ἐπίχρισις

Ancient Greek

Etymology

From ἐπιχρῑ́ω (epikhrī́ō) +‎ -σις (-sis), from χρῑ́ω (khrī́ō, “to rub, smear, anoint”).

Pronunciation

(5^th BCE Attic) IPA^(key): /e.pí.kʰriː.sis/
(1^st CE Egyptian) IPA^(key): /eˈpi.kʰri.sis/
(4^th CE Koine) IPA^(key): /eˈpi.xri.sis/
(10^th CE Byzantine) IPA^(key): /eˈpi.xri.sis/
(15^th CE Constantinopolitan) IPA^(key): /eˈpi.xri.sis/

Noun

ἐπίχρῑσῐς • (epíkhrīsĭs) f (genitive ἐπιχρῑ́σεως); third declension

smearing over, coating, application by rubbing onto a surface
- 64 BCE – 24 CE, Strabo, 4 4.6:
  πρὸς τὰς ἐπιχρίσεις τῶν βελῶν
  pròs tàs epikhríseis tôn belôn
  for the smearing of the arrowheads
(medicine) external application of a medicament; topical treatment by smearing
- 400 CE – 600 CE, Aëtius, 7 96:
  κατακολλάσθω δὲ μετὰ τὴν ἐπίχρισιν
  katakollásthō dè metà tḕn epíkhrisin
  let it be applied after the smearing

Declension

Third declension of ἡ ἐπῐ́χρῑσῐς; τῆς ἐπῐχρῑ́σεως (Attic)

Case / #	Singular	Dual	Plural
Nominative	ἡ ἐπῐ́χρῑσῐς hē epĭ́khrīsĭs	τὼ ἐπῐχρῑ́σει tṑ epĭkhrī́sei	αἱ ἐπῐχρῑ́σεις hai epĭkhrī́seis
Genitive	τῆς ἐπῐχρῑ́σεως tês epĭkhrī́seōs	τοῖν ἐπῐχρῑσέοιν toîn epĭkhrīséoin	τῶν ἐπῐχρῑ́σεων tôn epĭkhrī́seōn
Dative	τῇ ἐπῐχρῑ́σει tēî epĭkhrī́sei	τοῖν ἐπῐχρῑσέοιν toîn epĭkhrīséoin	ταῖς ἐπῐχρῑ́σεσῐ / ἐπῐχρῑ́σεσῐν taîs epĭkhrī́sesĭ(n)
Accusative	τὴν ἐπῐ́χρῑσῐν tḕn epĭ́khrīsĭn	τὼ ἐπῐχρῑ́σει tṑ epĭkhrī́sei	τᾱ̀ς ἐπῐχρῑ́σεις tā̀s epĭkhrī́seis
Vocative	ἐπῐ́χρῑσῐ epĭ́khrīsĭ	ἐπῐχρῑ́σει epĭkhrī́sei	ἐπῐχρῑ́σεις epĭkhrī́seis
Notes:	This table gives Attic inflectional endings. For declension in other dialects, see Appendix:Ancient Greek dialectal declension.

Usage notes

Ἐπίχρῑσις denotes the act of applying a substance onto a surface by rubbing, especially in technical or medical contexts. In medical writers it refers to topical treatment by smearing, often contrasted with ἐπίπλασις (epíplasis, “plastering”) or ἐπιπάσσις (epipássis, “sprinkling”). The term may also be used in non-medical contexts for the coating of weapons or tools.

Related terms

ἔγχρῑσις (énkhrīsis)
ἐπίχρῑσμα (epíkhrīsma)
ἐπίχρῑστος (epíkhrīstos)
χρῖσις (khrîsis)

Descendants

Greek: επίχριση (epíchrisi)

References

“ἐπίχρισις”, in Liddell & Scott (1940), A Greek–English Lexicon, Oxford: Clarendon Press
ἐπίχρισις in the Diccionario Griego–Español en línea (2006–2026)