ἄφνω

Ancient Greek

Alternative forms

ἄφνως (áphnōs)

Etymology

Related to ἐξαίφνης (exaíphnēs), αἴφνης (aíphnēs, “suddenly”), ἐξᾰπίνης (exăpínēs, “id”), of uncertain origin. One theory derives the word from Proto-Indo-European *h₂egʷʰ-, shared with Sanskrit अह्नाय (ahnāya, “instantly, at once”). However, Beekes, noting the π/φ variation in the word's relatives, suggests Pre-Greek origin.^[1]

Pronunciation

(5^th BCE Attic) IPA^(key): /á.pʰnɔː/
(1^st CE Egyptian) IPA^(key): /ˈa.pʰno/
(4^th CE Koine) IPA^(key): /ˈa.ɸno/
(10^th CE Byzantine) IPA^(key): /ˈa.fno/
(15^th CE Constantinopolitan) IPA^(key): /ˈa.fno/

Adverb

ἄφνω • (áphnō)

References

^ Beekes, Robert S. P. (2010) “ἄφνω”, in Etymological Dictionary of Greek (Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series; 10), with the assistance of Lucien van Beek, Leiden, Boston: Brill, →ISBN, page 178

ἄφνω in Bailly, Anatole (1935) Le Grand Bailly: Dictionnaire grec-français, Paris: Hachette
ἄφνω in the Diccionario Griego–Español en línea (2006–2025)
ἄφνω, in ΛΟΓΕΙΟΝ [Logeion] Dictionaries for Ancient Greek and Latin (in English, French, Spanish, German, Dutch and Chinese), University of Chicago, since 2011
“ἄφνω”, in Liddell & Scott (1940) A Greek–English Lexicon, Oxford: Clarendon Press
G869 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.
- suddenly idem, page 835.
- unexpectedly idem, page 917.

[1] Beekes, Robert S. P. (2010) “ἄφνω”, in Etymological Dictionary of Greek (Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series; 10), with the assistance of Lucien van Beek, Leiden, Boston: Brill, →ISBN, page 178

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