πρέπω

Ancient Greek

FWOTD – 10 October 2014

Etymology

From Proto-Indo-European *prep- (“to appear, be conspicuous”). Cognates include Old Armenian երեւիմ (erewim, “to become visible, appear”), Old Irish richt (“shape”), Welsh rhith (“species”), and perhaps Old High German furben (“to clean”).

Pronunciation

 

• IPA^(key): /pré.pɔː/ → /ˈpre.po/ → /ˈpre.po/

• (5^th BCE Attic) IPA^(key): /pré.pɔː/
• (1^st CE Egyptian) IPA^(key): /ˈpre.po/
• (4^th CE Koine) IPA^(key): /ˈpre.po/
• (10^th CE Byzantine) IPA^(key): /ˈpre.po/
• (15^th CE Constantinopolitan) IPA^(key): /ˈpre.po/

Verb

πρέπω • (prépō)

1. to be clearly seen, to be visible or conspicuous among a number
   • 800 BCE – 600 BCE, Homer, Iliad 12.104
   • 800 BCE – 600 BCE, Homer, Odyssey 8.172
   1. to be heard
      • 458 BCE, Aeschylus, Agamemnon 321
   2. to smell strong
      • 458 BCE, Aeschylus, Agamemnon 1311
2. to be conspicuously like, to be like, to resemble
   • 522 BCE – 443 BCE, Pindar, Pythian Ode 2.70
3. to be conspicuously fit, to become, beseem, suit
   • 522 BCE – 443 BCE, Pindar, Isthmian Ode 5(4).20
   1. (in participle)
      1. (neuter participle) that which is seemly, fitness, propriety, decorum
         • 390 BCE, Plato, Hippias Major 294A
   2. (rarely with a person as the subject) fit
      • 429 BCE, Sophocles, Oedipus the King 9
   3. (mostly impersonal) it is fitting, it beseems, suits, becomes
      • 6th century BC, Theognis of Megara, 235
      1. (with personal accusative and infinitive)
         • 522 BCE – 443 BCE, Pindar, Olympian Ode 2.83
      2. (with infinitive only)
         • 522 BCE – 443 BCE, Pindar, Nemean Ode 7.121
      3. when an accusative alone follows, an infinitive must be supplied
         • 460 BCE – 420 BCE, Herodotus, Histories 4.139
4. (transitive) to liken
   • 458 BCE, Aeschylus, Agamemnon 1328

Inflection

   Present: πρέπω

number		singular			dual		plural
		first	second	third	second	third	first	second	third
active	indicative	πρέπω	πρέπεις	πρέπει	πρέπετον	πρέπετον	πρέπομεν	πρέπετε	πρέπουσῐ(ν)
	subjunctive	πρέπω	πρέπῃς	πρέπῃ	πρέπητον	πρέπητον	πρέπωμεν	πρέπητε	πρέπωσῐ(ν)
	optative	πρέποιμῐ	πρέποις	πρέποι	πρέποιτον	πρεποίτην	πρέποιμεν	πρέποιτε	πρέποιεν
	imperative		πρέπε	πρεπέτω	πρέπετον	πρεπέτων		πρέπετε	πρεπόντων
		active
infinitive		πρέπειν
participle	m	πρέπων
	f	πρέπουσᾰ
	n	πρέπον
Notes:	This table gives Attic inflectional endings. For conjugation in dialects other than Attic, see Appendix:Ancient Greek dialectal conjugation.

   Imperfect: ἔπρεπον

number		singular			dual		plural
		first	second	third	second	third	first	second	third
active	indicative	ἔπρεπον	ἔπρεπες	ἔπρεπε(ν)	ἐπρέπετον	ἐπρεπέτην	ἐπρέπομεν	ἐπρέπετε	ἔπρεπον
Notes:	This table gives Attic inflectional endings. For conjugation in dialects other than Attic, see Appendix:Ancient Greek dialectal conjugation.

