ἐπιούσιος

Ancient Greek

Etymology

Unknown. Ultimately either from ἐπῐ́ (epí, “on”) +‎ εἶμῐ (eîmi, “go, come”) or from ἐπῐ́ (epí, “on”) +‎ εἰμῐ́ (eimí, “be”). Possible etymologies include:

  1. From the phrase ἡ ἐπῐοῦσᾰ ἡμέρᾱ (hē epioûsa hēmérā, “the following day”),[1] essentially breaking down into ἐπῐοῦσᾰ (epioûsa, “next, following”) +‎ -ῐος (-ios, adjectival suffix), where ἐπῐοῦσᾰ (epioûsa) is the feminine nominative singular of ἐπῐών (epiṓn) the present participle of ἔπειμῐ (épeimi) (“follow, come after”) from ἐπ- (ep-, “on”) +‎ εἶμῐ (eîmi, “go, come”).
  2. From the phrase ἐπὶ τὴν οὖσᾰν ἡμέρᾱν (epì tḕn oûsan hēmérān, “for the actual/current day, lit. for the day being”),[2] essentially breaking down into ἐπῐ- (epi-, “on”) +‎ οὖσᾰ (oûsa, “being, actual”) +‎ -ῐος (-ios, adjectival suffix), where οὖσᾰ (oûsa) is the feminine nominative singular of ὤν (ṓn), the present participle of εἰμῐ́ (eimí) (“be”).
  3. From ἐπῐ- (epi-, “on”) +‎ οὐσῐ́ᾱ (ousíā, “essence, existence, substance”) +‎ -ῐος (-ios, adjectival suffix), cognate with ἐπουσῐ́ᾱ (epousíā, “surplus”) from ἐπών (epṓn, “remaining”), the present participle of ἔπειμῐ (épeimi) (“remain, be left over”) from ἐπ- (ep-, “on”) +‎ εἰμῐ́ (eimí, “be”), but a separate Koine innovation of the roots to explain why the iota of ἐπῐ́ (epí) was not dropped.

Not attested outside of the Lord's Prayer in Matthew 6:11 and Luke 11:3, in the phrase τὸν ἄρτον ἡμῶν τὸν ἐπῐούσῐον (tòn árton hēmôn tòn epioúsion), traditionally rendered as "our daily bread".

Adjective

ἐπῐούσῐος • (epioúsios) m or f (neuter ἐπῐούσῐον); second declension

  1. The meaning of this term is uncertain. Possibilities include:
    1. for tomorrow, for the future (for possible etymology #1)
    2. daily, sufficient for the day (for possible etymology #2)
    3. essential, necessary, supersubstantial (for possible etymology #3)

Inflection

Descendants

  • Greek: επιούσιος (epioúsios)

See also

References

  1. “ἐπιούσιος”, in Liddell & Scott (1940) A Greek–English Lexicon, Oxford: Clarendon Press
  2. “ἐπιούσιος”, in Liddell & Scott (1940) A Greek–English Lexicon, Oxford: Clarendon Press
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