αὐτόθεν

Ancient Greek

FWOTD – 11 February 2022

Etymology

αὐτός (autós, “the very, oneself”) +‎ -θεν (-then, “from”)

Pronunciation

 

• IPA^(key): /au̯.tó.tʰen/ → /aɸˈto.θen/ → /afˈto.θen/

• (5^th BCE Attic) IPA^(key): /au̯.tó.tʰen/
• (1^st CE Egyptian) IPA^(key): /aʍˈto.tʰen/
• (4^th CE Koine) IPA^(key): /aɸˈto.θen/
• (10^th CE Byzantine) IPA^(key): /afˈto.θen/
• (15^th CE Constantinopolitan) IPA^(key): /afˈto.θen/

Adverb

αὐτόθεν • (autóthen)

1. from that very place; often combined with a prepositional phrase headed by ἐξ (ex)
   • 800 BCE – 600 BCE, Homer, Iliad 19.77:

     τοῖσι δὲ καὶ μετέειπεν ἄναξ ἀνδρῶν Ἀγαμέμνων
     αὐτόθεν ἐξ ἕδρης

     toîsi dè kaì metéeipen ánax andrôn Agamémnōn
     autóthen ex hédrēs

     Agamemnon, king of men, spoke to them from his very seat

2. from oneself, of one's own accord
   • 350 BCE – 280 BCE, Demetrius of Phalerum, On Style 32
   • 458 CE – 538 CE, Damascius, Difficulties and Solutions of First Principles 351
3. at once, immediately
   • 385 BCE – 380 BCE, Plato, Symposium 213a:

     ἀλλά μοι λέγετε αὐτόθεν

     allá moi légete autóthen

     but tell me immediately