οἶδα

Ancient Greek

Alternative forms

• οἶδ’ (oîd’) — apocopic

Etymology

From Proto-Indo-European *wóyde, from *weyd-. Compare εἶδον (eîdon, “to see”) and εἴδομαι (eídomai, “to seem”), which originate from different aspectual forms of the same verbal root. Cognates include Proto-Slavic *věděti, Old Armenian գիտեմ (gitem), Sanskrit वेद (veda), Latin vīdī, and Proto-Germanic *witaną (English wit).

Pronunciation

 

• IPA^(key): /ôi̯.da/ → /ˈy.ða/ → /ˈi.ða/

• (5^th BCE Attic) IPA^(key): /ôi̯.da/
• (1^st CE Egyptian) IPA^(key): /ˈy.da/
• (4^th CE Koine) IPA^(key): /ˈy.ða/
• (10^th CE Byzantine) IPA^(key): /ˈy.ða/
• (15^th CE Constantinopolitan) IPA^(key): /ˈi.ða/

Verb

οἶδᾰ • (oîda)

1. (transitive) to know, be acquainted with [+accusative = something]
   1. (with neuter accusative plural of an adjective): have a quality in one's heart
   2. (transitive) to be skilled in [+genitive = something]
   • Aristotle, Metaphysics, 1

     Πάντες ἄνθρωποι τοῦ εἰδέναι ὀρέγονται φύσει.

     Pántes ánthrōpoi toû eidénai orégontai phúsei.

     All humans by nature yearn to know.

2. (intransitive) to know how to [+infinitive = do something]
3. (transitive, when main verb and participle have separate subjects) to know that [+accusative noun and accusative participle = someone else does something]
   1. (intransitive, when subject of main verb and subject of participle are the same) to know that [+nominative participle = one does something]
   2. to know that, with accusative and then an indirect statement introduced by ὅτι (hóti) or ὡς (hōs)
   3. (negative) οὐκ οἶδα εἰ (ouk oîda ei): to don't know if or whether, to doubt that
4. (parenthetic)
5. (a superlative is often followed by the phrase "ὧν ἴσμεν")

Usage notes

The perfect inflections function as present tense, and the pluperfect as imperfect. The inflection is highly variable and irregular, and reflects a more archaic inflectional pattern.

Inflection

   Perfect: οἶδᾰ

number		singular			dual		plural
		first	second	third	second	third	first	second	third
active	indicative	οἶδᾰ	οἶσθᾰ/οἶδᾰς	οἶδε	ἴστον	ἴστον	ἴσμεν, οἴδᾰμεν	ἴστε, οἴδᾰτε	ἴσᾱσῐ(ν)
	subjunctive	εἰδῶ	εἰδῇς	εἰδῇ	εἰδῆτον	εἰδῆτον	εἰδῶμεν	εἰδῆτε	εἰδῶσῐ(ν)
	optative	εἰδείην	εἰδείης	εἰδείη	εἰδεῖτον	εἰδείτην	εἰδεῖμεν/εἰδείημεν	εἰδεῖτε/εἰδείητε	εἰδεῖεν/εἰδείησᾰν
	imperative		ἴσθῐ	ἴστω	ἴστον	ἴστων		ἴστε	ἴστων
		active
infinitive		εἰδέναι
participle	m	εἰδώς
	f	εἰδυῖᾰ
	n	εἰδός
Notes:	This table gives Attic inflectional endings. For conjugation in dialects other than Attic, see Appendix:Ancient Greek dialectal conjugation.

   Perfect: οἶδᾰ (Epic)

number		singular			dual		plural
		first	second	third	second	third	first	second	third
active	indicative	οἶδᾰ	οἶσθᾰ/οἶδᾰς	οἶδε	ἴστον	ἴστον	ἴσμεν/ἴδμεν, εἴδομεν	ἴστε, εἴδετε	ἴσᾱσῐ(ν)
	subjunctive	εἰδῶ	εἰδῇς	εἰδῇ	εἰδῆτον	εἰδῆτον	εἰδῶμεν	εἰδῆτε	εἰδῶσῐ(ν)
	optative	εἰδείην	εἰδείης	εἰδείη	εἰδεῖτον	εἰδείτην	εἰδεῖμεν/εἰδείημεν	εἰδεῖτε/εἰδείητε	εἰδεῖεν/εἰδείησᾰν
	imperative		ἴσθῐ	ἴστω	ἴστον	ἴστων		ἴστε	ἴστων
		active
infinitive		εἰδέναι, ἴδμεναι/ἴδμεν/ἰδέμεν
participle	m	εἰδώς
	f	εἰδυῖᾰ, ἰδυῖα
	n	εἰδός
Notes:	Dialects other than Attic are not well attested. Some forms are based on conjecture. Use with caution. For more details, see Appendix:Ancient Greek dialectal conjugation.

