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, “δʹ. Ἐς θεοὺς τοὺς λογίους εὐχή. [CHAPTER 4. Prayer to the Gods of Learning]”, in ΝΟΜΩΝ ΣΥΓΓΡΑΦΗ. [BOOK OF LAWS]‎^[1], translation of original by John Opsopaus, PhD:

     Ἄγετε δή, ὦ θεοὶ λόγιοι, οἵτινές τε καὶ ὅσοι ἐστὲ, οἳ ἐπιστήμας τε καὶ δόξας ἀληθεῖς ἐπιτροπεύετε, νέμετὲ τε οἷςπερ ἂν ἐθέλητε κατὰ τοῦ μεγάλου πατρὸς τῶν τε πάντων βασιλέως Διὸς 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; τῆς ἐπιστήμης (Attic)

Case / #	Singular	Dual	Plural
Nominative	ἡ ἐπιστήμη hē epistḗmē	τὼ ἐπιστήμᾱ tṑ epistḗmā	αἱ ἐπιστῆμαι hai epistêmai
Genitive	τῆς ἐπιστήμης tês epistḗmēs	τοῖν ἐπιστήμαιν toîn epistḗmain	τῶν ἐπιστημῶν tôn epistēmôn
Dative	τῇ ἐπιστήμῃ têi epistḗmēi	τοῖν ἐπιστήμαιν toîn epistḗmain	ταῖς ἐπιστήμαις taîs epistḗmais
Accusative	τὴν ἐπιστήμην tḕn epistḗmēn	τὼ ἐπιστήμᾱ tṑ epistḗmā	τᾱ̀ς ἐπιστήμᾱς tā̀s epistḗmās
Vocative	ἐπιστήμη epistḗmē	ἐπιστήμᾱ epistḗmā	ἐπιστῆμαι 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 "επ-ἰσταμαι", formed from "επἰ", 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