ἐπιχαιρεκακία

Ancient Greek

FWOTD – 11 June 2017

Etymology

From ἐπῐχαιρέκᾰκος (epĭkhairékăkos) +‎ -ῐ́ᾱ (-ĭ́ā), from κᾰκός (kăkós, “evil”) + ἐπιχαίρω (epikhaírō, “I rejoice”), from ἐπι- (epi-) + χαίρω (khaírō).

Pronunciation

 

• IPA^(key): /e.pi.kʰai̯.re.ka.kí.aː/ → /e.pi.çɛ.re.kaˈci.a/ → /e.pi.çe.re.kaˈci.a/

• (5^th BCE Attic) IPA^(key): /e.pi.kʰai̯.re.ka.kí.aː/
• (1^st CE Egyptian) IPA^(key): /e.pi.kʰɛ.re.kaˈki.a/
• (4^th CE Koine) IPA^(key): /e.pi.çɛ.re.kaˈci.a/
• (10^th CE Byzantine) IPA^(key): /e.pi.çe.re.kaˈci.a/
• (15^th CE Constantinopolitan) IPA^(key): /e.pi.çe.re.kaˈci.a/

Noun

ἐπῐχαιρεκᾰκῐ́ᾱ • (epĭkhairekăkĭ́ā) f (genitive ἐπῐχαιρεκᾰκῐ́ᾱς); first declension

1. joy at the misfortune of another, spitefulness, schadenfreude, epicaricacy
   • 384 BCE – 322 BCE, Aristotle, Nicomachean Ethics 2.1107a.9–10:

     […] ἔνια γὰρ εὐθὺς ὠνόμασται συνειλημμένα μετὰ τῆς φαυλότητος, οἷον ἐπιχαιρεκακία ἀναισχυντία φθόνος, καὶ ἐπὶ τῶν πράξεων μοιχεία κλοπὴ ἀνδροφονία […]

     […] énia gàr euthùs ōnómastai suneilēmména metà tês phaulótētos, hoîon epikhairekakía anaiskhuntía phthónos, kaì epì tôn práxeōn moikheía klopḕ androphonía […]

     • 1911 translation by D. P. Chase

       […] for some have names that already imply badness, e.g. spite, shamelessness, envy, and in the case of actions adultery, theft, murder […]

   • 384 BCE – 322 BCE, Aristotle, Nicomachean Ethics 2.1108b.1:

     νέμεσις δὲ μεσότης φθόνου καὶ ἐπιχαιρεκακίας, εἰσὶ δὲ περὶ λύπην καὶ ἡδονὴν τὰς ἐπὶ τοῖς συμβαίνουσι τοῖς πέλας γινομένας […]

     némesis dè mesótēs phthónou kaì epikhairekakías, eisì dè perì lúpēn kaì hēdonḕn tàs epì toîs sumbaínousi toîs pélas ginoménas […]

     • 1911 translation by D. P. Chase

       Righteous indignation is a mean between envy and spite, and these states are concerned with the pain and pleasure that are felt at the fortunes of our neighbours […]

Inflection

First declension of ἡ ἐπῐχαιρεκᾰκῐ́ᾱ; τῆς ἐπῐχαιρεκᾰκῐ́ᾱς (Attic)

Case / #	Singular	Dual	Plural
Nominative	ἡ ἐπῐχαιρεκᾰκῐ́ᾱ hē epĭkhairekăkĭ́ā	τὼ ἐπῐχαιρεκᾰκῐ́ᾱ tṑ epĭkhairekăkĭ́ā	αἱ ἐπῐχαιρεκᾰκῐ́αι hai epĭkhairekăkĭ́ai
Genitive	τῆς ἐπῐχαιρεκᾰκῐ́ᾱς tês epĭkhairekăkĭ́ās	τοῖν ἐπῐχαιρεκᾰκῐ́αιν toîn epĭkhairekăkĭ́ain	τῶν ἐπῐχαιρεκᾰκῐῶν tôn epĭkhairekăkĭôn
Dative	τῇ ἐπῐχαιρεκᾰκῐ́ᾳ têi epĭkhairekăkĭ́āi	τοῖν ἐπῐχαιρεκᾰκῐ́αιν toîn epĭkhairekăkĭ́ain	ταῖς ἐπῐχαιρεκᾰκῐ́αις taîs epĭkhairekăkĭ́ais
Accusative	τὴν ἐπῐχαιρεκᾰκῐ́ᾱν tḕn epĭkhairekăkĭ́ān	τὼ ἐπῐχαιρεκᾰκῐ́ᾱ tṑ epĭkhairekăkĭ́ā	τᾱ̀ς ἐπῐχαιρεκᾰκῐ́ᾱς tā̀s epĭkhairekăkĭ́ās
Vocative	ἐπῐχαιρεκᾰκῐ́ᾱ epĭkhairekăkĭ́ā	ἐπῐχαιρεκᾰκῐ́ᾱ epĭkhairekăkĭ́ā	ἐπῐχαιρεκᾰκῐ́αι epĭkhairekăkĭ́ai
Notes:	This table gives Attic inflectional endings. For declension in other dialects, see Appendix:Ancient Greek dialectal declension.

Descendants

• → English: epicaricacy

References

• “ἐπιχαιρεκακία”, in Liddell & Scott (1940) A Greek–English Lexicon, Oxford: Clarendon Press
• ἐπιχαιρεκακία in Bailly, Anatole (1935) Le Grand Bailly: Dictionnaire grec-français, Paris: Hachette