κάθομαι

Ancient Greek

Alternative forms

• κάθουμαι (káthoumai) (Medieval Greek)

Etymology

Medieval verb of the 10th century in synchronic use with Ancient Greek κάθημαι (káthēmai, “to sit, to sit down, to be idle”).

Pronunciation

Verb

κάθομαι • (káthomai)

1. (Ancient Greek) —
2. (Byzantine)
   1. to sit or be at a place
   2. to stay, reside, to be at a place
   3. to remain at a place
      • 17th century Vitsentzos Kornaros (1553‑1613/14) Ἐρωτόκριτος Δ´ 330

        νά μέ ξορίσετε ἀπό ’πά, νά κάθομαι στά ξένα

        ná mé xorísete apó ’pá, ná káthomai stá xéna

        to exile me on top of all, for me to remain at foreign land

   4. (military) to camp
   5. to be at a state, condition of
      • 16th.17th century Θρῆνος τῶν τεσσάρων Πατριαρχείων. Ed: Karl Krumbacher.

        κάθομαι εἰς λύπην ― káthomai eis lúpēn ― I am sad (literally, “I sit in sadness)”)

   6. to associate with people
      • 12th century Σπανέας. B.212. (didactic poem in the vernacular)

        ὅταν μέ φίλους κάθεσαι, μνήσκου τούς ἀποδήμους

        hótan mé phílous káthesai, mnḗskou toús apodḗmous

        when you are among friends, remember the ones absent (who are at far away places)

   7. to be occupied with
      • 12th century Σπανέας. Α.45. (didactic poem in the vernacular)

        κάθου κι ἀνάγνωθέ τους

        káthou ki anágnōthé tous

        (please add an English translation of this usage example)

        (literally, “sit and read to them”)

   8. to remain idle
      • 15th century Λεόντιος Mαχαιρᾶς , Ἐξήγησις τῆς γλυκείας χώρας Kύπρου... 36815. Ed. R.M. Dawkins, Recital concerning the sweet land of Cyprus entitled “Chronicle”, Oxford 1932

        νά κουρσεύγουν τό νησίν κι ἐμείς νά καθούμεθαν

        ná kourseúgoun tó nēsín ki emeís ná kathoúmethan

        they plunder the island and us; we’re sitting idle

Derived terms

• κάθοντας (káthontas, “while sitting”) (passive present participle, indeclinable)
• κατακείτομαι (katakeítomai, “to be comfortably lying”)

Descendants

• Greek: κάθομαι (káthomai)

References

Greek

Alternative forms

• κάθουμαι (káthoumai) (idiomatic)

Etymology

Inherited from Byzantine Greek κάθομαι (“I stay, reside”) from Ancient Greek κάθημαι (káthēmai, “to sit, to sit down, to be idle”).

• The perfective stem καθισ- as in simple past κάθισα (káthisa), from aorist Ancient Greek ἐκάθισᾰ/κάθισᾰ of verb καθίζω (kathízō).
• The second perfective stem κατσ- e.g. έκατσα (ékatsa), from εκάθισα (ekáthisa) (with omission of /i/ & > ) of verb καθίζω (kathízō).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈkaθome/
• Hyphenation: κά‧θο‧μαι

Verb

κάθομαι • (káthomai) deponent (past κάθισα/έκατσα)

1. (at space) to sit, sit down
   1. to remain standing

      Synonyms: στέκομαι (stékomai), στήνομαι (stínomai)

   2. to stay, reside
2. (of activity, state of mind)
   1. (+ να) to be occupied with
   2. to remain idle, to be bored, doing nothing
   3. to accept, be patient
3. to retreat, to become sedimented (of things)

   Synonyms: καθιζάνω (kathizáno), κατακάθομαι (katakáthomai)

4. (idiomatic) to of less efficiency, worsened results
5. (idiomatic) to happened by fluke

Conjugation

Synonyms

  See definitions

Derived terms

Related terms

• καθίζω (kathízo, “to seat, to make sit”) & derivatives with stem καθισ-
• καθιζάνω (kathizáno) & derivatives

References