ἐπεί

Ancient Greek

Etymology

From ἐπί (epí, “on”) + εἰ (ei, “if”).

Pronunciation

 

• IPA^(key): /e.pěː/ → /eˈpi/ → /eˈpi/

• (5^th BCE Attic) IPA^(key): /e.pěː/
• (1^st CE Egyptian) IPA^(key): /eˈpi/
• (4^th CE Koine) IPA^(key): /eˈpi/
• (10^th CE Byzantine) IPA^(key): /eˈpi/
• (15^th CE Constantinopolitan) IPA^(key): /eˈpi/

Conjunction

ἐπεί • (epeí)

1. (of time) after, after that, since, when
   1. (with indicative)
      1. (of a definite occurrence in past time, mostly with aorist)
      • 800 BCE – 600 BCE, Homer, Iliad 1.458
      • 430 BCE – 354 BCE, Xenophon, Anabasis 1.1.3
      • 423 BCE, Aristophanes, The Clouds 1354
      • 413 BCE, Euripides, Iphigenia in Tauris 260
      • 430 BCE – 354 BCE, Xenophon, Anabasis 1.1.1
      • 330 BCE, Demosthenes, On the Crown 42
      • 430 BCE – 354 BCE, Xenophon, Anabasis 6.5.27
      1. (with implied reference to some later time)
         • 800 BCE – 600 BCE, Homer, Odyssey 1.2
         • 460 BCE – 420 BCE, Herodotus, Histories 7.8
         • 460 BCE – 395 BCE, Thucydides, History of the Peloponnesian War 8.68
         • 458 BCE, Aeschylus, Agamemnon 40
         • 442 BCE, Sophocles, Antigone 15
         • 460 BCE – 420 BCE, Herodotus, Histories 3.117
   2. (with subjunctive, ἄν (án) often being added)
      • 425 BCE, Aristophanes, Lysistrata 1175
      • 414 BCE, Aristophanes, The Birds 983
      • 460 BCE – 420 BCE, Herodotus, Histories 3.153
      • 460 BCE – 370 BCE, Hippocrates, On Fractures 6
      • 800 BCE – 600 BCE, Homer, Iliad 6.412
      1. (referring to future time)
         • 800 BCE – 600 BCE, Homer, Iliad 4.238
         • 800 BCE – 600 BCE, Homer, Iliad 11.764
         • 800 BCE – 600 BCE, Homer, Odyssey 17.23
         • 460 BCE – 420 BCE, Herodotus, Histories 3.153
         • 384 BCE – 322 BCE, Demosthenes, Against Eubulides 16
         • 430 BCE – 354 BCE, Xenophon, Anabasis 2.3.29
         • 800 BCE – 600 BCE, Homer, Iliad 6.412
         • 361 BCE, Demosthenes, Against Midias 34
      2. (referring generally to any one of a number of instances, with a present apodosis of repeated action) whenever, when once
         • 800 BCE – 600 BCE, Homer, Odyssey 11.221
         • 800 BCE – 600 BCE, Homer, Iliad 9.409
         • 460 BCE – 395 BCE, Thucydides, History of the Peloponnesian War 2.34
         • 800 BCE – 600 BCE, Homer, Odyssey 20.86
         • 800 BCE – 600 BCE, Homer, Iliad 11.478
         • 406 BCE, Sophocles, Oedipus at Colonus 1225
         • 442 BCE, Sophocles, Antigone 1025
   3. (with optative, without ἄν (án))
      1. (referring to future time)
         • 380 BCE, Plato, The Republic 516A
         • 800 BCE – 600 BCE, Homer, Iliad 24.227
         • 800 BCE – 600 BCE, Homer, Odyssey 2.105
      2. (more frequently, referring generally to any one of a number of past instances, with a past apodosis of repeated action)
         • 800 BCE – 600 BCE, Homer, Iliad 24.14
         • 430 BCE – 354 BCE, Xenophon, Anabasis 4.5.9
         • 430 BCE – 354 BCE, Xenophon, Cyropaedia 5.3.55
         • 460 BCE – 395 BCE, Thucydides, History of the Peloponnesian War 8.38
         • 428 BCE – 347 BCE, Plato, Phaedo 59D
         • 428 BCE – 347 BCE, Plato, Protagoras 315B
      3. (in indirect speech after past tenses, representing a subjunctive in direct speech)
         • 430 BCE – 354 BCE, Xenophon, Anabasis 7.2.27
         • 430 BCE – 354 BCE, Xenophon, Anabasis 3.5.18
         • 430 BCE – 354 BCE, Xenophon, Cyropaedia 1.4.21
         • 460 BCE – 395 BCE, Thucydides, History of the Peloponnesian War 7.80
   4. (with infinitive, only be assimilation in indirect speech)
      • 380 BCE, Plato, The Republic 619C
      • 385 BCE – 380 BCE, Plato, Symposium 174D
      • 460 BCE – 420 BCE, Herodotus, Histories 4.10
      • 460 BCE – 420 BCE, Herodotus, Histories 7.150
   5. (with other words)
      1. (with τάχιστα (tákhista))
         • 430 BCE – 354 BCE, Xenophon, Anabasis 7.2.6
         • 430 BCE – 354 BCE, Xenophon, Cyropaedia 3.3.22
