κατά

See also: κατα-, κατά-, and κᾷτα

Ancient Greek

Alternative forms

• κάδ (kád) — Epic, before δέ (dé)
• κατ᾽ — apocope before a vowel with smooth breathing
• καθ᾽ — apocope before a vowel with rough breathing
• κάγ (kág) — apocope before γ

Etymology

From Proto-Hellenic *kətá, perhaps from Proto-Indo-European *ḱm̥-teh₂, from *ḱóm.

Cognate with Hittite 𒅗𒀜𒋫 (katta, “down from, at, with, under”), Tocharian B kätk- (“to lower”) and perhaps Old Welsh cant, Modern Welsh gan (“with”).

The genitive is from the PIE ablative of separation. The accusative is from the pre-PIE directional and the PIE direct object.

Pronunciation

 

• IPA^(key): /ka.tá/ → /kaˈta/ → /kaˈta/

• (5^th BCE Attic) IPA^(key): /ka.tá/
• (1^st CE Egyptian) IPA^(key): /kaˈta/
• (4^th CE Koine) IPA^(key): /kaˈta/
• (10^th CE Byzantine) IPA^(key): /kaˈta/
• (15^th CE Constantinopolitan) IPA^(key): /kaˈta/

Preposition

κᾰτᾰ́ • (katá) (governs the genitive and accusative)

1. [+genitive]
   1. against, opposing
   2. into
   3. against
2. [+accusative]
   1. downwards
   2. along, through, in
   3. towards
   4. during
   5. for, for the purpose of
   6. according to, in conformity with

Derived terms

• κατα- (kata-, prefix)

Descendants

• Greek: κατά (katá)
• Latin: cata (see there for further descendants)
• English: cata-

Further reading

• “κατά”, in Liddell & Scott (1940) A Greek–English Lexicon, Oxford: Clarendon Press
• “κατά”, in Liddell & Scott (1889) An Intermediate Greek–English Lexicon, New York: Harper & Brothers
• “κατά”, in Autenrieth, Georg (1891) A Homeric Dictionary for Schools and Colleges, New York: Harper and Brothers
• κατά 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
• κατά in Cunliffe, Richard J. (1924) A Lexicon of the Homeric Dialect: Expanded Edition, Norman: University of Oklahoma Press, published 1963
• “κατά”, in Slater, William J. (1969) Lexicon to Pindar, Berlin: Walter de Gruyter
• G2596 in Strong, James (1979) Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance to the Bible
• κατά in Trapp, Erich, et al. (1994–2007) Lexikon zur byzantinischen Gräzität besonders des 9.-12. Jahrhunderts [the Lexicon of Byzantine Hellenism, Particularly the 9th–12th Centuries], Verlag der Österreichischen Akademie der Wissenschaften
• Woodhouse, S. C. (1910) English–Greek Dictionary: A Vocabulary of the Attic Language‎^[1], London: Routledge & Kegan Paul Limited.
  • about idem, page 2.
  • abuse idem, page 5.
  • accordance idem, page 7.
  • according to idem, page 7.
  • against idem, page 18.
  • agreeably idem, page 20.
  • along idem, page 25.
  • as idem, page 42.
  • base idem, page 64.
  • by idem, page 107.
  • case idem, page 116.
  • concerning idem, page 155.
  • connection idem, page 161.
  • defame idem, page 203.
  • down idem, page 249.
  • facing idem, page 300.
  • for idem, page 334.
  • front idem, page 346.
  • ground idem, page 375.
  • interest idem, page 450.
  • laugh idem, page 478.
  • libel idem, page 487.
  • mock idem, page 537.
  • off idem, page 569.
  • opposite idem, page 576.
  • reference idem, page 684.
  • regard idem, page 686.
  • regarding idem, page 686.
  • respect idem, page 703.
  • revile idem, page 710.
  • scoff idem, page 740.
  • search idem, page 746.
  • through idem, page 871.
  • throughout idem, page 871.
  • under idem, page 912.
  • up idem, page 937.
  • way idem, page 968.
• Beekes, Robert S. P. (2010) Etymological Dictionary of Greek (Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series; 10), with the assistance of Lucien van Beek, Leiden, Boston: Brill, →ISBN

Greek

Alternative forms

• κατ' (kat')
• καθ' (kath')

Etymology

From the Ancient Greek κᾰτά (katá).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /kaˈta/

Preposition

κατά • (katá)

1. (with genitive) versus, against

   Antonym: υπέρ (ypér)

   Έγινε έγκλημα κατά της Ελλάδας! ― Égine égklima katá tis Elládas! ― Crimes were committed against Greece!

2. (with accusative) towards

   Το δωμάτιο βλέπει κατά την ανατολή. ― To domátio vlépei katá tin anatolí. ― The room faces towards the east

3. (with accusative) during

   κατά τη διάρκεια του ταξιδιού ― katá ti diárkeia tou taxidioú ― during the trip (literally, “toward the duration of the trip”)

4. (with accusative) around, about, close to

   Θα έρθω κατά τις έξι το απόγευμα. ― Tha értho katá tis éxi to apógevma. ― I will come at about six in the evening.

5. (with accusative) according

   κατά τον Γιώργο ... ― katá ton Giórgo ... ― according to George ...

Synonyms

• (versus): εναντίον (enantíon)
• (according): σύμφωνα (sýmfona)

Derived terms

• κατα- (kata-, prefix)

• ανάκατα (anákata, “topsy-turvy, higgledy-piggledy”, adverb)
• καθ' εκάστην (kath' ekástin, “every day”) (Katharevousa)
• καθέκαστα n pl (kathékasta, “details, particulars”)
• κατ΄ αποκοπήν (“with a prearranged payment”)
• κατά βάση (katá vási, “basically”)
• κατά διαβολική σύμπτωση (katá diavolikí sýmptosi, “by diabolical coincidence”)
• κατά διαβόλου σύμπτωση (katá diavólou sýmptosi, “by diabolical coincidence”) (less frequent)
• κατά διαόλου σύμπτωση (katá diaólou sýmptosi, “by diabolical coincidence”) (less frequent)
• κατά κόσμον (katá kósmon, “name of a clergyman before confirmation”)
• κατά μέτωπον (katá métopon, “head-on, in full force”)
• κατά πως (katá pos, “according (to)”)
• κατά τη διάρκεια (katá ti diárkeia, “during, for the duration of”)
• κατεξοχήν (katexochín, “eminently”)
• το κατά δύναμιν (to katá dýnamin, “to (my) best efforts, in (my) power”), το κατά δύναμη