πύστις

Ancient Greek

Etymology

From zero-grade of the root of πυνθάνομαι (punthánomai, “to inquire, find out”) +‎ -τις (-tis, verbal noun suffix). Compare πεῦσις (peûsis), from e-grade of the same root.

Pronunciation

 

• IPA^(key): /pýs.tis/ → /ˈpys.tis/ → /ˈpis.tis/

• (5^th BCE Attic) IPA^(key): /pýs.tis/
• (1^st CE Egyptian) IPA^(key): /ˈpys.tis/
• (4^th CE Koine) IPA^(key): /ˈpys.tis/
• (10^th CE Byzantine) IPA^(key): /ˈpys.tis/
• (15^th CE Constantinopolitan) IPA^(key): /ˈpis.tis/

Noun

πῠ́στῐς • (pŭ́stĭs) f (genitive πῠ́στεως); third declension

1. inquiry, question
   • 428 BCE – 347 BCE, Plato, Laches 196c:

     κοινὴ γὰρ ἔσται ἡ πύστις ὑπὲρ ἐμοῦ τε καὶ σοῦ

     koinḕ gàr éstai hē pústis hupèr emoû te kaì soû

     since the question will be shared on behalf of you and me.

2. What is learned by asking: news, report, information
   • 458 BCE, Euripides, Electra :

     ἢν μὲν ἔλθῃ πύστις εὐτυχὴς σέθεν

     ḕn mèn élthēi pústis eutukhḕs séthen

     if a good report comes from you

Declension

Third declension of ἡ πῠ́στῐς; τῆς πῠ́στεως (Attic)

Case / #	Singular	Dual	Plural
Nominative	ἡ πῠ́στῐς hē pŭ́stĭs	τὼ πῠ́στει tṑ pŭ́stei	αἱ πῠ́στεις hai pŭ́steis
Genitive	τῆς πῠ́στεως tês pŭ́steōs	τοῖν πῠστέοιν toîn pŭstéoin	τῶν πῠ́στεων tôn pŭ́steōn
Dative	τῇ πῠ́στει têi pŭ́stei	τοῖν πῠστέοιν toîn pŭstéoin	ταῖς πῠ́στεσῐ / πῠ́στεσῐν taîs pŭ́stesĭ(n)
Accusative	τὴν πῠ́στῐν tḕn pŭ́stĭn	τὼ πῠ́στει tṑ pŭ́stei	τᾱ̀ς πῠ́στεις tā̀s pŭ́steis
Vocative	πῠ́στῐ pŭ́stĭ	πῠ́στει pŭ́stei	πῠ́στεις pŭ́steis
Notes:	This table gives Attic inflectional endings. For declension in other dialects, see Appendix:Ancient Greek dialectal declension.

Further reading

• “πύστις”, in Liddell & Scott (1940) A Greek–English Lexicon, Oxford: Clarendon Press
• “πύστις”, in Liddell & Scott (1889) An Intermediate Greek–English Lexicon, New York: Harper & Brothers
• Woodhouse, S. C. (1910) English–Greek Dictionary: A Vocabulary of the Attic Language‎^[1], London: Routledge & Kegan Paul Limited.
  • information idem, page 439.
  • intelligence idem, page 448.
  • news idem, page 557.
  • tidings idem, page 874.
  • word idem, page 987.