πόθεν

See also: ποθεν and ποθέν

Ancient Greek

Alternative forms

κόθεν (kóthen) — Ionic

Etymology

From Proto-Indo-European *kʷos (“which”) +‎ -θεν (-then, ablative adverb suffix). Compare its indefinite form ποθέν (pothén).^[1]

Pronunciation

(5^th BCE Attic) IPA^(key): /pó.tʰen/
(1^st CE Egyptian) IPA^(key): /ˈpo.tʰen/
(4^th CE Koine) IPA^(key): /ˈpo.θen/
(10^th CE Byzantine) IPA^(key): /ˈpo.θen/
(15^th CE Constantinopolitan) IPA^(key): /ˈpo.θen/

Adverb

πόθεν • (póthen) (interrogative adverb)

whence?, from where?
ποῖ δὴ πορεύῃ καὶ πόθεν?
poî dḕ poreúēi kaì póthen?
Whither art thou going and whence?
whence?, from what source?
wherefore?, why?, how?, for what reason?, how come?

Usage notes

This word can be used to introduce direct and indirect questions. ὁπόθεν (hopóthen) can only introduce indirect questions.
Object generally takes the genitive case.

type	interrogative	indefinite	demonstrative			relative	indefinite relative	identity	other
type	interrogative	indefinite	(medial)	proximal	distal	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, ἁμόθεν	†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.

References

^ Beekes, Robert S. P. (2010) “πόθεν”, in Etymological Dictionary of Greek (Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series; 10), with the assistance of Lucien van Beek, Leiden, Boston: Brill, →ISBN, page 1215

“πόθεν”, in Liddell & Scott (1940) A Greek–English Lexicon, Oxford: Clarendon Press
“πόθεν”, in Liddell & Scott (1889) An Intermediate Greek–English Lexicon, New York: Harper & Brothers
“πόθεν”, in Autenrieth, Georg (1891) A Homeric Dictionary for Schools and Colleges, New York: Harper and Brothers
πόθεν 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
πόθεν in Cunliffe, Richard J. (1924) A Lexicon of the Homeric Dialect: Expanded Edition, Norman: University of Oklahoma Press, published 1963
“πόθεν”, in Slater, William J. (1969) Lexicon to Pindar, Berlin: Walter de Gruyter
G4159 in Strong, James (1979) Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance to the Bible
Woodhouse, S. C. (1910) English–Greek Dictionary: A Vocabulary of the Attic Language‎^[1], London: Routledge & Kegan Paul Limited.
- festival idem, page 316.
- quarter idem, page 663.
- source idem, page 797.
- whence idem, page 975.

[1] Beekes, Robert S. P. (2010) “πόθεν”, in Etymological Dictionary of Greek (Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series; 10), with the assistance of Lucien van Beek, Leiden, Boston: Brill, →ISBN, page 1215

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