ἐν

See also: εν, ἐν-, ἕν, ἔν, and Appendix:Variations of "en"

Ancient Greek

Alternative forms

ἐνῐ́ (enĭ́), ἐνῑ́ (enī́), ἔνι (éni), εἰν (ein), εἰνῐ́ (einĭ́) — Epic, as necessary for meter
ἔν (én) — accented
ἐμ (em)
ἰν (in)

Etymology

PIE word
*h₁én

From Proto-Indo-European *h₁én (“in”), cognate with Latin in, Old Armenian ի (i), English in.^[1]

The dative is from the PIE locative. The genitive is an innovated Greek associative. The accusative is from the pre-PIE directional.

Pronunciation

(5^th BCE Attic) IPA^(key): /en/
(1^st CE Egyptian) IPA^(key): /en/
(4^th CE Koine) IPA^(key): /en/
(10^th CE Byzantine) IPA^(key): /en/
(15^th CE Constantinopolitan) IPA^(key): /en/

The final nasal assimilated to a following stop or nasal, so that the word was pronounced as if it were spelled ἐμ /em/ if the next word began in a labial (β, μ, π, φ, ψ), or ἐγ [eŋ] if the next word began in a velar (γ, κ, ξ, χ).

Preposition

ἐν • (en) (governs the dative, genitive, and accusative)

(location) (with dative) in, on, at; (with dative plural) among
- 800 BCE – 600 BCE, Homer, Odyssey 5.260–261, (wherein the first ἐν forms part of the phrasal adverb ἐν δ’ and αὐτῇ refers to σχεδίην in line 251):^[1]
  ἐν δ’ ὑπέρας τε κάλους τε πόδας τ’ ἐνέδησεν ἐν αὐτῇ,
  μοχλοῖσιν δ’ ἄρα τήν γε κατείρυσεν εἰς ἅλα δῖαν.
  en d’ hupéras te kálous te pódas t’ enédēsen en autêi,
  mokhloîsin d’ ára tḗn ge kateírusen eis hála dîan.
  1919 translation by Augustus Taber Murray^[2]
  And he made fast in the raft braces and halyards and sheets,
  and then with levers forced it down into the bright sea.
1. (elliptical, with genitive) in the house or the land of
2. surrounded by; wearing
  - 800 BCE – 600 BCE, Homer, Iliad 15.192:
    Ζεὺς δ’ ἔλαχ’ οὐρανὸν εὐρὺν ἐν αἰθέρι καὶ νεφέλῃσι
    Zeùs d’ élakh’ ouranòn eurùn en aithéri kaì nephélēisi
    [Poseidon answering Iris:]
    and Zeus got the wide heaven surrounded by clear air and clouds
  - Her., 2 159:
    ἐν τῇ δὲ ἐσθῆτι ἔτυχε ταῦτα κατεργασάμενος, ἀνέθηκε τῷ Ἀπόλλωνι πέμψας ἐς Βραγχίδας τὰς Μιλησίων.
    en têi dè esthêti étukhe taûta katergasámenos, anéthēke tôi Apóllōni pémpsas es Brankhídas tàs Milēsíōn.
    The clothes that he happened to be wearing when he achieved this, Necos dedicated to Apollo and sent to the Branchidae of Miletos.
(time) in, at, or during the time of

Derived terms

ἐν- (en-, prefix), ἐν δέ (en dé, adverb), and compounds

Descendants

Greek: εν (en)

References

^ Beekes, Robert S. P. (2010) “ἔν”, in Etymological Dictionary of Greek (Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series; 10), with the assistance of Lucien van Beek, Leiden, Boston: Brill, →ISBN, page 419

Greek

Adverb

ἐν • (en)

Polytonic spelling of εν (en, “in”)

[1] Beekes, Robert S. P. (2010) “ἔν”, in Etymological Dictionary of Greek (Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series; 10), with the assistance of Lucien van Beek, Leiden, Boston: Brill, →ISBN, page 419

[1]