Etymologically
Log in

ὄμνυμι

This is the current revision of this entry, as edited by bogdan on 24 October 2026 at 19:14. This address is a permanent link to this version.
Changes in this edit History

Pronunciation

  • 5th-century BC Attic: /óm.nyː.mi/[1]
  • 4th-century AD Koine: /ˈom.ny.mi/[1]
  • 10th-century Byzantine: /ˈom.ny.mi/[1]

Forms

ὄμνῡμῐ (ómnūmi) [1]

  • Also ὀμνύω (omnúō); future ὀμοῦμαι (omoûmai), aorist ὤμοσα (ṓmosa) (epic also ὄμοσσα (ómossa)), perfect ὀμώμοκα (omṓmoka), aorist passive ὠμόσθην (ōmósthēn).[2][3]

Etymology

It is inherited from Proto-Indo-European *h₃emh₃- (“to swear”).[1][2] Beekes reconstructs the root from the aorist ὀμόσαι (omósai), which is formed like ἀρόσαι (arósai) “to plough” from Proto-Indo-European *h₂erh₃-.[2][4] The nasal present ὄμνυμι, built like ὄλλυμι (óllūmi), confirms that the root ended in /h₃/, and the perfect ὀμώμοκα (omṓmoka) is a newer formation, first found in Attic.[2][5]

The verb has traditionally been compared with a Sanskrit athematic present meaning “to take hold of, to swear”.[2][4] The LIV reconstructs the root as Proto-Indo-European *h₂emh₃- (“to take hold of, seize”), with a development to “to swear”, and adds Latin amō (“to love”); this requires Greek to have assimilated the first vowel to the second.[6] Beekes rejects that view, because such an assimilation is not regular in Greek, and keeps a root with initial /h₃/.[2] Chantraine considered the etymology not securely established.[7]

Earliest recorded meaning

From Homer on it means to swear: with the oath as object (to swear an oath, or a false oath), with the person sworn to in the dative or with πρός (prós), and with the god or thing sworn by in the accusative, as when Hera is made to swear by the water of the Styx.[8][3][9]

Semantic evolution

In Classical Greek it is the ordinary verb for taking an oath.[3][5] Followed by a future infinitive it means to swear that one will do something, and the infinitive is often introduced by ἦ (ê) μήν (mḗn) in Attic.[3] Treaties quoted by Thucydides and Attic inscriptions prescribe the oath each party is to swear, and the orators use it of swearing to a peace.[3][5] Plato has an absolute use, “I would say it on oath”, of a statement one would back with one's word of honour.[3] The passive is rare: of an oath, to be sworn.[3][5]

In the Septuagint it occurs about 188 times, of swearing to someone, swearing to give something and swearing by God.[10] In the magical papyri it is used of conjuring a power by what it once swore.[11] The verb lives on in Modern Greek dialects, in Pontic, Cappadocian, Cypriot and Epirote forms meaning “to swear”.[5]

Timeline

  • Homer – The Iliad and the Odyssey use it for swearing oaths and for swearing by the gods and the Styx.[8][3]
  • Before the 6th century BC – Hesiod uses it of one who swears a false oath willingly.[3][12]
  • 5th century BC – Herodotus and the tragedians use it with the god sworn by in the accusative.[3][12]
  • 5th century BC – Thucydides quotes treaties that lay down the oath each side swears.[3][12]
  • 5th–4th century BC – Plato uses it absolutely, “to give one's word on oath”.[3][12]
  • 5th–4th century BC – Attic has the perfect ὀμώμοκα (omṓmoka).[5][3][12]
  • Septuagint – It is frequent of swearing to someone and of swearing by God.[10]

Meanings

Verb

  1. To swear, take an oath; with the oath as object, to swear an oath, and with ἐπίορκον (epíorkon), to swear falsely.[3][8][13]
  2. To swear to something, to affirm or confirm it by oath; with a future infinitive, to swear that one will do something.[3][14]
  3. To swear by a god or thing, calling it to witness (with the accusative).[3][9][15]
  4. (passive) Of an oath: to be sworn.[3][5]

Word family

  • ἀντόμνυμι (antómnumi)
  • ἀπόμνυμι (apómnumi)
  • διόμνυμι (diómnumi)
  • ἐξόμνυμι (exómnumi)
  • ἐπόμνυμι (epómnumi)
  • κατόμνυμι (katómnumi)
  • ὀμοτός (omotós)
  • προόμνυμι (proómnumi)
  • προσόμνυμι (prosómnumi)
  • συνόμνυμι (sunómnūmi)
  • ἀνώμοτος (anṓmotos)
  • συνωμότης (sunōmótēs)
  • ἀπώμοτος (apṓmotos)
  • διώμοτος (diṓmotos)
  • ἐπώμοτος (epṓmotos)
  • συνώμοτος (sunṓmotos)

References

  1. ^ a b c d e Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c d e f 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 o p q Liddell, Henry George; Scott, Robert; Jones, Henry Stuart (1940), A Greek-English Lexicon, 9th ed., Oxford: Clarendon Press
  4. ^ a b Frisk, Hjalmar (1960–1972), Griechisches etymologisches Wörterbuch, 3 vols, Heidelberg: Carl Winter
  5. ^ a b c d e f g Κέντρο Ελληνικής Γλώσσας, Βασικό Λεξικό της Αρχαίας Ελληνικής, Portal for the Greek Language, https://www.greek-language.gr
  6. ^ Rix, Helmut, et al. (2001), Lexikon der indogermanischen Verben, 2nd ed., Wiesbaden: Reichert
  7. ^ Charbonnet, André (2025), Chæréphon, v4.7: supplement to Bailly from papyri, inscriptions and recent lexica
  8. ^ a b c Cunliffe, Richard John (1924), A Lexicon of the Homeric Dialect, London: Blackie and Son
  9. ^ a b Autenrieth, Georg (1891), A Homeric Dictionary for Schools and Colleges, tr. Robert P. Keep, New York: Harper and Brothers
  10. ^ a b Lust, Johan; Eynikel, Erik; Hauspie, Katrin (2003), Greek-English Lexicon of the Septuagint, rev. ed., Stuttgart: Deutsche Bibelgesellschaft
  11. ^ Muñoz Delgado, Luis (2001), Léxico de magia y religión en los papiros mágicos griegos, Madrid: CSIC
  12. ^ a b c d e Rodríguez Adrados, Francisco, et al., eds. (1980–), Diccionario Griego-Español, Madrid: CSIC, http://dge.cchs.csic.es/xdge
  13. ^ Woordenboek Grieks/Nederlands (2012–), Amsterdam: Amsterdam University Press, https://woordenboekgrieks.nl
  14. ^ Liddell, Henry George; Scott, Robert (1889), An Intermediate Greek-English Lexicon, Oxford: Clarendon Press
  15. ^ Malhadas, Daisi; Dezotti, Maria Celeste C.; Neves, Maria Helena de Moura, eds. (2006–2010), Dicionário Grego-Português, São Paulo: Ateliê; digital ed. 3 (2022), UNESP Araraquara