τίς

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See also: τις and -τις

Ancient Greek

Pronunciation

 
  • Audio (Classical Attic); “τίς, τί” (“tís, tí”):(file)

Etymology 1

From Proto-Indo-European *kʷis. Cognates include Latin quis and Hittite (kuiš). Compare its indefinite form τις (tis, “anyone, anything”).[1]

In Attic, the labiovelar *kʷ- becomes τ- before the front vowel ι and by analogy also before ου, ῳ in the genitive and dative singular, but π- before the rounded back vowel ο in most of the related interrogatives listed below.

Gen. sg. τοῦ < τέο < *kʷésyo (then basis for dat. sg. τῷ and gen. pl. τέων) and the paradigm change to n-stem must have started with *τίν < *kʷím elaborated with consonant stem ending, -ᾰ.[2]

Alternative forms

Pronoun

τῐ́ς • (tís) interrogative (also see indefinite pronoun τὶς or τις)

  1. (substantive)
    1. (masculine, feminine) who?
    2. (neuter) what?
  2. (adjective) what? which? what kind?
Usage notes
  • The neuter nominative/accusative τί (tí) is never elided, but a hiatus is allowed in Attic Greek.
  • The stem iota remains short in every declined form.
Inflection
Third declension of τίς, τί
Number Singular Dual Plural
Case / Gender Masculine / Feminine Neuter Masculine / Feminine Neuter Masculine / Feminine Neuter
Nominative τίς τί τίνε τίνε τίνες τίνα
Genitive τίνος, τοῦ τίνος, τοῦ τίνοιν τίνοιν τίνων τίνων
Dative τίνι, τῷ τίνι, τῷ τίνοιν τίνοιν τίσι(ν) τίσι(ν)
Accusative τίνα τί τίνε τίνε τίνας τίνα
Third declension of τίς, τί (Homeric, Ionic)
Number Singular Dual Plural
Case / Gender Masculine / Feminine Neuter Masculine / Feminine Neuter Masculine / Feminine Neuter
Nominative τίς τί τίνε τίνε τίνες τίνα
Genitive τέο, τεῦ, τέου τέο, τεῦ, τέου τίνοιν τίνοιν τέων τέων
Dative τέῳ, τῳ τέῳ, τῳ τίνοιν τίνοιν τίσι(ν), τοῖσι(ν), τέοισι(ν) τίσι(ν), τοῖσι(ν), τέοισι(ν)
Accusative τίνα τί τίνε τίνε τίνας τίνα
Synonyms
Derived terms
Ancient Greek correlatives (edit)
type interrogative indefinite (medial)
demonstrative		 proximal
demonstrative		 distal
demonstrative		 relative indefinite
relative		 identity other
basic τίς τις, ἔνιοι †ὁ, οὗτος ὅδε ἐκεῖνος ὅς ὅστις ὁ αὐτός (αὑτός), ὁμός ἕτερος, ἄλλος
dual πότερος πότερος, ποτερός ὁπότερος
quality ποῖος ποιός †τοῖος, τοιοῦτος τοιόσδε οἷος ὁποῖος ὅμοιος ἑτεροῖος, ἀλλοῖος
quantity πόσος ποσός †τόσος, τοσοῦτος τοσόσδε ὅσος ὁπόσος
manner πῶς πως †τώς, †ὥς, οὕτως ὧδε ὡς ὅπως ὁμῶς ἑτέρως, ἄλλως
method,
path,
place 		πῇ πῃ τῇ, ταύτῃ τῇδε ἐκείνῃ ᾗ ὅπῃ ἄλλῃ
place ποῦ, †πόθι που, †ποθι ἐνταῦθα ἐνθάδε ἐκεῖ, ἔνθα, †ἐκεῖθι οὗ, ἔνθα, †ὅθι ὅπου, †ὁπόθι αὐτόθι, ὁμοῦ ἄλλοθι
source πόθεν ποθεν †τόθεν, ἔνθεν, ἐντεῦθεν ἐνθένδε ἐκεῖθεν ὅθεν ὁπόθεν †ὁμόθεν ἄλλοθεν
destination ποῖ, †πόσε ποι ἔνθα, ἐνταῦθα ἐνθάδε, δεῦρο ἐκεῖσε οἷ ὅποι, †ὁπόσε αὐτόσε, ὁμόσε ἄλλοσε
time πότε, πῆμος ποτέ, ποτε, τοτέ, ἐνίοτε τότε, τῆμος τημόσδε ὅτε, ἦμος ὁπότε, †ὁππῆμος ἅμα ἄλλοτε
exact time πηνίκα †τηνίκα, τηνικαῦτα τηνικάδε ἡνίκα ὁπηνίκα αὐτίκα
duration of time τέως ἕως
size, age πηλίκος πηλίκος †τηλίκος, τηλικοῦτος τηλικόσδε ἡλίκος ὁπηλίκος ὁμῆλιξ
repetition ποσάκις, ποσίνδα ποσάκις τουτάκις, τοσάκις †ὁσάκις ὁποσάκις ὁποσάκις
multiplication ποσαπλάσιος ὁσαπλάσιος, ὁσαπλασίων
order πόστος ποστός ὁπόστος
† Forms rarely or never used in Classical Attic prose
Relative also used in exclamations; either relative or indefinite relative used in indirect questions.
Descendants
  • Greek: τις (tis), τι (ti)
  • Mariupol Greek: тыс (tys), ты (ty)

Etymology 2

See τις (tis).

Pronoun

τίς • (tís)

  1. oxytone form of τις (tis, “someone, anyone”)
Usage notes

Used before another enclitic:

  • 386 BCE – 367 BCE, Plato, Meno 70b:
    καὶ δὴ καὶ τοῦτο τὸ ἔθος ῡ̔μᾶς εἴθικεν, ἀφόβως τε καὶ μεγαλοπρεπῶς ἀποκρῑ́νεσθαι ἐᾱ́ν τίς τι ἔρηται.
    kaì dḕ kaì toûto tò éthos [Gorgías] hūmâs eíthiken, aphóbōs te kaì megaloprepôs apokrī́nesthai eā́n tís ti érētai.
    And furthermore, has also accustomed you to the habit of answering fearlessly and magnificently if someone asks you something.

References

  1. ^ Beekes, Robert S. P. (2010) “τίς”, in Etymological Dictionary of Greek (Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series; 10), with the assistance of Lucien van Beek, Leiden, Boston: Brill, →ISBN, page 1487
  2. ^ Sihler, Andrew L. (1995) New Comparative Grammar of Greek and Latin, Oxford, New York: Oxford University Press, →ISBN, § 382

Further reading

Greek

Pronoun

τίς • (tís)

  1. Older polytonic spelling of τις (tis#Etymology_2) interrogative in old set phrases like
    τίς πταίει; ― tís ptaíei? ― who is at fault?
    τίς εἶ; (military, recognition) ― tís eî? ― who are you?
    τίνι τρόπῳ; ― tíni trópōi? ― in what way?
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