ὄψις

Forms

ὄψῐς (ópsis) f (genitive ὄψεως); third declension^[1]

Etymology

It is inherited from Proto-Hellenic *ókʷtis, inherited from Proto-Indo-European *h₃ékʷtis, an action noun from Proto-Indo-European *h₃ekʷ- (“eye, to see”).^[1][2] Within Greek it is the action noun of the verb whose perfect is ὄπωπα (ópōpa) and future ὄψομαι (ópsomai), and whose present is supplied by ὁράω (horáō); the same root is in ὄσσε (ósse), ὄμμα (ómma), ὤψ (ṓps) and ὄψ (óps, “eye, face”).^[3][1] The Greek future, like Sanskrit ईक्षते (ī́kṣate, “to perceive”), was originally a desiderative.^[3]

Ancient writers had other ideas: the Etymologicum Magnum reports that Posidonius derived it from ἅπτω (háptō) “to kindle”, as the light that touches things, and offers also “to touch” and the future “I will see”.^[4][5]

Earliest recorded meaning

Homer is the first to use it: in the Iliad a child is frightened by the appearance of his father, and a man gazes at another's noble appearance.^[6][7] The Iliad also uses it for the faculty of sight.^[8]

Semantic evolution

Classical Greek used ὄψις for every side of seeing: the faculty of sight, the act of looking, close inspection and the witness of one's own eyes as opposed to hearsay, the presence of a person, and, seen the other way round, the appearance, face or shape of what is seen.^[8][6] Thucydides contrasts it with reality, as mere outward show.^[8][6] It also meant a striking sight or spectacle, and a vision in a dream, a frequent use in Herodotus.^[8][6] In Aristotle's Poetics ὄψις is the spectacle of a tragedy, one of its six parts.^[6] Plato uses it for the visual impression of an object.^[6]

In the New Testament it means seeing and the outward appearance.^[9] Compounds such as σύνοψις (súnopsis) and πρόσοψις (prósopsis) were formed on it.^[3]

Medieval Greek kept the word for the outward appearance of a person or thing.^[10] Modern Greek has it as the learned Modern Greek όψη (ópsi), for the act of seeing in phrases such as “at first sight” and, after French aspect and face, for the aspect or side of a thing.^[11][12]

Timeline

• Homer – The Iliad uses it of a person's appearance and of sight.^[6][8]
• 5th century BC – Herodotus uses it of visions in dreams, and Thucydides of outward show.^[6][8][13]
• 5th–4th century BC – Plato uses it for the visual impression of an object.^[6][13]
• 4th century BC – Aristotle's Poetics names the spectacle of a tragedy ὄψις.^[6][13]
• 1st century AD – The New Testament uses it for seeing and the outward appearance.^[9]
• Modern Greek – The learned όψη means sight and the aspect of a thing.^[11]

Meanings

Noun

1. The faculty of sight, vision.^[8][6]
2. The act of seeing; a look, glance; close inspection.^[8]
3. Seeing with one's own eyes, as opposed to report; observation.^[8]
4. The sight or presence of a person.^[8]
5. The appearance of a person or thing; the face, countenance, shape.^[6][8]
6. Outward show, as opposed to reality.^[8][6]
7. A thing seen, a spectacle; in drama, the staging.^[6][8]
8. A vision or apparition, especially in a dream.^[6][8]

Word family

• ἄποψις (ápopsis)
• δίοψις (díopsis)
• εἴσοψις (eísopsis)
• ἔποψις (épopsis)
• ὀπτικός (optikós)
• πρόοψις (próopsis)
• πρόσοψις (prósopsis)
• σύνοψις (súnopsis)
• κάκοψις (kákopsis)
• κάτοψις (kátopsis)
• ὑπέροψις (hupéropsis)

Related words

• ὄμμα (ómma)
• ὄσσε (ósse)
• ὄψ (óps)
• ὄψομαι (ópsomai)
• ὤψ (ṓps)

References

1. ^ a b c d e f Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ Wodtko, Dagmar S.; Irslinger, Britta; Schneider, Carolin (2008), Nomina im indogermanischen Lexikon, Heidelberg: Winter
3. ^ a b c 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. ^ Etygram: ancient etymologies of Greek words, CEPAM, Université Côte d'Azur, http://appsweb-cepam.unice.fr/etygram
5. ^ Gaisford, Thomas, ed. (1848), Etymologicum Magnum, Oxford: Oxford University Press
6. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o Liddell, Henry George; Scott, Robert; Jones, Henry Stuart (1940), A Greek-English Lexicon, 9th ed., Oxford: Clarendon Press
7. ^ Keersmaekers, Alek (2021–2025), GLAUx: The Greek Language Automated corpus, https://github.com/alekkeersmaekers/glaux
8. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n Diggle, James, et al., eds. (2021), The Cambridge Greek Lexicon, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press
9. ^ a b 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
10. ^ Kriaras, Emmanuel, Επιτομή του Λεξικού της μεσαιωνικής ελληνικής δημώδους γραμματείας 1100–1669, Κέντρο Ελληνικής Γλώσσας, https://www.greek-language.gr
11. ^ a b Ινστιτούτο Νεοελληνικών Σπουδών (Ίδρυμα Μανόλη Τριανταφυλλίδη) (1998), Λεξικό της κοινής νεοελληνικής, Thessaloniki: Aristotle University of Thessaloniki
12. ^ Babiniotis, Georgios (2010), Ετυμολογικό λεξικό της νέας ελληνικής γλώσσας [Etymological Dictionary of Modern Greek], Athens: Κέντρο Λεξικολογίας
13. ^ a b c Rodríguez Adrados, Francisco, et al., eds. (1980–), Diccionario Griego-Español, Madrid: CSIC, http://dge.cchs.csic.es/xdge