δικεῖν

Ancient Greek

Etymology

From an unattested *δίκω (*díkō), of uncertain origin:

• Beekes takes the word as Pre-Greek, perhaps because of a lack of a clear Indo-European etymology as well as the related δίκτυον (díktuon, “fishing net”) being difficult to reconcile as Indo-European.
• Brugmann and Gonda connect the word to δείκνῡμῐ (deíknūmĭ, “to point out, display”), which Beekes rejects on semantic grounds.
• Rix derives the word from a Proto-Indo-European *deyḱ- (“to throw”), comparing Khotanese [script needed] (dīśś-, “to throw”). Beekes appears to consider this possible, but prefers the Pre-Greek derivation.

Pronunciation

 

• IPA^(key): /di.kêːn/ → /ðiˈcin/ → /ðiˈcin/

• (5^th BCE Attic) IPA^(key): /di.kêːn/
• (1^st CE Egyptian) IPA^(key): /diˈkin/
• (4^th CE Koine) IPA^(key): /ðiˈcin/
• (10^th CE Byzantine) IPA^(key): /ðiˈcin/
• (15^th CE Constantinopolitan) IPA^(key): /ðiˈcin/

Verb

δῐκεῖν • (dĭkeîn)

1. to throw, cast
2. to aim (on high)

Conjugation

   Aorist: ἔδῐκον

number		singular			dual		plural
		first	second	third	second	third	first	second	third
active	indicative	ἔδῐκον	ἔδῐκες	ἔδῐκε(ν)	ἐδῐ́κετον	ἐδῐκέτην	ἐδῐ́κομεν	ἐδῐ́κετε	ἔδῐκον
	subjunctive	δῐ́κω	δῐ́κῃς	δῐ́κῃ	δῐ́κητον	δῐ́κητον	δῐ́κωμεν	δῐ́κητε	δῐ́κωσῐ(ν)
	optative	δῐ́κοιμῐ	δῐ́κοις	δῐ́κοι	δῐ́κοιτον	δῐκοίτην	δῐ́κοιμεν	δῐ́κοιτε	δῐ́κοιεν
	imperative		δῐ́κε	δῐκέτω	δῐ́κετον	δῐκέτων		δῐ́κετε	δῐκόντων
		active
infinitive		δῐκεῖν
participle	m	δῐκών
	f	δῐκοῦσᾰ
	n	δῐκόν
Notes:	This table gives Attic inflectional endings. For conjugation in dialects other than Attic, see Appendix:Ancient Greek dialectal conjugation.

Derived terms

• δίκτυον (díktuon, “fishing net”)
• δίσκος (dískos, “discus”)

Further reading

• “δικεῖν”, in Liddell & Scott (1940) A Greek–English Lexicon, Oxford: Clarendon Press
• “δικεῖν”, in Liddell & Scott (1889) An Intermediate Greek–English Lexicon, New York: Harper & Brothers
• δικεῖν in Bailly, Anatole (1935) Le Grand Bailly: Dictionnaire grec-français, Paris: Hachette
• δικεῖν in the Diccionario Griego–Español en línea (2006–2025)
• Woodhouse, S. C. (1910) English–Greek Dictionary: A Vocabulary of the Attic Language‎^[1], London: Routledge & Kegan Paul Limited.
  • cast idem, page 116.
  • fling idem, page 328.
  • heave idem, page 393.
  • hurl idem, page 411.
  • throw idem, page 871.
  • toss idem, page 884.