         • 384 BCE – 322 BCE, Aristotle, Politics 1284A.40
         • 430 BCE – 354 BCE, Xenophon, Hellenica 3.2.4
         • 522 BCE – 443 BCE, Pindar, Nemean Ode 1.35
         • 428 BCE – 347 BCE, Plato, Protagoras 310C
         • 384 BCE – 322 BCE, Demosthenes, Against Pantaenetus 41
         • 428 BCE – 347 BCE, Plato, Protagoras 325C
      2. (with various emphatic particles)
         • 800 BCE – 600 BCE, Homer, Iliad 6.426
         • 800 BCE – 600 BCE, Homer, Iliad 1.57
         • 800 BCE – 600 BCE, Homer, Iliad 3.4
         • 460 BCE – 420 BCE, Herodotus, Histories 3.9
         • 460 BCE – 420 BCE, Herodotus, Histories 9.90
2. (causal) since, seeing that
   1. (with indicative)
      • 800 BCE – 600 BCE, Homer, Iliad 1.119
      • 800 BCE – 600 BCE, Homer, Iliad 1.153
      • 800 BCE – 600 BCE, Homer, Iliad 1.278
      • 522 BCE – 443 BCE, Pindar, Olympian Ode 4.16
      • 430 BCE – 354 BCE, Xenophon, Memorabilia 2.3.4
      • 460 BCE – 395 BCE, Thucydides, History of the Peloponnesian War 8.80
      • 428 BCE – 347 BCE, Plato, Protagoras 335C
      • 458 BCE, Aeschylus, Agamemnon 854
   2. (in most of the constructions which are found in independent sentences)
      • 409 BCE, Sophocles, Philoctetes 1037
      • 800 BCE – 600 BCE, Homer, Iliad 15.228
      • 330 BCE, Demosthenes, On the Crown 49
      • 409 BCE, Sophocles, Philoctetes 948
      • 522 BCE – 443 BCE, Pindar, Olympian Ode 9.29
      • 429 BCE, Sophocles, Oedipus the King 433
      • 430 BCE – 354 BCE, Xenophon, Memorabilia 2.7.14
      • 497 BCE – 405 BCE, Sophocles, Electra 352
      • 406 BCE, Sophocles, Oedipus at Colonus 969
      • 429 BCE, Sophocles, Oedipus the King 390
      • 422 BCE, Aristophanes, The Wasps 73
      • 380 BCE, Plato, Gorgias 473E
      • 423 BCE, Aristophanes, The Clouds 688
      • 522 BCE – 443 BCE, Pindar, Pythian Ode 7.5
      • 458 BCE, Aeschylus, The Libation Bearers 214
      • 497 BCE – 405 BCE, Sophocles, Women of Trachis 139
   3. (with infinitive in indirect speech)
      • 428 BCE – 347 BCE, Plato, Protagoras 353A
      • 460 BCE – 420 BCE, Herodotus, Histories 8.111
      • 460 BCE – 395 BCE, Thucydides, History of the Peloponnesian War 2.93
   4. (in various elliptical expressions)
      • 428 BCE – 347 BCE, Plato, Protagoras 335C
      • 428 BCE – 347 BCE, Plato, Protagoras 333C
      • 428 BCE – 347 BCE, Plato, Protagoras 317A
      • 400 BCE – 387 BCE, Plato, Apology 19E
      • 385 BCE – 380 BCE, Plato, Symposium 187A
      • 384 BCE – 322 BCE, Aristotle, Nicomachean Ethics 1121A.19
   5. (sometimes epexegetic, introducing a narrative)
      • 399 BCE, Plato, Euthyphro 4C
   6. (with other particles)
      • 800 BCE – 600 BCE, Homer, Odyssey 17.185
      • 800 BCE – 600 BCE, Homer, Iliad 1.352
      • 750 BCE – 650 BCE, Hesiod, Theogony 171
      • 480 BCE – 406 BCE, Euripides, Cyclops 181
      • 428 BCE, Euripides, Hippolytus 955
      • 428 BCE – 347 BCE, Plato, Phaedo 77D
      • 384 BCE – 322 BCE, Demosthenes, Against Conon 29
      • 497 BCE – 405 BCE, Sophocles, Electra 631
      • 428 BCE – 347 BCE, Plato, Phaedo 87C
      • 460 BCE – 420 BCE, Herodotus, Histories 3.9
      • 442 BCE, Sophocles, Antigone 923
      • 460 BCE – 395 BCE, Thucydides, History of the Peloponnesian War 6.18
      • 800 BCE – 600 BCE, Homer, Iliad 1.169
      • 800 BCE – 600 BCE, Homer, Odyssey 9.276
      • 800 BCE – 600 BCE, Homer, Iliad 13.447
      • 800 BCE – 600 BCE, Homer, Odyssey 20.181
      • 458 BCE, Aeschylus, Agamemnon 822
      • 406 BCE, Sophocles, Oedipus at Colonus 75
      • 428 BCE – 347 BCE, Plato, Phaedo 114D
      • 446 BCE – 386 BCE, Aristophanes, The Acharnians 437
      • 446 BCE – 386 BCE, Aristophanes, The Acharnians 495
      • 460 BCE – 395 BCE, Thucydides, History of the Peloponnesian War 6.18
      • 406 BCE, Sophocles, Oedipus at Colonus 433
      • 800 BCE – 600 BCE, Homer, Iliad 22.379
      • 409 BCE, Sophocles, Philoctetes 446

