See also: τις and -τις

Ancient GreekEdit

PronunciationEdit

 
  • (file)

Etymology 1Edit

From Proto-Indo-European *kʷis. Cognates include Latin quis and Hittite [script needed] (kuiš). Compare its indefinite form τις (tis, anyone, anything).

In Attic, the labiovelar *kʷ- becomes τ- before the front vowel ι and by analogy also before ου, in the genitive and dative singular, but π- before the rounded back vowel ο in most of the related interrogatives listed below.

Gen. sg. τοῦ < τέο < *kʷésyo (then basis for dat. sg. τῷ and gen. pl. τέων) and the paradigm change to n-stem must have started with *τίν < *kʷím elaborated with consonant stem ending, -ᾰ.[1]

Alternative formsEdit

PronounEdit

τῐ́ς (tís) interrogative (also see indefinite pronoun τὶς or τις)

  1. (substantive)
    1. (masculine, feminine) who?
    2. (neuter) what?
  2. (adjective) what? which? what kind?
Usage notesEdit
  • The neuter nominative/accusative τί () is never elided, but a hiatus is allowed in Attic Greek.
  • The stem iota remains short in every declined form.
InflectionEdit
SynonymsEdit
Derived termsEdit
Related termsEdit
DescendantsEdit
  • Greek: τις (tis), τι (ti)
  • Mariupol Greek: тыс (tys), ты (ty)

Etymology 2Edit

See τις (tis).

PronounEdit

τίς (tís)

  1. oxytone form of τις (tis, someone, anyone)
Usage notesEdit

Used before another enclitic:

  • 386 BCE – 367 BCE, Plato, Meno 70b:
    καὶ δὴ καὶ τοῦτο τὸ ἔθος [Γοργίας] ῡ̔μᾶς εἴθικεν, ἀφόβως τε καὶ μεγαλοπρεπῶς ἀποκρῑ́νεσθαι ἐᾱ́ν τίς τι ἔρηται.
    kaì dḕ kaì toûto tò éthos [Gorgías] hūmâs eíthiken, aphóbōs te kaì megaloprepôs apokrī́nesthai eā́n tís ti érētai.
    And furthermore, [Gorgias] has also accustomed you to the habit of answering fearlessly and magnificently if someone asks you something.

Further readingEdit

  1. ^ Sihler, Andrew L. (1995) New Comparative Grammar of Greek and Latin, Oxford, New York: Oxford University Press, →ISBN, § 382