ἧμαι

Ancient Greek

Alternative forms

κάθημαι (káthēmai) (frequently in place of ἧμαι)

Etymology

From Proto-Indo-European *h₁ḗsti, from *h₁eh₁s- (“to sit”) (with cognates in Indo-Iranian and Anatolian), which may be an extension of *h₁es- (“to be”).^[1] Cognate with Sanskrit आस्ते (ā́ste, “to stay; to sit”), Avestan 𐬁𐬯𐬙𐬈 (āste), Hittite [script needed] (ēša), Hittite [script needed] (āšzi).^[2] The initial /h/ is due to influence from etymologically unrelated forms derived from *sed- (“to sit”).

Pronunciation

(5^th BCE Attic) IPA^(key): /hɛ̂ː.mai̯/
(1^st CE Egyptian) IPA^(key): /ˈ(h)e̝.mɛ/
(4^th CE Koine) IPA^(key): /ˈi.mɛ/
(10^th CE Byzantine) IPA^(key): /ˈi.me/
(15^th CE Constantinopolitan) IPA^(key): /ˈi.me/

Verb

ἧμαι • (hêmai)

to sit, be seated; to lie, be situated
- 800 BCE – 600 BCE, Homer, Iliad 1.498:
  εὗρεν δ’ εὐρύοπα Κρονίδην ἄτερ ἥμενον ἄλλων
  heûren d’ eurúopa Kronídēn áter hḗmenon állōn
  There she found the far-seeing son of Cronos sitting apart from the rest
- 800 BCE – 600 BCE, Homer, Iliad 18.509:
  τὴν δ’ ἑτέρην πόλιν ἀμφὶ δύω στρατοὶ ἥατο λαῶν τεύχεσι λαμπόμενοι
  tḕn d’ hetérēn pólin amphì dúō stratoì hḗato laôn teúkhesi lampómenoi
  About the other city there lay encamped two hosts in gleaming armour
1. to lie hid

Inflection

The missing tenses are supplied by ἕζομαι (hézomai), ἵζω (hízō) and ἵζομαι (hízomai).

Perfect: ἧμαι with present meaning

number		singular			dual		plural
		first	second	third	second	third	first	second	third
passive	indicative	ἧμαι	ἧσαι	ἧσται	ἧσθον	ἧσθον	ἥμεθᾰ	ἧσθε	ἥαται, εἵαται, ἕαται
	subjunctive	ἥμενος ὦ	ἥμενος ᾖς	ἥμενος ᾖ	ἥμενω ἦτον	ἥμενω ἦτον	ἥμενοι ὦμεν	ἥμενοι ἦτε	ἥμενοι ὦσῐ(ν)
	optative	ἥμενος εἴην	ἥμενος εἴης	ἥμενος εἴη	ἥμενω εἴητον/εἶτον	ἥμενω εἰήτην/εἴτην	ἥμενοι εἴημεν/εἶμεν	ἥμενοι εἴητε/εἶτε	ἥμενοι εἴησᾰν/εἶεν
	imperative		ἧσο	ἥσθω	ἧσθον	ἥσθων		ἧσθε	ἥσθων

infinitive						ἧσθαι
participle	m					ἥμενος
	f					ἥμενη
	n					ἥμενον
Notes:	This table gives Attic inflectional endings. For conjugation in dialects other than Attic, see Appendix:Ancient Greek dialectal conjugation.

Pluperfect: ἥμην with imperfect meaning

number		singular			dual		plural
		first	second	third	second	third	first	second	third
passive	indicative	ἥμην	ἧσο	ἧστο	ἧσθον	ἥσθην	ἥμεθᾰ	ἧσθε	ἥατο, εἵατο, ἕατο, ἧντο
Notes:	This table gives Attic inflectional endings. For conjugation in dialects other than Attic, see Appendix:Ancient Greek dialectal conjugation.

Synonyms

κᾰθέζομαι (kathézomai), ἕζομαι (hézomai, “sit oneself, sit down”)
κᾰ́θημαι (káthēmai), ἧμαι (hêmai, “to be seated”)
κᾰθῐζᾰ́νω (kathizánō), ῐ̔ζᾰ́νω (hizánō, “to cause to sit, to sit down”)
κᾰθῐ́ζω (kathízō), ῐ̔́ζω (hízō, “to cause to sit, to sit down”)

Derived terms

ἄφημαι (áphēmai)
ἔνημαι (énēmai)
ἔφημαι (éphēmai)
κάθημαι (káthēmai)
μέθημαι (méthēmai)
παρήμενος (parḗmenos)
πρόσημαι (prósēmai)
ὕφημαι (húphēmai)

References

^ Beekes, Robert S. P. (2010) “ἧμαι”, in Etymological Dictionary of Greek (Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series; 10), with the assistance of Lucien van Beek, Leiden, Boston: Brill, →ISBN, page 518
^ Mallory, J. P. with Adams, D. Q. (2006) The Oxford Introduction to Proto-Indo-European and the Proto-Indo-European World (Oxford Linguistics), New York: Oxford University Press, →ISBN, page 296