   Pluperfect: ᾔδη/ᾔδειν

number		singular			dual		plural
		first	second	third	second	third	first	second	third
active	indicative	ᾔδη/ᾔδειν	ᾔδησθᾰ/ᾔδεις	ᾔδει(ν)	ᾖστον	ᾔστην	ᾖσμεν/ᾔδεμεν/ᾔδειμεν	ᾖστε/ᾔδειτε/ᾔδετε	ᾖσᾰν/ᾔδεσᾰν
Notes:	This table gives Attic inflectional endings. For conjugation in dialects other than Attic, see Appendix:Ancient Greek dialectal conjugation.

   Pluperfect: ᾔδεα/ᾔδη/ᾔδειν/ἠείδειν (Epic)

number		singular			dual		plural
		first	second	third	second	third	first	second	third
active	indicative	ᾔδεα/ᾔδη/ᾔδειν/ἠείδειν	ᾔδησθᾰ/ἠείδης/ᾔδεις	ᾔδεε(ν)/ᾔδη/ἠείδη	ᾖστον	ᾔστην	ᾖσμεν/ᾔδεμεν/ᾔδειμεν	ᾖστε/ᾔδειτε/ᾔδετε	ᾖσᾰν/ᾔδεσᾰν, ἴσαν
Notes:	Dialects other than Attic are not well attested. Some forms are based on conjecture. Use with caution. For more details, see Appendix:Ancient Greek dialectal conjugation.

   Future: εἴσομαι

number		singular			dual		plural
		first	second	third	second	third	first	second	third
middle	indicative	εἴσομαι	εἴσῃ, εἴσει	εἴσεται	εἴσεσθον	εἴσεσθον	εἰσόμεθᾰ	εἴσεσθε	εἴσονται
	optative	εἰσοίμην	εἴσοιο	εἴσοιτο	εἴσοισθον	εἰσοίσθην	εἰσοίμεθᾰ	εἴσοισθε	εἴσοιντο
					middle
infinitive					εἴσεσθαι
participle	m				εἰσόμενος
	f				εἰσομένη
	n				εἰσόμενον
Notes:	This table gives Attic inflectional endings. For conjugation in dialects other than Attic, see Appendix:Ancient Greek dialectal conjugation.

   Future: εἴσομαι (Epic)

number		singular			dual		plural
		first	second	third	second	third	first	second	third
middle	indicative	εἴσομαι	εἴσεαι	εἴσεται	εἴσεσθον	εἴσεσθον	εἰσόμε(σ)θᾰ	εἴσεσθε	εἴσονται
	optative	εἰσοίμην	εἴσοιο	εἴσοιτο	εἴσοισθον	εἰσοίσθην	εἰσοίμε(σ)θᾰ	εἴσοισθε	εἰσοίᾰτο
					middle
infinitive					εἴσεσθαι
participle	m				εἰσόμενος
	f				εἰσομένη
	n				εἰσόμενον
Notes:	Dialects other than Attic are not well attested. Some forms are based on conjecture. Use with caution. For more details, see Appendix:Ancient Greek dialectal conjugation.

Derived terms

• πρόοιδα (próoida)
• σύνοιδα (súnoida)

 

Related terms

• εἴδομαι (eídomai)
• εἶδον (eîdon)

 

Further reading

• “*εἴδω”, in Liddell & Scott (1940) A Greek–English Lexicon, Oxford: Clarendon Press
• “οἶδα”, in Liddell & Scott (1889) An Intermediate Greek–English Lexicon, New York: Harper & Brothers
• “οἶδα”, in Autenrieth, Georg (1891) A Homeric Dictionary for Schools and Colleges, New York: Harper and Brothers
• οἶδα in Cunliffe, Richard J. (1924) A Lexicon of the Homeric Dialect: Expanded Edition, Norman: University of Oklahoma Press, published 1963
• “οἶδα”, in Slater, William J. (1969) Lexicon to Pindar, Berlin: Walter de Gruyter
• G1492 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.
  • aware idem, page 56.
  • conscious idem, page 162.
  • consciously idem, page 162.
  • heart idem, page 392.
  • know idem, page 471.
  • solve idem, page 793.