ἑάφθη

Ancient Greek

Etymology

Uncertain, particularly as its meaning is poorly understood (see Usage notes for more). Perhaps from Proto-Indo-European *sengʷ- (“to sink, to drop”), and thus cognate with English sink, as well as Old Armenian անկանիմ (ankanim) and ընկենում (ənkenum).

Pronunciation

 

• IPA^(key): /he.ápʰ.tʰɛː/ → /eˈaɸ.θi/ → /eˈaf.θi/

• (5^th BCE Attic) IPA^(key): /he.ápʰ.tʰɛː/
• (1^st CE Egyptian) IPA^(key): /(h)eˈapʰ.tʰe̝/
• (4^th CE Koine) IPA^(key): /eˈaɸ.θi/
• (10^th CE Byzantine) IPA^(key): /eˈaf.θi/
• (15^th CE Constantinopolitan) IPA^(key): /eˈaf.θi/

Verb

ἑάφθη • (heáphthē)

1. The meaning of this term is uncertain.
   • 800 BCE – 600 BCE, Homer, Iliad 13.543
   • 800 BCE – 600 BCE, Homer, Iliad 14.419
   • Hesychius Ε

Usage notes

The word is used only twice in the Iliad. Even in antiquity the meaning was poorly understood. Tyrannion argued for interpreting it as ἥφθη (hḗphthē), an unattested aorist of ἅπτω (háptō, “fasten”). Aristarchus connected it to ἕπομαι (hépomai, “follow”). Hesychius glossed the word as ἐκάμφθη (ekámphthē), ἐβλάβη (eblábē). Also possibly related to ἰάπτω (iáptō). More modern studies connect it to Gothic 𐍃𐌹𐌲𐌵𐌰𐌽 (sigqan, “sink”) or Gothic 𐍃𐌹𐌲𐌲𐍅𐌰𐌽 (siggwan, “sing”).

References

• “ἑάφθη”, in Liddell & Scott (1940) A Greek–English Lexicon, Oxford: Clarendon Press
• “ἑάφθη”, in Liddell & Scott (1889) An Intermediate Greek–English Lexicon, New York: Harper & Brothers
• “ἑάφθη”, in Autenrieth, Georg (1891) A Homeric Dictionary for Schools and Colleges, New York: Harper and Brothers
• ἑάφθη in Bailly, Anatole (1935) Le Grand Bailly: Dictionnaire grec-français, Paris: Hachette
• ἑάφθη in Cunliffe, Richard J. (1924) A Lexicon of the Homeric Dialect: Expanded Edition, Norman: University of Oklahoma Press, published 1963
• ἑάφθη in the Diccionario Griego–Español en línea (2006–2024)
• LSJ 8th edition
• Beekes, Robert S. P. (2010) Etymological Dictionary of Greek (Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series; 10), with the assistance of Lucien van Beek, Leiden, Boston: Brill, →ISBN