ἔπεφνον

Ancient Greek

Etymology

From Proto-Hellenic *kʷʰékʷʰnon, a reduplicated second aorist from zero-grade of Proto-Indo-European *gʷʰen-. The perfect form was perhaps inherited from Proto-Indo-European *gʷʰegʷʰóne. The same Proto-Indo-European root also gives θείνω (theínō, “to strike”). The labiovelar *gʷʰ developed into a different consonant in each verb. See that entry for cognates.

Pronunciation

(5^th BCE Attic) IPA^(key): /é.pe.pʰnon/
(1^st CE Egyptian) IPA^(key): /ˈe.pe.pʰnon/
(4^th CE Koine) IPA^(key): /ˈe.pe.ɸnon/
(10^th CE Byzantine) IPA^(key): /ˈe.pe.fnon/
(15^th CE Constantinopolitan) IPA^(key): /ˈe.pe.fnon/

Verb

ἔπεφνον • (épephnon)

(transitive) to slay, kill
- c. 800 BCE – 600 BCE, Homer, Iliad P.689:
  πέφαται δ’ ὥριστος Ἀχαιῶν Πάτροκλος
  péphatai d’ hṓristos Akhaiôn Pátroklos
  Translation by Daniel Petit
  He is dead the best of the Achaeans, Patroclos

Usage notes

These forms were previously attributed to a present verb *φένω (*phénō). Moreover, the participle form πεφνών (pephnṓn) was once attributed to a present *πέφνω (*péphnō).

Inflection

Future: πεφήσομαι

number		singular			dual		plural
		first	second	third	second	third	first	second	third
passive	indicative	πεφήσομαι	πεφήσῃ, πεφήσει	πεφήσεται	πεφήσεσθον	πεφήσεσθον	πεφησόμεθᾰ	πεφήσεσθε	πεφήσονται
passive	optative	πεφησοίμην	πεφήσοιο	πεφήσοιτο	πεφήσοισθον	πεφησοίσθην	πεφησοίμεθᾰ	πεφήσοισθε	πεφήσοιντο
							passive
infinitive							πεφήσεσθαι
participle	m						πεφησόμενος
	f						πεφησομένη
	n						πεφησόμενον
Notes:	This table gives Attic inflectional endings. For conjugation in dialects other than Attic, see Appendix:Ancient Greek dialectal conjugation.

Aorist: ἔπεφνον

number		singular			dual		plural
		first	second	third	second	third	first	second	third
active	indicative	ἔπεφνον	ἔπεφνες	ἔπεφνε(ν)	ἐπέφνετον	ἐπεφνέτην	ἐπέφνομεν	ἐπέφνετε	ἔπεφνον
	subjunctive	πέφνω	πέφνῃς	πέφνῃ	πέφνητον	πέφνητον	πέφνωμεν	πέφνητε	πέφνωσῐ(ν)
	optative	πέφνοιμῐ	πέφνοις	πέφνοι	πέφνοιτον	πεφνοίτην	πέφνοιμεν	πέφνοιτε	πέφνοιεν
	imperative		πέφνε	πεφνέτω	πέφνετον	πεφνέτων		πέφνετε	πεφνόντων
		active
infinitive		πεφνεῖν
participle	m	πεφνών
	f	πεφνοῦσᾰ
	n	πεφνόν
Notes:	This table gives Attic inflectional endings. For conjugation in dialects other than Attic, see Appendix:Ancient Greek dialectal conjugation.