   Future: πρέψω

number		singular			dual		plural
		first	second	third	second	third	first	second	third
active	indicative	πρέψω	πρέψεις	πρέψει	πρέψετον	πρέψετον	πρέψομεν	πρέψετε	πρέψουσῐ(ν)
	optative	πρέψοιμῐ	πρέψοις	πρέψοι	πρέψοιτον	πρεψοίτην	πρέψοιμεν	πρέψοιτε	πρέψοιεν
		active
infinitive		πρέψειν
participle	m	πρέψων
	f	πρέψουσᾰ
	n	πρέψον
Notes:	This table gives Attic inflectional endings. For conjugation in dialects other than Attic, see Appendix:Ancient Greek dialectal conjugation.

   Aorist: ἔπρεψᾰ

number		singular			dual		plural
		first	second	third	second	third	first	second	third
active	indicative	ἔπρεψᾰ	ἔπρεψᾰς	ἔπρεψε(ν)	ἐπρέψᾰτον	ἐπρεψᾰ́την	ἐπρέψᾰμεν	ἐπρέψᾰτε	ἔπρεψᾰν
	subjunctive	πρέψω	πρέψῃς	πρέψῃ	πρέψητον	πρέψητον	πρέψωμεν	πρέψητε	πρέψωσῐ(ν)
	optative	πρέψαιμῐ	πρέψειᾰς, πρέψαις	πρέψειε(ν), πρέψαι	πρέψαιτον	πρεψαίτην	πρέψαιμεν	πρέψαιτε	πρέψειᾰν, πρέψαιεν
	imperative		πρέψον	πρεψᾰ́τω	πρέψᾰτον	πρεψᾰ́των		πρέψᾰτε	πρεψᾰ́ντων
		active
infinitive		πρέψαι
participle	m	πρέψᾱς
	f	πρέψᾱσᾰ
	n	πρέψᾰν
Notes:	This table gives Attic inflectional endings. For conjugation in dialects other than Attic, see Appendix:Ancient Greek dialectal conjugation.

Derived terms

• θεοπρόπος (theoprópos)
• -πρέπεια f (-prépeia)
• -πρεπής (-prepḗs)
  • ἀξιοπρεπής (axioprepḗs)
  • εὐπρεπής (euprepḗs)
• -πρεπόντως (-prepóntōs, adverbs)
• -πρεπῶς (-prepôs, adverbs)

Compounds of the verb:

• δῐᾰπρέπω (diaprépō, “be prominent”)
• ἐκπρέπω (ekprépō, “be excellent”)
• ἐμπρέπω (emprépō, “be conspicuous in”)
• ἐνδῐᾰπρέπω (endiaprépō, “be distinguished in”)
• ἐπῐπρέπω (epiprépō, “be conspicuous”)
• εὐπρεπέω (euprepéō, “be acceptable”)
• εὐπρεπῐ́ζω (euprepízō, “be acceptable”)
• μετᾰπρέπω (metaprépō, “distinguish oneself”)
• σῠμπρέπω (sumprépō, “befit”)

Descendants

• Greek: πρέπει (prépei) (this term descends in the impersonal form and as compound verbs)

• διαπρέπω (diaprépo, “to distinguish yourself”)
• ευπρεπίζω (efprepízo, “to tidy up”)

Further reading

• “πρέπω”, in Liddell & Scott (1940) A Greek–English Lexicon, Oxford: Clarendon Press
• “πρέπω”, in Liddell & Scott (1889) An Intermediate Greek–English Lexicon, New York: Harper & Brothers
• “πρέπω”, in Autenrieth, Georg (1891) A Homeric Dictionary for Schools and Colleges, New York: Harper and Brothers
• πρέπω in Bailly, Anatole (1935) Le Grand Bailly: Dictionnaire grec-français, Paris: Hachette
• πρέπω in Cunliffe, Richard J. (1924) A Lexicon of the Homeric Dialect: Expanded Edition, Norman: University of Oklahoma Press, published 1963
• “πρέπω”, in Slater, William J. (1969) Lexicon to Pindar, Berlin: Walter de Gruyter
• G4241 in Strong, James (1979) Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance to the Bible