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Definition 2024


ἔπος

ἔπος

Ancient Greek

Alternative forms

  • ϝέπος (wépos) earlier

Noun

ἔπος (épos) n (genitive ἔπεος or ἔπους); third declension

  1. something spoken: speech, story, song
    1. one's word, promise
    2. word as opposed to deed
    3. subject
    4. a line of poetry
    5. (when discussing etymology or usage) an individual word
  2. (in the plural) epic poetry
  3. (the phrase, ὡς ἔπος εἰπεῖν, qualifying a hyperbolic statement) so to speak, roughly speaking, almost
  4. (the phrase, κατ᾽ ἔπος) word by word

Inflection

Related terms

Synonyms

Antonyms

  • (word): ἔργον (érgon, deed)
  • (epic poetry): μέλη (mélē), ἰαμβεῖα (iambeîa), διθύραμβοι (dithúramboi)

Descendants

  • → Russian: э́пос (épos)
  • → Old Armenian: վէպ (vēp) (possibly)

References