ἐξεῖπον

Ancient Greek

Etymology

ἐξ- (ex-) + εἶπον (eîpon)

Pronunciation

 

Verb

ἐξεῖπον • (exeîpon)

  1. to speak out
  2. to declare

Usage notes

In Homer the future is supplied by ἐξερέω, as with εἶπον/ἐρέω, and it is the future tense that is most frequently used, because the word comes up when speaker is introducing and emphasizing what they are about to say. The word is used in Homer (sometimes with tmesis, Iliad 2.257) in a certain set phrase or variations of it. As an example of the version most frequently repeated verbatim, Iliad 1.212 has an invisible Athena making a secret promise to Achilles:

ὧδε γὰρ ἐξερέω, τὸ δὲ καὶ τετελεσμένον ἔσται·
For this I declare, and it shall be accomplished:

From the context of this and other usages (e.g., Iliad 2.257), this Homeric phrase does not connote what English "speaking out" does: a brave and open declaration of a vulnerable person, who risks consequences of their words. Rather, εξ- suggests that once the words are "out there," they cannot be taken back, so the speaker is committed to what they have said.

Conjugation

Further reading

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