Derived terms

• ἐπᾱ́ν (epā́n)
• ἐπειδή (epeidḗ)
• ἐπειδήπερ (epeidḗper)
• ἐπείπερ (epeíper)
• ἐπείτε (epeíte)

References

• “ἐπεί”, in Liddell & Scott (1940) A Greek–English Lexicon, Oxford: Clarendon Press
• “ἐπεί”, in Liddell & Scott (1889) An Intermediate Greek–English Lexicon, New York: Harper & Brothers
• “ἐπεί”, in Autenrieth, Georg (1891) A Homeric Dictionary for Schools and Colleges, New York: Harper and Brothers
• ἐπεί in Bailly, Anatole (1935) Le Grand Bailly: Dictionnaire grec-français, Paris: Hachette
• ἐπεί in Cunliffe, Richard J. (1924) A Lexicon of the Homeric Dialect: Expanded Edition, Norman: University of Oklahoma Press, published 1963
• “ἐπεί”, in Slater, William J. (1969) Lexicon to Pindar, Berlin: Walter de Gruyter
• G1893 in Strong, James (1979) Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance to the Bible
• Woodhouse, S. C. (1910) English–Greek Dictionary: A Vocabulary of the Attic Language‎^[1], London: Routledge & Kegan Paul Limited.
  • after idem, page 17.
  • as idem, page 42.
  • because idem, page 68.
  • else idem, page 265.
  • ever since idem, page 285.
  • for idem, page 334.
  • since idem, page 777.
  • when idem, page 975.
• 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