ὄχα

Ancient Greek

Alternative forms

ὄχ’ (ókh’) — apocopic

Etymology

According to Beekes, a back-formation from ἔξοχα (éxokha), an adverbially used accusative plural (of ἔξοχος (éxokhos, “prominent, eminent”)) meaning the same.

Pronunciation

(5^th BCE Attic) IPA^(key): /ó.kʰa/
(1^st CE Egyptian) IPA^(key): /ˈo.kʰa/
(4^th CE Koine) IPA^(key): /ˈo.xa/
(10^th CE Byzantine) IPA^(key): /ˈo.xa/
(15^th CE Constantinopolitan) IPA^(key): /ˈo.xa/

Adverb

ὄχα • (ókha)

(Epic) by far

Usage notes

Used only in the phrase ὄχ’ ἄριστος (ókh’ áristos, “by far the best”).

References

Beekes, Robert S. P. (2010) Etymological Dictionary of Greek (Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series; 10), with the assistance of Lucien van Beek, Leiden, Boston: Brill, →ISBN, page 1136
“ὄχα”, in Liddell & Scott (1940) A Greek–English Lexicon, Oxford: Clarendon Press