λήθω

Ancient Greek

Alternative forms

Etymology

From Proto-Indo-European *leh₂- (to be hidden, be covered).[1]

Pronunciation

 

Verb

λήθω • (lḗthō)

  1. (chiefly Epic, Ionic) alternative form of λανθάνω (lanthánō) used especially in compounds
    • c. 800 BCE – 600 BCE, Homer, Illiad 24.10-13:
      ἄλλοτʼ ἐπὶ πλευρὰς κατακείμενος, ἄλλοτε δʼ αὖτε ὕπτιος, ἄλλοτε δὲ πρηνής· τοτὲ δʼ ὀρθὸς ἀναστὰς δινεύεσκʼ ἀλύων παρὰ θῖνʼ ἁλός· οὐδέ μιν ἠὼς φαινομένη λήθεσκεν ὑπεὶρ ἅλα τʼ ἠϊόνας τε.
      állot’ epì pleuràs katakeímenos, állote d’ aûte húptios, állote dè prēnḗs; totè d’ orthòs anastàs dineúesk’ alúōn parà thîn’ halós; oudé min ēṑs phainoménē lḗthesken hupeìr hála t’ ēïónas te.
      (please add an English translation of this quotation)
    • 484 BCE – 425 BCE, Herodotus, The Histories 6.79.2:
      ταῦτα δέ κως γινόμενα ἐλελήθεε τοὺς λοιποὺς τοὺς ἐν τῷ τεμένεϊ· ἅτε γὰρ πυκνοῦ ἐόντος τοῦ ἄλσεος, οὐκ ὥρων οἱ ἐντὸς τοὺς ἐκτὸς ὅ τι ἔπρησσον, πρίν γε δὴ αὐτῶν τις ἀναβὰς ἐπὶ δένδρον κατεῖδε τὸ ποιεύμενον. οὔκων δὴ ἔτι καλεόμενοι ἐξήισαν.
      taûta dé kōs ginómena elelḗthee toùs loipoùs toùs en tōî teméneï; háte gàr puknoû eóntos toû álseos, ouk hṓrōn hoi entòs toùs ektòs hó ti éprēsson, prín ge dḕ autôn tis anabàs epì déndron kateîde tò poieúmenon. oúkōn dḕ éti kaleómenoi exḗisan.
      (please add an English translation of this quotation)
    • c. 800 BCE – 600 BCE, Homer, Illiad 1.560:
      δαιμονίη αἰεὶ μὲν ὀΐεαι οὐδέ σε λήθω· πρῆξαι δʼ ἔμπης οὔ τι δυνήσεαι, ἀλλʼ ἀπὸ θυμοῦ μᾶλλον ἐμοὶ ἔσεαι· τὸ δέ τοι καὶ ῥίγιον ἔσται.
      daimoníē aieì mèn oḯeai oudé se lḗthō; prêxai d’ émpēs oú ti dunḗseai, all’ apò thumoû mâllon emoì éseai; tò dé toi kaì rhígion éstai.
      (please add an English translation of this quotation)
    • c. 800 BCE – 600 BCE, Homer, Odyssey 2.106-109:
      ὣς τρίετες μὲν ἔληθε δόλῳ καὶ ἔπειθεν Ἀχαιούς· ἀλλʼ ὅτε τέτρατον ἦλθεν ἔτος καὶ ἐπήλυθον ὧραι, καὶ τότε δή τις ἔειπε γυναικῶν, ἣ σάφα ᾔδη, καὶ τήν γʼ ἀλλύουσαν ἐφεύρομεν ἀγλαὸν ἱστόν
      hṑs tríetes mèn élēthe dólōi kaì épeithen Akhaioús; all’ hóte tétraton êlthen étos kaì epḗluthon hôrai, kaì tóte dḗ tis éeipe gunaikôn, hḕ sápha ēídē, kaì tḗn g’ allúousan epheúromen aglaòn histón
      (please add an English translation of this quotation)
    • c. 420 BCE, Sophocles, Electra 1354-1363:
      ὦ φίλτατον φῶς, ὦ μόνος σωτὴρ δόμων Ἀγαμέμνονος, πῶς ἦλθες; ἦ σὺ κεῖνος εἶ, ὃς τόνδε κἄμ᾽ ἔσωσας ἐκ πολλῶν πόνων; ὦ φίλταται μὲν χεῖρες, ἥδιστον δ᾽ ἔχων ποδῶν ὑπηρέτημα, πῶς οὕτω πάλαι ξυνών μ᾽ ἔληθες οὐδ᾽ ἔφαινες, ἀλλά με λόγοις ἀπώλλυς, ἔργ᾽ ἔχων ἥδιστ᾽ ἐμοί; χαῖρ᾽, ὦ πάτερ: πατέρα γὰρ εἰσορᾶν δοκῶ: χαῖρ᾽: ἴσθι δ᾽ ὡς μάλιστά σ᾽ ἀνθρώπων ἐγὼ ἤχθηρα κἀφίλησ᾽ ἐν ἡμέρᾳ μιᾷ.
      ô phíltaton phôs, ô mónos sōtḕr dómōn Agamémnonos, pôs êlthes? ê sù keînos eî, hòs tónde kám’ ésōsas ek pollôn pónōn? ô phíltatai mèn kheîres, hḗdiston d’ ékhōn podôn hupērétēma, pôs hoútō pálai xunṓn m’ élēthes oud’ éphaines, allá me lógois apṓllus, érg’ ékhōn hḗdist’ emoí? khaîr’, ô páter: patéra gàr eisorân dokô: khaîr’: ísthi d’ hōs málistá s’ anthrṓpōn egṑ ḗkhthēra kaphílēs’ en hēmérāi miāî.
      (please add an English translation of this quotation)

Usage notes

  • The aorist is rare, with forms of λᾰνθᾰ́νω (lănthắnō) being strongly preferred.
  • Conversely, λήθω (lḗthō) is strongly preferred over λᾰνθᾰ́νω (lănthắnō) in the future and all perfect tenses.

Conjugation

References

  1. ^ Beekes, Robert S. P. (2010), “λανθάνω”, in Etymological Dictionary of Greek (Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series; 10), with the assistance of Lucien van Beek, Leiden, Boston: Brill, →ISBN, page 831
  • λήθω”, in Liddell & Scott (1940), A Greek–English Lexicon, Oxford: Clarendon Press
  • λήθω”, in Autenrieth, Georg (1891), A Homeric Dictionary for Schools and Colleges, New York: Harper and Brothers
  • λήθω in Cunliffe, Richard J. (1924), A Lexicon of the Homeric Dialect: Expanded Edition, Norman: University of Oklahoma Press, published 1963