ἐπιούσιος

Ancient Greek

Etymology

Unknown. Ultimately either from ἐπῐ́ (epĭ́, “on”) +‎ εἶμῐ (eîmĭ, “go, come”) or from ἐπῐ́ (epĭ́, “on”) +‎ εἰμῐ́ (eimĭ́, “be”). Possible etymologies include:

1. From the phrase ἡ ἐπῐοῦσᾰ ἡμέρᾱ (hē epĭoûsă hēmérā, “the following day”), essentially breaking down into ἐπῐοῦσᾰ (epĭoûsă, “next, following”) +‎ -ῐος (-ĭos, adjectival suffix), where ἐπῐοῦσᾰ (epĭoûsă) is the feminine nominative singular of ἐπῐών (epĭṓn) the present participle of ἔπειμῐ (épeimĭ) (“follow, come after”) from ἐπ- (ep-, “on”) +‎ εἶμῐ (eîmĭ, “go, come”).
2. From the phrase ἐπὶ τὴν οὖσᾰν ἡμέρᾱν (epì tḕn oûsăn hēmérān, “for the actual/current day, lit. for the day being”), essentially breaking down into ἐπῐ- (epĭ-, “on”) +‎ οὖσᾰ (oûsă, “being, actual”) +‎ -ῐος (-ĭos, adjectival suffix), where οὖσᾰ (oûsă) is the feminine nominative singular of ὤν (ṓn), the present participle of εἰμῐ́ (eimĭ́) (“be”).
3. From ἐπῐ- (epĭ-, “on”) +‎ οὐσῐ́ᾱ (ousĭ́ā, “essence, existence, substance”) +‎ -ῐος (-ĭos, adjectival suffix), cognate with ἐπουσῐ́ᾱ (epousĭ́ā, “surplus”) from ἐπών (epṓn, “remaining”), the present participle of ἔπειμῐ (épeimĭ) (“remain, be left over”) from ἐπ- (ep-, “on”) +‎ εἰμῐ́ (eimĭ́, “be”), but a separate Koine innovation of the roots to explain why the iota of ἐπῐ́ (epĭ́) was not dropped.

Not attested outside of the Lord's Prayer in Matthew 6:11 and Luke 11:3, in the phrase τὸν ἄρτον ἡμῶν τὸν ἐπῐούσῐον (tòn árton hēmôn tòn epĭoúsĭon), traditionally rendered as "our daily bread".

Adjective

ἐπῐούσῐος • (epĭoúsĭos) m or f (neuter ἐπῐούσῐον); second declension

1. The meaning of this term is uncertain. Possibilities include:
   1. for tomorrow, for the future (for possible etymology #1)
   2. daily, sufficient for the day (for possible etymology #2)
   3. essential, necessary, supersubstantial (for possible etymology #3)

Inflection

Second declension of ἐπῐούσῐος; ἐπῐούσῐον (Attic)

Number		Singular			Dual			Plural
Case/Gender		Masculine / Feminine	Neuter		Masculine / Feminine	Neuter		Masculine / Feminine	Neuter
Nominative		ἐπῐούσῐος epĭoúsĭos	ἐπῐούσῐον epĭoúsĭon		ἐπῐουσῐ́ω epĭousĭ́ō	ἐπῐουσῐ́ω epĭousĭ́ō		ἐπῐούσῐοι epĭoúsĭoi	ἐπῐούσῐᾰ epĭoúsĭă
Genitive		ἐπῐουσῐ́ου epĭousĭ́ou	ἐπῐουσῐ́ου epĭousĭ́ou		ἐπῐουσῐ́οιν epĭousĭ́oin	ἐπῐουσῐ́οιν epĭousĭ́oin		ἐπῐουσῐ́ων epĭousĭ́ōn	ἐπῐουσῐ́ων epĭousĭ́ōn
Dative		ἐπῐουσῐ́ῳ epĭousĭ́ōi	ἐπῐουσῐ́ῳ epĭousĭ́ōi		ἐπῐουσῐ́οιν epĭousĭ́oin	ἐπῐουσῐ́οιν epĭousĭ́oin		ἐπῐουσῐ́οις epĭousĭ́ois	ἐπῐουσῐ́οις epĭousĭ́ois
Accusative		ἐπῐούσῐον epĭoúsĭon	ἐπῐούσῐον epĭoúsĭon		ἐπῐουσῐ́ω epĭousĭ́ō	ἐπῐουσῐ́ω epĭousĭ́ō		ἐπῐουσῐ́ους epĭousĭ́ous	ἐπῐούσῐᾰ epĭoúsĭă
Vocative		ἐπῐούσῐε epĭoúsĭe	ἐπῐούσῐον epĭoúsĭon		ἐπῐουσῐ́ω epĭousĭ́ō	ἐπῐουσῐ́ω epĭousĭ́ō		ἐπῐούσῐοι epĭoúsĭoi	ἐπῐούσῐᾰ epĭoúsĭă
Derived forms		Adverb			Comparative			Superlative
		ἐπῐουσῐ́ως epĭousĭ́ōs			ἐπῐουσῐώτερος epĭousĭṓteros			ἐπῐουσῐώτᾰτος epĭousĭṓtătos
Notes:		This table gives Attic inflectional endings. For declension in other dialects, see Appendix:Ancient Greek dialectal declension.

Descendants

• Greek: επιούσιος (epioúsios)

See also

• supersubstantialis
• supersubstantial
• насѫщьнъ (nasǫštĭnŭ)

References

• “ἐπιούσιος”, in Liddell & Scott (1940) A Greek–English Lexicon, Oxford: Clarendon Press
• “ἐπιούσιος”, in Liddell & Scott (1889) An Intermediate Greek–English Lexicon, New York: Harper & Brothers
• ἐπιούσιος in Bailly, Anatole (1935) Le Grand Bailly: Dictionnaire grec-français, Paris: Hachette
• G1967 in Strong, James (1979) Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance to the Bible
• M. Nijman and K. A. Worp. "ΕΠΙΟΥΣΙΟΣ in a documentary papyrus?". Novum Testamentum XLI (1999) 3 (July), p. 231-234.
• B.M. Metzger, "How Many Times Does ΕΠΙΟΥΣΙΟΣ Occur outside The Lord's Prayer?" ExpTimes 69 (1957–58) 52-54.