νήπιος

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Ancient Greek

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Etymology

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The word is presumably the negative prefix νη-, but the stem is unclear. Strong's Greek Lexicon (1890) suggests νη- (nē-, negative prefix) +‎ ἔπος (épos, speech), compare Latin infans (infant) from in- (not) +‎ fāns (speaking). But a 2010 review by Beekes favors instead a derivation from ἤπιος, as suggested by Lacroix in 1937, with a possible PIE root *h2ep meaning 'join,' from which we would also have ἅπτω.

Pronunciation

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Adjective

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νήπῐος (nḗpiosm (feminine νηπῐ́ᾱ, neuter νήπῐον); first/second declension

  1. childish, infantile, juvenile, young
    1. (of animals)
    2. (of the understanding) childish, untaught, silly, credulous
    3. (of bodily strength)

Inflection

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Noun

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νήπῐος (nḗpiosm (genitive νηπῐ́ου); second declension (Attic)

  1. infant, child
    • 53 CE – 55 CE, Paul the Apostle, First Epistle to the Corinthians 13:11:
      ὅτε ἤμην νήπιος, ἐλάλουν ὡς νήπιος, ἐφρόνουν ὡς νήπιος, ἐλογιζόμην ὡς νήπιος· ὅτε γέγονα ἀνήρ, κατήργηκα τὰ τοῦ νηπίου.
      hóte ḗmēn nḗpios, eláloun hōs nḗpios, ephrónoun hōs nḗpios, elogizómēn hōs nḗpios; hóte gégona anḗr, katḗrgēka tà toû nēpíou.
      When I was a child, I spake as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child: but when I became a man, I put away childish things (KJV)

Declension

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References

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