9]
• Modern Greek – απόψε (apópse) “tonight” continues a phrase of ὀψέ with the preposition “from”.^[7][8]

Meanings

Adverb

1. After a long time, at length; too late.^[2][3]
2. Late in the day, in the evening.^[2][3][6]
3. Late in the season.^[2][3]
4. (with genitive) Late in a period: late in the day, late in life.^[2][3]

Preposition

1. (later Greek, with genitive) after.^[2][6]

Word family

• ὀψίγονος (opsígonos)
• ὄψιμος (ópsimos)
• ὄψιος (ópsios)

Related words

• ὀπίσω (opísō)
• ὄπισθεν (ópisthen)
• English opsigamy

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 l m n Liddell, Henry George; Scott, Robert; Jones, Henry Stuart (1940), A Greek-English Lexicon, 9th ed., Oxford: Clarendon Press
3. ^ a b c d e f g h i j Diggle, James, et al., eds. (2021), The Cambridge Greek Lexicon, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press
4. ^ Frisk, Hjalmar (1960–1972), Griechisches etymologisches Wörterbuch, 3 vols, Heidelberg: Carl Winter
5. ^ 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
6. ^ a b c d 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
7. ^ a b Ινστιτούτο Νεοελληνικών Σπουδών (Ίδρυμα Μανόλη Τριανταφυλλίδη) (1998), Λεξικό της κοινής νεοελληνικής, Thessaloniki: Aristotle University of Thessaloniki
8. ^ a b Babiniotis, Georgios (2010), Ετυμολογικό λεξικό της νέας ελληνικής γλώσσας [Etymological Dictionary of Modern Greek], Athens: Κέντρο Λεξικολογίας
9. ^ a b Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
10. ^ Keersmaekers, Alek (2021–2025), GLAUx: The Greek Language Automated corpus, https://github.com/alekkeersmaekers/glaux