ἔθω

Ancient Greek

Etymology

PIE word
*swé

From Proto-Indo-European *swe-dʰh₁- (“custom, character”), from the reflexive pronoun *swé (“self”) + *dʰeh₁- (“to put, place, set”), equivalent to the acc. ἕ (hé) of οὗ (hoû, “him”) + τίθημι (títhēmi, “to set”): thus the original sense is to "set as one's own". Cognates include Latin suēscō, soleō, Sanskrit स्वधा (svadhā́) and Gothic 𐍃𐌹𐌳𐌿𐍃 (sidus).

Pronunciation

 

• IPA^(key): /é.tʰɔː/ → /ˈe.θo/ → /ˈe.θo/

• (5^th BCE Attic) IPA^(key): /é.tʰɔː/
• (1^st CE Egyptian) IPA^(key): /ˈe.tʰo/
• (4^th CE Koine) IPA^(key): /ˈe.θo/
• (10^th CE Byzantine) IPA^(key): /ˈe.θo/
• (15^th CE Constantinopolitan) IPA^(key): /ˈe.θo/

Verb

*ἔθω • (éthō) (found only in forms as at #Inflection)

1. (with infinitive) to be accustomed, to tend to
   • 391 BCE, Aristophanes, Assemblywomen 282
   • 405 BCE, Aristophanes, The Frogs 1
   • 460 BCE – 420 BCE, Herodotus, Histories 1.111
   • 460 BCE – 420 BCE, Herodotus, Histories 3.31
   • 460 BCE – 420 BCE, Herodotus, Histories 3.80
   • 800 BCE – 600 BCE, Homer, Iliad 5.231
   • 800 BCE – 600 BCE, Homer, Iliad 5.766
   • 800 BCE – 600 BCE, Homer, Iliad 8.408
   • 800 BCE – 600 BCE, Homer, Iliad 9.540
   • 800 BCE – 600 BCE, Homer, Iliad 16.260
   • 400 BCE – 387 BCE, Plato, Apology 27b
   • 46 CE – 120 CE, Plutarch, Sulla 9
   • 409 BCE, Sophocles, Philoctetes 939
   • 460 BCE – 395 BCE, Thucydides, History of the Peloponnesian War 1.99
   • 460 BCE – 395 BCE, Thucydides, History of the Peloponnesian War 2.51
   • 460 BCE – 395 BCE, Thucydides, History of the Peloponnesian War 4.17
   • 460 BCE – 395 BCE, Thucydides, History of the Peloponnesian War 4.55
   • 460 BCE – 395 BCE, Thucydides, Hist. 2.45.1:

     τὸν γὰρ οὐκ ὄντα ἅπας εἴωθεν ἐπαινεῖν

     tòn gàr ouk ónta hápas eíōthen epaineîn

     everybody tends to praise the deceased

   • 460 BCE – 395 BCE, Thucydides, Hist. 3.1.2:

     καὶ προσβολαί, ὥσπερ εἰώθεσαν, ἐγίγνοντο τῶν Ἀθηναίων ἱππέων

     kaì prosbolaí, hṓsper eiṓthesan, egígnonto tôn Athēnaíōn hippéōn

     the Athenian cavalry as usual attacked them

Inflection

Active present: Only the participle ἔθων (éthōn), ἔθουσᾰ (éthousă), ἔθοv (éthov)
Active present perfect used in present sense: see εἴωθα (eíōtha)

   Perfect: εἴωθᾰ (present sense)

number		singular			dual		plural
		first	second	third	second	third	first	second	third
active	indicative	εἴωθᾰ	εἴωθᾰς	εἴωθε(ν)	εἰώθᾰτον	εἰώθᾰτον	εἰώθᾰμεν	εἰώθᾰτε	εἰώθᾱσῐ(ν)
	subjunctive	εἰώθω	εἰώθῃς	εἰώθῃ	εἰώθητον	εἰώθητον	εἰώθωμεν	εἰώθητε	εἰώθωσῐ(ν)
	optative	εἰώθοιμῐ, εἰωθοίην	εἰώθοις, εἰωθοίης	εἰώθοι, εἰωθοίη	εἰώθοιτον	εἰωθοίτην	εἰώθοιμεν	εἰώθοιτε	εἰώθοιεν
	imperative		εἴωθε	εἰωθέτω	εἰώθετον	εἰωθέτων		εἰώθετε	εἰωθόντων
		active
infinitive		εἰωθέναι
participle	m	εἰωθώς
	f	εἰωθυῖᾰ
	n	εἰωθός
Notes:	This table gives Attic inflectional endings. For conjugation in dialects other than Attic, see Appendix:Ancient Greek dialectal conjugation.

