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γε. In DICTIOUS you will not only get to know all the dictionary meanings for the word
γε, but we will also tell you about its etymology, its characteristics and you will know how to say
γε in singular and plural. Everything you need to know about the word
γε you have here. The definition of the word
γε will help you to be more precise and correct when speaking or writing your texts. Knowing the definition of
γε, as well as those of other words, enriches your vocabulary and provides you with more and better linguistic resources.
Ancient Greek
Etymology
From Proto-Indo-European *gó ~ *ge (emphatic, delimiting particle), which is sometimes unified with, but is formally impossible to derive from, the similar particle *gʰo ~ *gʰe. Possible cognates include Proto-Germanic *-k (pronominal accusative marker, see *mek, *dek, *sek) and Tocharian B -k (emphatic suffix).[1][2]
Pronunciation
Particle
γε • (ge) (discourse particle)
- often translatable with italics or stress
- (limiting) at least, at any rate, only
- (intensifying) in fact
Usage notes
As an enclitic, γε follows the single word that it affects, or if it affects a phrase or clause, follows the first word in the phrase or clause. Hence, when it modifies a substantive that has the article, it usually follows the article. In the following examples, phrases are underlined:
386 BCE – 367 BCE,
Plato,
Meno 80e:
- Σωκράτης οὔτε γὰρ ἂν ὅ γε οἶδεν ζητοῖ—οἶδεν γάρ, καὶ οὐδὲν δεῖ τῷ γε τοιούτῳ ζητήσεως
- Sōkrátēs […] oúte gàr àn hó ge oîden zētoî—oîden gár, kaì oudèn deî tôi ge toioútōi zētḗseōs […]
- Socrates: For he can neither inquire into what he knows — since he knows it, and in a case like that there is no need for inquiry
Because δέ (dé) must always follow the first word in a clause, γε always follows δέ when it modifies the first phrase in the clause.
366 BCE – 348 BCE,
Plato,
Theaetetus 164a:
- Σωκράτης ὁ δέ γε ὁρῶν καὶ ἐπιστήμων γεγονὼς οὗ ἑώρα, ἐὰν μύσῃ, μέμνηται μέν, οὐχ ὁρᾷ δὲ αὐτό.
- Sōkrátēs ho dé ge horôn kaì epistḗmōn gegonṑs hoû heṓra, eàn músēi, mémnētai mén, oukh horâi dè autó.
- Socrates: But the one who sees and has become knowledgeable about what he saw, if he closes his eyes, he still remembers it, though he no longer sees it.
It may also attach to other particles, with a mild intensifying effect.
Derived terms
References
- ^ Beekes, Robert S. P. (2010) “γε”, in Etymological Dictionary of Greek (Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series; 10), with the assistance of Lucien van Beek, Leiden, Boston: Brill, →ISBN, page 263
- ^ Dunkel, George E. (2014) Lexikon der indogermanischen Partikeln und Pronominalstämme [Lexicon of Indo-European Particles and Pronominal Stems] (Indogermanische Bibliothek. 2. Reihe: Wörterbücher) (in German), volume 2: Lexikon, Heidelberg: Universitätsverlag Winter GmbH Heidelberg, →ISBN, pages 279-83
Further reading
- “γε”, in Liddell & Scott (1940) A Greek–English Lexicon, Oxford: Clarendon Press
- “γε”, in Liddell & Scott (1889) An Intermediate Greek–English Lexicon, New York: Harper & Brothers
- γε in Bailly, Anatole (1935) Le Grand Bailly: Dictionnaire grec-français, Paris: Hachette
- Bauer, Walter et al. (2001) A Greek–English Lexicon of the New Testament and Other Early Christian Literature, Third edition, Chicago: University of Chicago Press
- γε in Cunliffe, Richard J. (1924) A Lexicon of the Homeric Dialect: Expanded Edition, Norman: University of Oklahoma Press, published 1963
- γε in the Diccionario Griego–Español en línea (2006–2024)
- “γε”, in Slater, William J. (1969) Lexicon to Pindar, Berlin: Walter de Gruyter
- G1065 in Strong, James (1979) Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance to the Bible
- Woodhouse, S. C. (1910) English–Greek Dictionary: A Vocabulary of the Attic Language, London: Routledge & Kegan Paul Limited.
- all idem, page 22.
- anyhow idem, page 33.
- assuredly idem, page 48.
- certainly idem, page 122.
- event idem, page 285.
- however idem, page 408.
- indeed idem, page 431.
- least idem, page 483.
- rate idem, page 673.
- yes idem, page 996.