φαίνω

From Proto-Hellenic *pʰáňňō, from Proto-Indo-European *bʰh₂nyéti, from *bʰeh₂- (“to shine”).

The present tense system includes a *-y- progressive aspect marker.

φαίνω • (phaínō)

1. (transitive) to cause to appear, bring to light; to show, uncover, reveal
   • 800 BCE – 600 BCE, Homer, Iliad 2.324:

     ἡμῖν μὲν τόδ’ ἔφηνε τέρας μέγα μητίετα Ζεὺς ὄψιμον ὀψιτέλεστον

     hēmîn mèn tód’ éphēne téras méga mētíeta Zeùs ópsimon opsitéleston

     To us Zeus the counsellor has shown this great sign

   1. (transitive) to make known, reveal, disclose
      • 429 BCE, Sophocles, Oedipus the King 1229:

        ὅσα κεύθει, τὰ δ’ αὐτίκ’ εἰς τὸ φῶς φανεῖ κακὰ ἑκόντα κοὐκ ἄκοντα.

        hósa keúthei, tà d’ autík’ eis tò phôs phaneî kakà hekónta kouk ákonta.

        So many are the ills that this house shrouds, or will soon bring to light, ills wrought not unwillingly but on purpose.

   2. (of sound)
      • 800 BCE – 600 BCE, Homer, Odyssey 8.499:

        ὁ δ’ ὁρμηθεὶς θεοῦ ἤρχετο, φαῖνε δ’ ἀοιδήν

        ho d’ hormētheìs theoû ḗrkheto, phaîne d’ aoidḗn

        And the minstrel, moved by the god, began, and let his song be heard.

   3. (transitive) Ι show forth, expound
      • 800 BCE – 600 BCE, Homer, Iliad 18.295:

        νήπιε μηκέτι ταῦτα νοήματα φαῖν’ ἐνὶ δήμῳ

        nḗpie mēkéti taûta noḗmata phaîn’ enì dḗmōi

        No longer, thou fool, do thou show forth counsels such as these among the folk.

   4. (transitive) to denounce
      • 424 BCE, Aristophanes, The Knights 300:

        φανῶ σε τοῖς πρυτάνεσιν ἀδεκατεύτους τῶν θεῶν ἱερὰς ἔχοντα κοιλίας.

        phanô se toîs prutánesin adekateútous tôn theôn hieràs ékhonta koilías.

        I will denounce you to the Prytanes as the owner of sacred tripe, that has not paid tithe.

2. (intransitive) to shine, give light
   • 423 BCE, Aristophanes, The Clouds 586:

     ὁ δ’ ἥλιος […] οὐ φανεῖν ἔφασκεν ὑμῖν, εἰ στρατηγήσει Κλέων.

     ho d’ hḗlios […] ou phaneîn éphasken humîn, ei stratēgḗsei Kléōn.

     and the Sun […] declared he would not give you light, if Cleon should be your general.

3. (passive voice) to appear; to shine
   • 800 BCE – 600 BCE, Homer, Odyssey 18.68:

     φάνεν δέ οἱ εὐρέες ὦμοι

     phánen dé hoi eurées ômoi

     and his broad shoulders were exposed

   1. to come into being
      • 406 BCE, Sophocles, Oedipus at Colonus 974:

        εἰ δ’ αὖ φανεὶς δύστηνος, ὡς ἐγὼ 'φάνην

        ei d’ aû phaneìs dústēnos, hōs egṑ ’phánēn

        But if, having been born o misery—as I was born

   2. to come about
      • 800 BCE – 600 BCE, Homer, Iliad 2.122:

        τέλος δ’ οὔ πώ τι πέφανται

        télos d’ oú pṓ ti péphantai

        and no end thereof has yet been seen

   3. (copulative or control verb) to appear (to be)
      • 800 BCE – 600 BCE, Homer, Odyssey 15.25:

        ἀλλὰ σύ γ’ ἐλθὼν αὐτὸς ἐπιτρέψειας ἕκαστα δμῳάων ἥ τίς τοι ἀρίστη φαίνεται εἶναι

        allà sú g’ elthṑn autòs epitrépseias hékasta dmōiáōn hḗ tís toi arístē phaínetai eînai

        Nay, go, and thyself put all thy possessions in the charge of whatsoever one of the handmaids seems to be the best.

      • 800 BCE – 600 BCE, Homer, Iliad 9.94:

        Νέστωρ, οὗ καὶ πρόσθεν ἀρίστη φαίνετο βουλή

        Néstōr, hoû kaì prósthen arístē phaíneto boulḗ

        Nestor, whose rede had of old ever seemed the best

      1. (φαίνεται as interjection) yes; so it appears; apparently
         • 428 BCE – 347 BCE, Plato, Protagoras 332e:

           ἐναντίον ἄρ’ ἐστὶν ἀφροσύνη σωφροσύνης;
           φαίνεται.

           enantíon ár’ estìn aphrosúnē sōphrosúnēs?
           phaínetai.

           Then the opposite of prudence is folly?
           Apparently.

         • 380 BCE, Plato, The Republic 333c
      2. (late, impersonal) it seems
         • 60 BCE – 7 BCE, Dionysius of Halicarnassus, Roman Antiquities 2.14

• (show, reveal): ἀναφαίνω (anaphaínō), ἀποφαίνω (apophaínō), ἐπιφαίνω (epiphaínō), προφαίνω (prophaínō), δείκνῡμῐ (deíknūmĭ), διαδείκνυμι (diadeíknumi), ἐπιδείκνυμι (epideíknumi), ἀποκαλύπτω (apokalúptō), δηλόω (dēlóō), σημαίνω (sēmaínō), φράζω (phrázō)
• (shine): λάμπω (lámpō), αὐγάζω (augázō), αὐγέω (augéō), φέγγω (phéngō), σελαγέω (selagéō), στίλβω (stílbō), πρέπω (prépō), θέω (théō)
• (seem): δοκέω (dokéō), εἴδομαι (eídomai), ἔοικα (éoika), ἰνδάλλομαι (indállomai), ὑπειδόμην (hupeidómēn)

• -φανής (-phanḗs)
• verb with prefix

• other

• →? Proto-Albanian: *wrefenj-
  • Albanian: rrëfej
• → English: pheno-, -phany
• Greek: φαίνομαι (faínomai)

• “φαίνω”, in Liddell & Scott (1940) A Greek–English Lexicon, Oxford: Clarendon Press
• “φαίνω”, in Liddell & Scott (1889) An Intermediate Greek–English Lexicon, New York: Harper & Brothers
• “φαίνω”, in Autenrieth, Georg (1891) A Homeric Dictionary for Schools and Colleges, New York: Harper and Brothers
• φαίνω in Cunliffe, Richard J. (1924) A Lexicon of the Homeric Dialect: Expanded Edition, Norman: University of Oklahoma Press, published 1963
• “φαίνω”, in Slater, William J. (1969) Lexicon to Pindar, Berlin: Walter de Gruyter
• G5316 in Strong, James (1979) Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance to the Bible
• 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