ἐπιστήμη

See also: επιστήμη

Ancient Greek

Etymology

From ἐπίσταμαι (epístamai), from ἐπί (epí) +‎ ἵστημι (hístēmi).

Pronunciation

 

• IPA^(key): /e.pis.tɛ̌ː.mɛː/ → /e.pisˈti.mi/ → /e.pisˈti.mi/

• (5^th BCE Attic) IPA^(key): /e.pis.tɛ̌ː.mɛː/
• (1^st CE Egyptian) IPA^(key): /e.pisˈte̝.me̝/
• (4^th CE Koine) IPA^(key): /e.pisˈti.mi/
• (10^th CE Byzantine) IPA^(key): /e.pisˈti.mi/
• (15^th CE Constantinopolitan) IPA^(key): /e.pisˈti.mi/

Noun

ἐπιστήμη • (epistḗmē) f (genitive ἐπιστήμης); first declension

1. science
   • (Can we date this quote?), Plethon, “δでるたʹ. Ἐς θしーたεいぷしろんοおみくろんὺς τたうοおみくろんὺς λογίους εいぷしろんὐχή. [CHAPTER 4. Prayer to the Gods of Learning]”, in ΝにゅーΟおみくろんΜみゅーΩおめがΝにゅー ΣΥΓΓΡΑΦΗ. [BOOK OF LAWS]‎^[1], translation of original by John Opsopaus, PhD:

     Ἄγετε δή, ὦ θεοὶ λόγιοι, οおみくろんἵτινές τたうεいぷしろん κかっぱαあるふぁὶ ὅσοι ἐσしぐまτたうὲ, οおみくろんἳ ἐπιστήμας τたうεいぷしろん κかっぱαあるふぁὶ δόξας ἀληθεῖς ἐπιτροπεύετε, νέμετὲ τたうεいぷしろん οおみくろんἷςπερ ἂνにゅー ἐθέλητε κかっぱαあるふぁτたうὰ τたうοおみくろんῦ μεγάλου πぱいαあるふぁτたうρろーὸς τたうῶνにゅー τたうεいぷしろん πάντων βασιλέως Δでるたιいおたὸς βουλάς.

     Ágete dḗ, ô theoì lógioi, hoítinés te kaì hósoi estè, hoì epistḗmas te kaì dóxas alētheîs epitropeúete, németè te hoîsper àn ethélēte katà toû megálou patròs tôn te pántōn basiléōs Diòs boulás.

     Come to us, O gods of learning, whoever you may be, in whatever number you may be, you who preside over science and the truth, who distribute them to whomever you please, according to the decrees of the almighty father of all things, King Zeus.

2. knowledge

Inflection

First declension of ἡ ἐπιστήμη; τたうῆς ἐπιστήμης (Attic)

Case / #	Singular	Dual	Plural
Nominative	ἡ ἐπιστήμη hē epistḗmē	τたうὼ ἐπιστήμᾱ tṑ epistḗmā	αあるふぁἱ ἐπιστῆμみゅーαあるふぁιいおた hai epistêmai
Genitive	τたうῆς ἐπιστήμης tês epistḗmēs	τたうοおみくろんῖνにゅー ἐπιστήμαιν toîn epistḗmain	τたうῶνにゅー ἐπιστημῶνにゅー tôn epistēmôn
Dative	τたうῇ ἐπιστήμῃ têi epistḗmēi	τたうοおみくろんῖνにゅー ἐπιστήμαιν toîn epistḗmain	τたうαあるふぁῖς ἐπιστήμαις taîs epistḗmais
Accusative	τたうὴνにゅー ἐπιστήμην tḕn epistḗmēn	τたうὼ ἐπιστήμᾱ tṑ epistḗmā	τたうᾱ̀ς ἐπιστήμᾱς tā̀s epistḗmās
Vocative	ἐπιστήμη epistḗmē	ἐπιστήμᾱ epistḗmā	ἐπιστῆμみゅーαあるふぁιいおた epistêmai
Notes:	This table gives Attic inflectional endings. For declension in other dialects, see Appendix:Ancient Greek dialectal declension.

Descendants

• Greek: επιστήμη f (epistími)

References

• “ἐπιστήμη”, in Liddell & Scott (1940) A Greek–English Lexicon, Oxford: Clarendon Press
• “ἐπιστήμη”, in Liddell & Scott (1889) An Intermediate Greek–English Lexicon, New York: Harper & Brothers
• ἐπιστήμη in Bailly, Anatole (1935) Le Grand Bailly: Dictionnaire grec-français, Paris: Hachette
• Woodhouse, S. C. (1910) English–Greek Dictionary: A Vocabulary of the Attic Language‎^[2], London: Routledge & Kegan Paul Limited.
  • acquaintance idem, page 8.
  • experience idem, page 294.
  • familiarity idem, page 305.
  • information idem, page 439.
  • knowledge idem, page 472.
  • learning idem, page 483.
  • lore idem, page 500.
  • proficiency idem, page 653.
  • science idem, page 739.
  • theory idem, page 865.
  • understanding idem, page 913.
• Catriona Hanley (2001) Being and God in Aristotle and Heidegger: The Role of Method in Thinking the Infinite, page 4: “"Ἐπιστήμη" comes from the composition of "εいぷしろんπぱい-ἰσταμαι", formed from "εいぷしろんπぱいἰ", which means "upon"; plus the middle passive "ἵσταμαι", which means "to be set", or "to stand". "Ἐπιστήμη" then is the sort of knowledge that we can build upon, that which we set or stand other knowledge upon.”
• “ἐπιστήμη”, in ΛΟΓΕΙΟΝ [Logeion] (in English, French, Spanish, German, Dutch and Chinese), University of Chicago, 2011