ἄγχι

Ancient Greek

Etymology

From Proto-Indo-European *h₂enǵʰ- (“to tighten”) (whence ἄγχω (ánkhō)). Cognate with English anger, hangnail, angina.

Pronunciation

 

• IPA^(key): /áŋ.kʰi/ → /ˈaɲ.çi/ → /ˈaɲ.çi/

• (5^th BCE Attic) IPA^(key): /áŋ.kʰi/
• (1^st CE Egyptian) IPA^(key): /ˈaŋ.kʰi/
• (4^th CE Koine) IPA^(key): /ˈaɲ.çi/
• (10^th CE Byzantine) IPA^(key): /ˈaɲ.çi/
• (15^th CE Constantinopolitan) IPA^(key): /ˈaɲ.çi/

Adverb

ᾰ̓́γχῐ • (ánkhi) (comparative ἆσσον or ἀγχίων, superlative ἄγχιστα or ἄγχιστον)

1. (Poetic) near, nigh
   • 800 BCE – 600 BCE, Homer, Iliad 5.185:

     ἀλλά τις ἄγχι ἕστηκ’ ἀθανάτων νεφέλῃ εἰλυμένος ὤμους

     allá tis ánkhi héstēk’ athanátōn nephélēi eiluménos ṓmous

     But one of the immortals stands near him, his shoulders wrapped in cloud.

   1. (of time)
      • 630 BCE – 570 BCE, Sappho, Papyrus Fragments 19.7
   2. like, resembling
      • 522 BCE – 443 BCE, Pindar, Nemean Ode 6.9:

        τεκμαίρει καί νυν Ἀλκιμίδας τὸ συγγενὲς ἰδεῖν ἄγχι καρποφόροις ἀρούραισιν

        tekmaírei kaí nun Alkimídas tò sungenès ideîn ánkhi karpophórois aroúraisin

        Even now Alcimidas gives visible proof that his hereditary qualities are like the fruitful fields.

Usage notes

ἄγχι frequently takes a noun in the genitive case, in which case the noun usually follows.

Synonyms

• ἐγγύς (engús)
• πέλας (pélas)
• σχεδόν (skhedón)
• πλήσιος (plḗsios)
• ἀγχοῦ (ankhoû)
• ἔμπλην (émplēn)

Antonyms

• τηλοῦ (tēloû)

Derived terms

• ἄγχαυρος (ánkhauros)
• ἀγχέμαχος (ankhémakhos)
• ἀγχεμωλία (ankhemōlía)
• ἀγχήρης (ankhḗrēs)
• ἀγχίαλος (ankhíalos)
• ἀγχιβαθής (ankhibathḗs)
• ἀγχιβασίη (ankhibasíē)
• ἀγχιγείτων (ankhigeítōn)
• ἀγχίγυος (ankhíguos)
• ἀγχίδομος (ankhídomos)
• ἀγχιθάλασσος (ankhithálassos)
• ἀγχίθεος (ankhítheos)
• ἀγχιθυρέω (ankhithuréō)
• ἀγχίθυρος (ankhíthuros)
• ἀγχικέλευθος (ankhikéleuthos)
• ἀγχίκρημνος (ankhíkrēmnos)
• ἀγχίκρηνος (ankhíkrēnos)
• ἀγχιλεχής (ankhilekhḗs)
• ἀγχίλωψ (ankhílōps)
• ἀγχιμαχητής (ankhimakhētḗs)
• ἀγχίμαχος (ankhímakhos)
• ἀγχιμολέω (ankhimoléō)
• ἀγχίμολος (ankhímolos)
• ἄγχιμος (ánkhimos)
• ἀγχινεφής (ankhinephḗs)
• ἀγχίνοια (ankhínoia)
• ἀγχίνοος (ankhínoos)
• ἀγχίπλοος (ankhíploos)
• ἀγχίπολις (ankhípolis)
• ἀγχίπορος (ankhíporos)
• ἀγχίπους (ankhípous)
• ἀγχίρροος (ankhírrhoos)
• ἀγχίσπορος (ankhísporos)
• ἄγχιστος (ánkhistos)
• ἀγχίστροφος (ankhístrophos)
• ἀγχιτελής (ankhitelḗs)
• ἀγχιτέρμων (ankhitérmōn)
• ἀγχιτόκος (ankhitókos)
• ἀγχιφανής (ankhiphanḗs)
• ἀγχίφρων (ankhíphrōn)
• ἀγχίφυτος (ankhíphutos)
• ἀγχίων (ankhíōn)
• ἀγχόθεν (ankhóthen)
• ἀγχόθι (ankhóthi)
• ἀγχόμορος (ankhómoros)
• ἀγχόσε (ankhóse)
• ἄγχουρος (ánkhouros)
• ἀγχώμαλος (ankhṓmalos)
• ἆσσον (âsson)

 

References

• “ἄγχι”, in Liddell & Scott (1940) A Greek–English Lexicon, Oxford: Clarendon Press
• “ἄγχι”, in Liddell & Scott (1889) An Intermediate Greek–English Lexicon, New York: Harper & Brothers
• “ἄγχι”, in Autenrieth, Georg (1891) A Homeric Dictionary for Schools and Colleges, New York: Harper and Brothers
• ἄγχι in Bailly, Anatole (1935) Le Grand Bailly: Dictionnaire grec-français, Paris: Hachette
• ἄγχι in Cunliffe, Richard J. (1924) A Lexicon of the Homeric Dialect: Expanded Edition, Norman: University of Oklahoma Press, published 1963
• ἄγχι in the Diccionario Griego–Español en línea (2006–2024)
• “ἄγχι”, in Slater, William J. (1969) Lexicon to Pindar, Berlin: Walter de Gruyter
• Woodhouse, S. C. (1910) English–Greek Dictionary: A Vocabulary of the Attic Language‎^[1], London: Routledge & Kegan Paul Limited.
  • near idem, page 553.