ἔγωγε

Ancient Greek

Alternative forms

• ἔγωγ’ (égōg’) — apocopic
• ἐγώνγα (egṓnga) — Doric
• ἰώνγα (iṓnga), ἰώνει (iṓnei), ἰώγα (iṓga) — Boeotian

Etymology

An emphatic form of ἐγώ (egṓ, “I”); in Attic, formed by adding γε (ge).

Pronoun

ἔγωγε • (égōge) (Attic)

1. I at least, I for my part
2. (in answer to a yes-no question) yes, I do, I did, etc.; (with negative) no, I don't, I didn't, etc.
   • 386 BCE – 367 BCE, Plato, Meno 71b–71c:

     Σωκράτης   ἢ δοκεῖ σοι οἷόν τε εἶναι, ὅστις Μένωνα μὴ γιγνώσκει […] ὅστις ἐστίν, τοῦτον εἰδέναι εἴτε καλὸς εἴτε πλούσιος εἴτε καὶ γενναῖός ἐστιν […]  ;
     Μένων   οὐκ ἔμοιγε. ἀλλὰ σύ, ὦ Σώκρατες, ἀληθῶς οὐδ’ ὅτι ἀρετή ἐστιν οἶσθα […]  ;
     Σωκράτης   μὴ μόνον γε, ὦ ἑταῖρε, ἀλλὰ καὶ ὅτι οὐδ’ ἄλλῳ πω ἐνέτυχον εἰδότι […] .
     Μένων   τί δέ; Γοργίᾳ οὐκ ἐνέτυχες ὅτε ἐνθάδε ἦν;
     Σωκράτης   ἔγωγε.

     Sōkrátēs   ḕ dokeî soi hoîón te eînai, hóstis Ménōna mḕ gignṓskei […] hóstis estín, toûton eidénai eíte kalòs eíte ploúsios eíte kaì gennaîós estin […] ?
     Ménōn   ouk émoige. allà sú, ô Sṓkrates, alēthôs oud’ hóti aretḗ estin oîstha […] ?
     Sōkrátēs   mḕ mónon ge, ô hetaîre, allà kaì hóti oud’ állōi pō enétukhon eidóti […] .
     Ménōn   tí dé? Gorgíāi ouk enétukhes hóte entháde ên?
     Sōkrátēs   égōge.

     Socrates: Or do you think that if someone doesn't know who Meno is, he could know if he is good or rich or noble?
     Meno: I don't. But you, Socrates, do you really not know what virtue is?
     Socrates: Not only that, my friend, but I've also never met anyone else who did know.
     Meno: What? Didn't you meet Gorgias when he was here?
     Socrates: I did.

Usage notes

ἔγωγε (égōge) is often used to answer a question whose topic is the person to whom the question is directed. A positive answer uses the pronoun; a negative answer uses the pronoun preceded by οὔ (oú). The pronoun takes the case of the original pronoun in the question, or the case that the original pronoun would be in if it were not omitted (when the subject pronoun is omitted). The English translation varies widely.

Declension

See ἐγώ (egṓ).

References

• Woodhouse, S. C. (1910) English–Greek Dictionary: A Vocabulary of the Attic Language‎^[1], London: Routledge & Kegan Paul Limited.
  • i idem, page 413.
  • part idem, page 593.
  • personally idem, page 608.