σημαίνω

Ancient Greek

Alternative forms

• σᾱμαίνω (sāmaínō)

Etymology

From σῆμᾰ (sêma, “a mark”), with the original -n- stem (i.e. *dʰyeh₂mn̥yeti), as ὀνομαίνω (onomaínō) from ὄνομᾰ (ónoma).

Pronunciation

Verb

σημαίνω • (sēmaínō)

1. to show, point out, indicate
   • 458 BCE, Aeschylus, The Libation Bearers 667
   • 460 BCE – 420 BCE, Herodotus, Histories 1.5
   • 800 BCE – 600 BCE, Homer, Iliad 23.358
   • 800 BCE – 600 BCE, Homer, Odyssey 12.26
   • 428 BCE – 347 BCE, Plato, Laws 682a
   • 409 BCE, Sophocles, Philoctetes 37
   • 300 BCE – 200 BCE, Theocritus, Collected Works 22.22
   • 430 BCE – 354 BCE, Xenophon, Apology 12
   1. to sign, signal
      • 458 BCE, Aeschylus, Agamemnon 293
      • 458 BCE, Aeschylus, Agamemnon 497
      • 470 BCE, Aeschylus, The Suppliants 245
      • 425 BCE, Euripides, Andromache 265
      • 405 BCE, Euripides, The Bacchae 976
      • 412 BCE, Euripides, Helen 151
      • 408 BCE, Euripides, The Phoenician Women 623
      • 497 BCE – 405 BCE, Sophocles, Women of Trachis 345
   2. Ι predict, portend
      • Heraclit. 93
      • 46 CE – 120 CE, Plutarch, Moralia 2.222f
      • 460 BCE – 395 BCE, Thucydides, History of the Peloponnesian War 2.8
      • 430 BCE – 354 BCE, Xenophon, Anabasis 6.1.31
      • 430 BCE – 354 BCE, Xenophon, Hellenica 5.4.17
      • 430 BCE – 354 BCE, Xenophon, Memorabilia 1.1.2
   3. (later prose) to appear
      • 384 BCE – 322 BCE, Aristotle, History of Animals 533a.11
      • 428 BCE – 347 BCE, Plato, Epinomis 989a
2. to signal someone to do something, to bid
   • 458 BCE, Aeschylus, Agamemnon 26
   • 460 BCE – 420 BCE, Herodotus, Histories 1.116
   • 460 BCE – 420 BCE, Herodotus, Histories 6.78
   • 800 BCE – 600 BCE, Homer, Iliad 1.289
   • 800 BCE – 600 BCE, Homer, Iliad 10.58
   • 800 BCE – 600 BCE, Homer, Iliad 14.85
   • 800 BCE – 600 BCE, Homer, Odyssey 22.427
   • 497 BCE – 405 BCE, Sophocles, Ajax 688
   • 406 BCE, Sophocles, Oedipus at Colonus 704
   • 430 BCE – 354 BCE, Xenophon, Anabasis 6.1.24
3. to signify, indicate, declare
   • 458 BCE, Aeschylus, Agamemnon 293
   • 525 BCE – 455 BCE, Aeschylus, Prometheus Bound 297
   • 525 BCE – 455 BCE, Aeschylus, Prometheus Bound 618
   • 460 BCE – 420 BCE, Herodotus, Histories 1.34
   • 460 BCE – 420 BCE, Herodotus, Histories 7.18
   • 460 BCE – 420 BCE, Herodotus, Histories 9.49
   • 416 BCE, Euripides, Herakles 1218
   • 50 CE – 100 CE, The Gospel of John 12:33
   • 50 CE – 100 CE, The Gospel of John 21:19
   • 428 BCE – 347 BCE, Plato, Laws 626e
   • 428 BCE – 347 BCE, Plato, Phaedo 62c
   • 497 BCE – 405 BCE, Sophocles, Electra 1294
   • 406 BCE, Sophocles, Oedipus at Colonus 320
   • 406 BCE, Sophocles, Oedipus at Colonus 1669
   • 429 BCE, Sophocles, Oedipus the King 79
   • 429 BCE, Sophocles, Oedipus the King 226
   • 409 BCE, Sophocles, Philoctetes 22
   • 497 BCE – 405 BCE, Sophocles, Fragments 104
   1. to interpret, explain; to tell, speak
      • 460 BCE – 420 BCE, Herodotus, Histories 1.108
      • 460 BCE – 420 BCE, Herodotus, Histories 3.106
      • 406 BCE, Sophocles, Oedipus at Colonus 51
      • 429 BCE, Sophocles, Oedipus the King 1050
      • 460 BCE – 395 BCE, Thucydides, 2 43
   2. to signify, mean
      • 50 CE – 250 CE, Apollonius Dyscolus, On Pronouns 12.27
      • 384 BCE – 322 BCE, Aristotle, Physics 213b.30
      • 384 BCE – 322 BCE, Aristotle, Rhetoric 1405b.8
      • 60 BCE – 7 BCE, Dionysius of Halicarnassus, On the Character of Thucydides 31
      • 386 BCE – 367 BCE, Plato, Cratylus 393a
      • 428 BCE – 347 BCE, Plato, Phaedrus 275d
      • 64 BCE – 24 CE, Strabo, Geography 8.6.5
4. (middle voice) to conclude from signs, conjecture
   • 175 CE – 235 CE, Claudius Aelianus, On the Nature of Animals 7.48
   • Oppian, Cynegetica 1.454
   • 497 BCE – 405 BCE, Sophocles, Ajax 32
5. (middle voice) to provide with a sign, mark, or seal
   • 425 BCE, Aristophanes, Lysistrata 1196
   • 384 BCE – 322 BCE, Demosthenes, Against Boeotus 1 17
   • 460 BCE – 420 BCE, Herodotus, Histories 2.38
   • 390 BCE – 322 BCE, Hyperides, Against Athenogenes 8
   • 4th century BC, Isaeus, Apollodorus 1.2
   • 445 BCE – 380 BCE, Lysias, Against Diogeiton 7
   • 428 BCE – 347 BCE, Plato, Laws 954c
   • 430 BCE – 354 BCE, Xenophon, Cyropaedia 8.2.17
   1. to mark out for oneself
      • 200 BCE – 118 BCE, Polybius, The Histories 3.71.7