Aorist: πέφνον (Epic, Lyric)

number		singular			dual		plural
		first	second	third	second	third	first	second	third
active	indicative	πέφνον	πέφνες	πέφνε(ν)	πέφνετον	πεφνέτην	πέφνομεν	πέφνετε	πέφνον
	subjunctive	πέφνω	πέφνῃς	πέφνῃ	πέφνητον	πέφνητον	πέφνωμεν	πέφνητε	πέφνωσῐ(ν)
	optative	πέφνοιμῐ	πέφνοις	πέφνοι	πέφνοιτον	πεφνοίτην	πέφνοιμεν	πέφνοιτε	πέφνοιεν
	imperative		πέφνε	πεφνέτω	πέφνετον	πεφνέτων		πέφνετε	πεφνόντων
		active
infinitive		πεφνεῖν
participle	m	πεφνών
	f	πεφνοῦσᾰ
	n	πεφνόν
Notes:	This table gives Attic inflectional endings. For conjugation in dialects other than Attic, see Appendix:Ancient Greek dialectal conjugation.

Perfect: πέφαμαι

number		singular			dual		plural
		first	second	third	second	third	first	second	third
middle/passive	indicative	πέφαμαι	πέφασαι	πέφαται	πέφασθον	πέφασθον	πεφάμεθᾰ	πέφασθε	πέφανται
	subjunctive	πεφαμένος ὦ	πεφαμένος ᾖς	πεφαμένος ᾖ	πεφαμένω ἦτον	πεφαμένω ἦτον	πεφαμένοι ὦμεν	πεφαμένοι ἦτε	πεφαμένοι ὦσῐ(ν)
	optative	πεφαμένος εἴην	πεφαμένος εἴης	πεφαμένος εἴη	πεφαμένω εἴητον, εἶτον	πεφαμένω εἰήτην, εἴτην	πεφαμένοι εἴημεν, εἶμεν	πεφαμένοι εἴητε, εἶτε	πεφαμένοι εἴησᾰν, εἶεν
	imperative		πέφασο	πεφάσθω	πέφασθον	πεφάσθων		πέφασθε	πεφάσθων
						middle/passive
infinitive						πεφᾶσθαι
participle	m					πεφαμένος
	f					πεφαμένη
	n					πεφαμένον
Notes:	This table gives Attic inflectional endings. For conjugation in dialects other than Attic, see Appendix:Ancient Greek dialectal conjugation.

Derived terms

κατέπεφνον (katépephnon)
φᾰτός (phătós)
φόνος (phónos)

References

“θείνω”, in Liddell & Scott (1940), A Greek–English Lexicon, Oxford: Clarendon Press
“φένω”, in Liddell & Scott (1940), A Greek–English Lexicon, Oxford: Clarendon Press
“φένω†”, in Liddell & Scott (1889), An Intermediate Greek–English Lexicon, New York: Harper & Brothers
*φένω in Bailly, Anatole (1935), Le Grand Bailly: Dictionnaire grec-français, Paris: Hachette
“ἔπεφνον”, in Autenrieth, Georg (1891), A Homeric Dictionary for Schools and Colleges, New York: Harper and Brothers
ἔπεφνον in Cunliffe, Richard J. (1924), A Lexicon of the Homeric Dialect: Expanded Edition, Norman: University of Oklahoma Press, published 1963
θείνω, in ΛΟΓΕΙΟΝ [Logeion] Dictionaries for Ancient Greek and Latin (in English, French, Spanish, German, Dutch and Chinese), University of Chicago, since 2011
φένω, in ΛΟΓΕΙΟΝ [Logeion] Dictionaries for Ancient Greek and Latin (in English, French, Spanish, German, Dutch and Chinese), University of Chicago, since 2011
πέφνω, in ΛΟΓΕΙΟΝ [Logeion] Dictionaries for Ancient Greek and Latin (in English, French, Spanish, German, Dutch and Chinese), University of Chicago, since 2011
Sihler, Andrew L. (1995), New Comparative Grammar of Greek and Latin, Oxford, New York: Oxford University Press, →ISBN, page 490
Beekes, Robert S. P. (2010), “θείνω”, in Etymological Dictionary of Greek (Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series; 10), with the assistance of Lucien van Beek, Leiden, Boston: Brill, →ISBN, pages 536-537
Petit, Daniel (n.d.), Introduction to the Historical Syntax of the Indo-European Languages‎^[1], page 13