   Perfect: ἔωθᾰ (Epic, Ionic; present sense)

number		singular			dual		plural
		first	second	third	second	third	first	second	third
active	indicative	ἔωθᾰ	ἔωθᾰς	ἔωθε(ν)	ἐώθᾰτον	ἐώθᾰτον	ἐώθᾰμεν	ἐώθᾰτε	ἐώθᾱσῐ(ν)
	subjunctive	ἐώθω	ἐώθῃς	ἐώθῃ	ἐώθητον	ἐώθητον	ἐώθωμεν	ἐώθητε	ἐώθωσῐ(ν)
	optative	ἐώθοιμῐ, ἐωθοίην	ἐώθοις, ἐωθοίης	ἐώθοι, ἐωθοίη	ἐώθοιτον	ἐωθοίτην	ἐώθοιμεν	ἐώθοιτε	ἐώθοιεν
	imperative		ἔωθε	ἐωθέτω	ἐώθετον	ἐωθέτων		ἐώθετε	ἐωθόντων
		active
infinitive		ἐωθέναι
participle	m	ἐωθώς
	f	ἐωθυῖᾰ
	n	ἐωθός
Notes:	This table gives Attic inflectional endings. For conjugation in dialects other than Attic, see Appendix:Ancient Greek dialectal conjugation.

   Perfect: ἔθωκᾰ (Doric; present sense)

number		singular			dual		plural
		first	second	third	second	third	first	second	third
active	indicative	ἔθωκᾰ	ἔθωκᾰς	ἔθωκε(ν)	ἐθώκᾰτον	ἐθώκᾰτον	ἐθώκᾰμεν	ἐθώκᾰτε	ἐθώκᾱσῐ(ν)
	subjunctive	ἐθώκω	ἐθώκῃς	ἐθώκῃ	ἐθώκητον	ἐθώκητον	ἐθώκωμεν	ἐθώκητε	ἐθώκωσῐ(ν)
	optative	ἐθώκοιμῐ, ἐθωκοίην	ἐθώκοις, ἐθωκοίης	ἐθώκοι, ἐθωκοίη	ἐθώκοιτον	ἐθωκοίτην	ἐθώκοιμεν	ἐθώκοιτε	ἐθώκοιεν
	imperative		ἔθωκε	ἐθωκέτω	ἐθώκετον	ἐθωκέτων		ἐθώκετε	ἐθωκόντων
		active
infinitive		ἐθωκέναι
participle	m	ἐθωκώς
	f	ἐθωκυῖᾰ
	n	ἐθωκός
Notes:	This table gives Attic inflectional endings. For conjugation in dialects other than Attic, see Appendix:Ancient Greek dialectal conjugation.

Active pluperfect used in imperfect sense:

   Pluperfect: εἰώθειν (imperfect sense)

number		singular			dual		plural
		first	second	third	second	third	first	second	third
active	indicative	εἰώθειν, εἰώθη	εἰώθεις, εἰώθης	εἰώθει(ν)	εἰώθετον	εἰωθέτην	εἰώθεμεν	εἰώθετε	εἰώθεσᾰν
Notes:	This table gives Attic inflectional endings. For conjugation in dialects other than Attic, see Appendix:Ancient Greek dialectal conjugation.

   Pluperfect: ἐώθειν (Ionic; imperfect sense)

number		singular			dual		plural
		first	second	third	second	third	first	second	third
active	indicative	ἐώθειν, ἐώθη	ἐώθεις, ἐώθης	ἐώθει(ν)	ἐώθετον	ἐωθέτην	ἐώθεμεν	ἐώθετε	ἐώθεσᾰν
Notes:	This table gives Attic inflectional endings. For conjugation in dialects other than Attic, see Appendix:Ancient Greek dialectal conjugation.

An aorist (past tense) *εἶθον is found only in Grammars and its infinitive εἰθεῖν (eitheîn) at Hesychius

Derived terms

• εἰωθώς m (eiōthṓs), εἰωθυίᾰ f (eiōthuíă), εἰωθός n (eiōthós, present perfect participle)
  • κατὰ τὸ εἰωθός (katà tò eiōthós, “according to custom”)
  • παρὰ τὸ εἰωθός (parà tò eiōthós, “contrary to custom”)
  • εἰωθότως (eiōthótōs, adverb)
• ἐθήμων (ethḗmōn)
• ἐθίζω (ethízō)
• ἔθος (éthos)
  • ἐθικός (ethikós)
• ἔθιμος (éthimos)
• ἔθνος (éthnos)
• ἦθος (êthos)

Further reading

• “ἔθω”, “εἴωθα”, in ΛΟΓΕΙΟΝ [Logeion] Dictionaries for Ancient Greek and Latin (in English, French, Spanish, German, Dutch and Chinese), University of Chicago, since 2011
• “ἔθω”, in Liddell & Scott (1940) A Greek–English Lexicon, Oxford: Clarendon Press
• “ἔθω”, in Liddell & Scott (1889) An Intermediate Greek–English Lexicon, New York: Harper & Brothers
• “ἔθω”, in Autenrieth, Georg (1891) A Homeric Dictionary for Schools and Colleges, New York: Harper and Brothers
• ἔθω in Bailly, Anatole (1935) Le Grand Bailly: Dictionnaire grec-français, Paris: Hachette
• Bauer, Walter et al. (2001) A Greek–English Lexicon of the New Testament and Other Early Christian Literature, Third edition, Chicago: University of Chicago Press
• ἔθω in Cunliffe, Richard J. (1924) A Lexicon of the Homeric Dialect: Expanded Edition, Norman: University of Oklahoma Press, published 1963
• ἔθω in the Diccionario Griego–Español en línea (2006–2025)
• G1486 in Strong, James (1979) Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance to the Bible