πότιμος

Ancient Greek

Etymology

From πότος (pótos, “drinking; drink”) +‎ -ιμος (-imos, adjective suffix), from the verb πῑ́νω (pī́nō, “to drink”).

Pronunciation

(5^th BCE Attic) IPA^(key): /pó.ti.mos/
(1^st CE Egyptian) IPA^(key): /ˈpo.ti.mos/
(4^th CE Koine) IPA^(key): /ˈpo.ti.mos/
(10^th CE Byzantine) IPA^(key): /ˈpo.ti.mos/
(15^th CE Constantinopolitan) IPA^(key): /ˈpo.ti.mos/

Adjective

πότῐμος • (pótĭmos) m or f (neuter πότῐμον); second declension

drinkable; fit or suitable for drinking (especially of water)
- 484 BCE – 425 BCE, Herodotus, 8 22:
  ὕδωρ πότιμον
  húdōr pótimon
  drinkable water
- 460 BCE – 370 BCE, Hippocrates of Kos, On the Physician 2:
  ὕδωρ πότιμον
  húdōr pótimon
  water fit for drinking
- 430 BCE – 354 BCE, Xenophon, Hellenica 3.2.19:
  κρήνη πότιμος
  krḗnē pótimos
  a drinkable spring
(figurative) fresh, pleasant, agreeable (of tastes, words, ideas)
- 428 BCE – 347 BCE, Plato, Phaedrus 243d:
  πότιμος λόγος
  pótimos lógos
  a pleasant (lit. drinkable) discourse
- 46 CE – 120 CE, Plutarch, 2 469c:
  τὰ χρηστὰ καὶ πότιμα
  tà khrēstà kaì pótima
  things that are good and agreeable
pleasant, sociable (of persons)
- 300 BCE – 200 BCE, Theocritus, 29 31:
  ἀνὴρ πότιμος
  anḕr pótimos
  a pleasant, sociable man
(technical) porous; absorbent (of materials)
- 428 BCE – 347 BCE, Plato, Laws 947d:
  λίθος πότιμος
  líthos pótimos
  a porous stone
(agriculture) watered, irrigated
- Apollon., Lex. s.v.:
  πείσεα πότιμα
  peísea pótima
  irrigated lands

Declension

Second declension of πότῐμος; πότῐμον (Attic)

Number	Singular			Dual			Plural
Case/Gender	Masculine	Feminine	Neuter	Masculine	Feminine	Neuter	Masculine	Feminine	Neuter
Nominative	πότῐμος pótĭmos		πότῐμον pótĭmon	ποτῐ́μω potĭ́mō		ποτῐ́μω potĭ́mō	πότῐμοι pótĭmoi		πότῐμᾰ pótĭmă
Genitive	ποτῐ́μου potĭ́mou		ποτῐ́μου potĭ́mou	ποτῐ́μοιν potĭ́moin		ποτῐ́μοιν potĭ́moin	ποτῐ́μων potĭ́mōn		ποτῐ́μων potĭ́mōn
Dative	ποτῐ́μῳ potĭ́mōi		ποτῐ́μῳ potĭ́mōi	ποτῐ́μοιν potĭ́moin		ποτῐ́μοιν potĭ́moin	ποτῐ́μοις potĭ́mois		ποτῐ́μοις potĭ́mois
Accusative	πότῐμον pótĭmon		πότῐμον pótĭmon	ποτῐ́μω potĭ́mō		ποτῐ́μω potĭ́mō	ποτῐ́μους potĭ́mous		πότῐμᾰ pótĭmă
Vocative	πότῐμε pótĭme		πότῐμον pótĭmon	ποτῐ́μω potĭ́mō		ποτῐ́μω potĭ́mō	πότῐμοι pótĭmoi		πότῐμᾰ pótĭmă
Derived forms	Adverb			Comparative			Superlative
Derived forms	ποτῐ́μως potĭ́mōs			ποτῐμώτερος potĭmṓteros			ποτῐμώτᾰτος potĭmṓtătos
Notes:	This table gives Attic inflectional endings. For declension in other dialects, see Appendix:Ancient Greek dialectal declension.

Usage notes

The adjective πότιμος (pótimos) is a deverbal adjective derived from πίνω (pínō, “to drink”), describing what is fit for drinking or readily taken in. From this literal sense, it develops figurative meanings describing what is pleasant, agreeable, or easy to receive (e.g. speech, ideas, or social character). In technical contexts it may describe materials that admit liquid (porous) or land that is well supplied with water.

Related terms

ποτός (potós) — drinkable; drunk