πύστις

Ancient Greek

Etymology

From zero-grade of the root of πυνθάνομαι (punthánomai, “to inquire, find out”) +‎ -τις (-tis, verbal noun suffix). Compare πεῦσις (peûsis), from e-grade of the same root.

Pronunciation

 

• IPA^(key): /pýs.tis/ → /ˈpys.tis/ → /ˈpis.tis/

• (5^th BCE Attic) IPA^(key): /pýs.tis/
• (1^st CE Egyptian) IPA^(key): /ˈpys.tis/
• (4^th CE Koine) IPA^(key): /ˈpys.tis/
• (10^th CE Byzantine) IPA^(key): /ˈpys.tis/
• (15^th CE Constantinopolitan) IPA^(key): /ˈpis.tis/

Noun

πῠ́στῐς • (pústis) f (genitive πῠ́στεως); third declension

1. inquiry, question
   • 428 BCE – 347 BCE, Plato, Laches 196c:

     κοινὴ γὰρ ἔσται ἡ πύστις ὑπὲρ ἐμοῦ τε καὶ σοῦ

     koinḕ gàr éstai hē pústis hupèr emoû te kaì soû

     since the question will be shared on behalf of you and me.

2. What is learned by asking: news, report, information
   • 458 BCE, Euripides, Electra :

     ἢν μὲν ἔλθῃ πύστις εὐτυχὴς σέθεν

     ḕn mèn élthēi pústis eutukhḕs séthen

     if a good report comes from you

Declension

Third declension of ἡ πῠ́στῐς; τῆς πῠ́στεως (Attic)

Case / #	Singular	Dual	Plural
Nominative	ἡ πῠ́στῐς hē pústis	τὼ πῠ́στει tṑ pústei	αἱ πῠ́στεις hai pústeis
Genitive	τῆς πῠ́στεως tês pústeōs	τοῖν πῠστέοιν toîn pustéoin	τῶν πῠ́στεων tôn pústeōn
Dative	τῇ πῠ́στει têi pústei	τοῖν πῠστέοιν toîn pustéoin	ταῖς πῠ́στεσῐ / πῠ́στεσῐν taîs pústesi(n)
Accusative	τὴν πῠ́στῐν tḕn pústin	τὼ πῠ́στει tṑ pústei	τᾱ̀ς πῠ́στεις tā̀s pústeis
Vocative	πῠ́στῐ pústi	πῠ́στει pústei	πῠ́στεις pústeis
Notes:	This table gives Attic inflectional endings. For declension in other dialects, see Appendix:Ancient Greek dialectal declension.

Further reading

• “πύστις”, in Liddell & Scott (1940) A Greek–English Lexicon, Oxford: Clarendon Press
• “πύστις”, in Liddell & Scott (1889) An Intermediate Greek–English Lexicon, New York: Harper & Brothers
• Woodhouse, S. C. (1910) English–Greek Dictionary: A Vocabulary of the Attic Language‎^[1], London: Routledge & Kegan Paul Limited.
  • information idem, page 439.
  • intelligence idem, page 448.
  • news idem, page 557.
  • tidings idem, page 874.
  • word idem, page 987.