Inflection

Derived terms

Related terms

Further reading

• “σημαίνω”, in Liddell & Scott (1940) A Greek–English Lexicon, Oxford: Clarendon Press
• σημαίνω 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
• σημαίνω in Cunliffe, Richard J. (1924) A Lexicon of the Homeric Dialect: Expanded Edition, Norman: University of Oklahoma Press, published 1963
• G4591 in Strong, James (1979) Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance to the Bible

Greek

Etymology

Inherited from Ancient Greek σημαίνω (sēmaínō), from σῆμα n (sêma, “sign, mark”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /siˈme.no/
• Hyphenation: ση‧μαί‧νω

Verb

σημαίνω • (simaíno) (past σήμανα, passive σημαίνομαι, p‑past σημάνθηκα, ppp σεσημασμένος)

1. to mean, signify

   Αλλά αυτό δεν σημαίνει ότι γυρνάμε στο «business as usual».

   Allá aftó den simaínei óti gyrnáme sto «business as usual».

   But this doesn't mean that we're going back to “business as usual”.

   Νερό σημαίνει υγεία: Μάθετε τα «μυστικά» του και πιείτε περισσότερο.

   Neró simaínei ygeía: Máthete ta «mystiká» tou kai pieíte perissótero.

   Water means health: Learn its “secrets” and drink more of it.

2. to ring, sound
3. (nautical) to signal
4. (passive voice) to be marked

Conjugation

Related terms

• formal participles:
  • σημαίνων (simaínon), σημαίνουσα (simaínousa) & neuter σημαίνον (simaínon) also substantivised
  • σημαινόμενο (simainómeno) substantivised neuter
  • σεσημασμένος (sesimasménos)
• επισημαίνω (episimaíno)
• σημασία f (simasía, “meaning”)

• and see: σήμα n (síma, “sign, mark”)

References