ὑποτίθημι

Forms

ὑποτίθημῐ (hupotíthēmi) ^[1]

Etymology

It is formed from Ancient Greek ὑπο- (hupo-, “under”) + τίθημι (títhēmi, “to put, place”).^[1][2]

Earliest recorded meaning

In the Iliad it is used, with the prefix separated from the verb, of placing wheels under the bases of tripods.^[3][4] In the middle voice Homer uses it for putting an idea into someone's mind, to suggest or advise.^[5][4]

Semantic evolution

Hesiod's Theogony uses the middle for a deity explaining a trick, and Theognis and Herodotus for giving advice,^[4] and Herodotus also uses it for laying down instructions.^[4][3] From “set down as a basis” came the sense “propose to oneself”, a subject or goal, and in Plato and Aristotle “assume as a premise”, the source of ὑπόθεσις (hupóthesis).^[4][2] In financial language it meant to pledge property as security, to mortgage, a use found from Herodotus and common in Demosthenes, whence ὑποθήκη (hupothḗkē, “pledge”).^[4]

The Modern Greek verb is the remodelled υποθέτω (ypothéto), formed after θέτω (théto), and its sense “suppose” is partly a semantic loan from French supposer.^[6][2]

Timeline

• Homer – The Iliad uses it for placing something under, and the Odyssey in the middle for advising.^[3][5]
• Before the 6th century BC – Hesiod's Theogony uses it for explaining a trick.^[4][7]
• 5th century BC – Herodotus uses it for pledging property as security.^[4]
• 5th–4th century BC – Plato uses the middle for assuming a premise.^[4][2]
• 3rd century BC – Papyri use it for enclosing a copy of a document.^[3]
• Modern Greek – υποθέτω (ypothéto) means to suppose.^[6]

Meanings

Verb

1. To place under, put underneath.^[3][4]
2. To classify under a heading or art.^[3][4]
3. To set before someone, hold out a hope; to put forward an argument.^[3][4]
4. (middle) To suggest, advise; to enjoin, instruct.^[5][3][4]
5. To lay down as a foundation,^[4] (middle) to propose a subject or goal to oneself.^[4]
6. (middle, philosophy) To assume as a premise, suppose.^[4]
7. To pledge as security, mortgage,^[4] (middle) to lend on security.^[4]
8. To stake, risk one's life.^[4]
9. To enclose or append a document.^[3]

Word family

• ὑπόθεσις (hupóthesis)
• ὑποθήκη (hupothḗkē)

Related words

• τίθημι (títhēmi)

References

1. ^ a b c d e Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d Babiniotis, Georgios (2010), Ετυμολογικό λεξικό της νέας ελληνικής γλώσσας [Etymological Dictionary of Modern Greek], Athens: Κέντρο Λεξικολογίας
3. ^ a b c d e f g h i Liddell, Henry George; Scott, Robert; Jones, Henry Stuart (1940), A Greek-English Lexicon, 9th ed., Oxford: Clarendon Press
4. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s Diggle, James, et al., eds. (2021), The Cambridge Greek Lexicon, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press
5. ^ a b c Cunliffe, Richard John (1924), A Lexicon of the Homeric Dialect, London: Blackie and Son
6. ^ a b Ινστιτούτο Νεοελληνικών Σπουδών (Ίδρυμα Μανόλη Τριανταφυλλίδη) (1998), Λεξικό της κοινής νεοελληνικής, Thessaloniki: Aristotle University of Thessaloniki
7. ^ Keersmaekers, Alek (2021–2025), GLAUx: The Greek Language Automated corpus, https://github.com/alekkeersmaekers/glaux