είντα

Greek

Alternative forms

• Alternative variant spellings of είντα > ήντα (ínta), ίντα (ínta)

Etymology

Late Medieval or Early Modern Greek regional εἶντα / εἴντα from τεῖντα (teînta) / τείντα, equivalent to a contraction of the phrase τί εἶναι τά > τί εἶν' τά -Modern Greek spelling: τι είναι τα (ti eínai ta, “what are the these”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈinda/
• Hyphenation: εί‧ντα
• Homophones: ίντα (ínta), ήντα (ínta)

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Pronoun

είντα • (eínta) (indeclinable)  interrogative

1. (regional, as in Cuprus, Crete and Aegean islands) dialectal form of τι (ti, “what?”)

   Είντα κάνεις; ― Eínta káneis? ― What are you doing? How do you do?

   Ίντα έκαμες; ― Ínta ékames? ― What did you do?

   • 16th century Vitsentzos Kornaros (1553‑1613/14) Ἐρωτόκριτος Α´ 974

     Θυγατέρα, ίντα το θες το διάβασμα το τόσο, νύκτα-ημέρα;
     Ίντ’ όμορφα κ’ ίντα καλά βρίσκεις αυτού γραμμένα

     Thygatéra, ínta to thes to diávasma to tóso, nýkta-iméra?
     Ínt’ ómorfa k’ ínta kalá vrískeis aftoú gramména

     Daughter, what do you need the reading for, so much, night and day?
     What beautiful and what good do you find written there?

     script in 1813 edition, ed. Nikolaos Glukys.
     

     Θυγατέρα, / Ἤντα τὸ ϑες τὸ διάβασμα, τὸ τόσο νύκτα ἡμέρα;
     Ἤντ’ ὤμορφα, κ’ ἤντα καλὰ βρίσκεις αὐτȣ͂ γραμμένα,

   (with any of the alternative spellings)

Usage notes

• With prepositions, used adverbially, meaning "how", "how much", "that"

Synonyms

• (in Cyprus): ίνταμπου (íntampou), νάμπου (námpou), ντάμπου (ntámpou)

See also

• γιάντα (giánta, “why?”) (regional, in Crete)

References