ἔλλειψις Ancient Greek · revision 3152

+ {{infobox|confidence=established|formation=derivation|attested=5th century BC, Democritus|origins=ine-pro *leykʷ-}}

+

+ ==Pronunciation==

+ * IPA (5th-century BC Attic): /él.leːp.sis/^(Wiktionary)

+ * IPA (4th-century AD Koine): /ˈel.lip.sis/^(Wiktionary)

+ * IPA (10th-century Byzantine): /ˈel.lip.sis/^(Wiktionary)

+

+ ==Forms==

+ '''ἔλλειψῐς''' (élleipsis) ''f'' (genitive ἐλλείψεως); third declension^(Wiktionary)

+

+ ==Etymology==

+ It is derived from [[ἐλλείπω|tr=elleípō|t=to fall short, omit]] with the suffix [[m|grc|-σις|tr=-sis]].^(Wiktionary) The verb is formed from [[ἐν|tr=en|t=in]] and [[λείπω|tr=leípō|t=to leave]], from [[ine-pro|*leykʷ-|t=to leave behind]].^(Wiktionary)^(Beekes 2010)

+

+ ==Earliest recorded meaning==

+ Democritus and Plato use it for falling short, as opposed to excess.^(LSJ 1940)^(BDAG 2000)

+

+ ==Semantic evolution==

+ In Plato and Aristotle deficiency and excess are opposed: Aristotle's ethics places virtue at the mean between them.^(LSJ 1940)^(DGE) Mathematicians gave it technical senses: Apollonius of Perga named the conic section ''ellipse'' because a certain rectangle “falls short”, and Diophantus used it for the negative terms of an equation.^(LSJ 1940) Grammarians used it for the omission of a word, ellipsis, and of a letter.^(LSJ 1940)^(Wiktionary) It was also used for an eclipse, and by the Pythagoreans as a name for the number two.^(LSJ 1940)

+

+ Latin borrowed it as [[m|la|ellīpsis]].^(Wiktionary) Modern Greek has [[m|el|έλλειψη|tr=élleipsi]].^(Wiktionary)

+

+ ==Timeline==

+ * 5th century BC – Democritus uses it for falling short.^(LSJ 1940)^(BDAG 2000)

+ * 4th century BC – Aristotle opposes it to excess.^(LSJ 1940)^(DGE)

+ * 3rd century BC (probably) – Apollonius of Perga names the ellipse.^(LSJ 1940)

+ * 2nd century AD – Apollonius Dyscolus uses it for grammatical ellipsis.^(LSJ 1940)

+ * 3rd century AD – Diophantus uses it for negative terms.^(LSJ 1940)

+

+ ==Meanings==

+ ===Noun===

+ # A falling short, deficiency, defect, as opposed to excess.^(LSJ 1940)^(CGL 2021)

+ # ''(geometry)'' An [[m|en|ellipse]].^(LSJ 1940)^(Wiktionary)

+ # ''(algebra)'' Negative terms.^(LSJ 1940)

+ # ''(grammar)'' [[m|en|ellipsis]], the omission of a word; the omission of a letter.^(LSJ 1940)^(Wiktionary)

+ # An [[m|en|eclipse]].^(LSJ 1940)^(Wiktionary)

+

+ ==Related words==

+ * [[ἐλλείπω|tr=elleípō]]

+ * [[λείπω|tr=leípō]]

+ * [[ἔκλειψις|tr=ékleipsis]]

+ * [[en|ellipsis]]

+ * [[en|ellipse]]

+

+ ==References==

+ {{reflist}}