ἐπιχαιρεκακία

Ancient Greek

FWOTD – 11 June 2017

Etymology

From ἐπῐχαιρέκᾰκος (epikhairékakos) +‎ -ῐ́ᾱ (-íā), from κᾰκός (kakós, “evil”) + ἐπιχαίρω (epikhaírō, “I rejoice”), from ἐπι- (epi-) + χαίρω (khaírō).

Pronunciation

 

• IPA^(key): /e.pi.kʰai̯.re.ka.kí.aː/ → /e.pi.çɛ.re.kaˈci.a/ → /e.pi.çe.re.kaˈci.a/

• (5^th BCE Attic) IPA^(key): /e.pi.kʰai̯.re.ka.kí.aː/
• (1^st CE Egyptian) IPA^(key): /e.pi.kʰɛ.re.kaˈki.a/
• (4^th CE Koine) IPA^(key): /e.pi.çɛ.re.kaˈci.a/
• (10^th CE Byzantine) IPA^(key): /e.pi.çe.re.kaˈci.a/
• (15^th CE Constantinopolitan) IPA^(key): /e.pi.çe.re.kaˈci.a/

Noun

ἐπῐχαιρεκᾰκῐ́ᾱ • (epikhairekakíā) f (genitive ἐπῐχαιρεκᾰκῐ́ᾱς); first declension

1. joy at the misfortune of another, spitefulness, schadenfreude, epicaricacy
   • 384 BCE – 322 BCE, Aristotle, Nicomachean Ethics 2.1107a.9–10:

     […] ἔνια γὰρ εὐθὺς ὠνόμασται συνειλημμένα μετὰ τῆς φαυλότητος, οἷον ἐπιχαιρεκακία ἀναισχυντία φθόνος, καὶ ἐπὶ τῶν πράξεων μοιχεία κλοπὴ ἀνδροφονία […]

     […] énia gàr euthùs ōnómastai suneilēmména metà tês phaulótētos, hoîon epikhairekakía anaiskhuntía phthónos, kaì epì tôn práxeōn moikheía klopḕ androphonía […]

     • 1911 translation by D. P. Chase

       […] for some have names that already imply badness, e.g. spite, shamelessness, envy, and in the case of actions adultery, theft, murder […]

   • 384 BCE – 322 BCE, Aristotle, Nicomachean Ethics 2.1108b.1:

     νέμεσις δὲ μεσότης φθόνου καὶ ἐπιχαιρεκακίας, εἰσὶ δὲ περὶ λύπην καὶ ἡδονὴν τὰς ἐπὶ τοῖς συμβαίνουσι τοῖς πέλας γινομένας […]

     némesis dè mesótēs phthónou kaì epikhairekakías, eisì dè perì lúpēn kaì hēdonḕn tàs epì toîs sumbaínousi toîs pélas ginoménas […]

     • 1911 translation by D. P. Chase

       Righteous indignation is a mean between envy and spite, and these states are concerned with the pain and pleasure that are felt at the fortunes of our neighbours […]

Inflection

First declension of ἡ ἐπῐχαιρεκᾰκῐ́ᾱ; τῆς ἐπῐχαιρεκᾰκῐ́ᾱς (Attic)

Case / #	Singular	Dual	Plural
Nominative	ἡ ἐπῐχαιρεκᾰκῐ́ᾱ hē epikhairekakíā	τὼ ἐπῐχαιρεκᾰκῐ́ᾱ tṑ epikhairekakíā	αἱ ἐπῐχαιρεκᾰκῐ́αι hai epikhairekakíai
Genitive	τῆς ἐπῐχαιρεκᾰκῐ́ᾱς tês epikhairekakíās	τοῖν ἐπῐχαιρεκᾰκῐ́αιν toîn epikhairekakíain	τῶν ἐπῐχαιρεκᾰκῐῶν tôn epikhairekakiôn
Dative	τῇ ἐπῐχαιρεκᾰκῐ́ᾳ têi epikhairekakíāi	τοῖν ἐπῐχαιρεκᾰκῐ́αιν toîn epikhairekakíain	ταῖς ἐπῐχαιρεκᾰκῐ́αις taîs epikhairekakíais
Accusative	τὴν ἐπῐχαιρεκᾰκῐ́ᾱν tḕn epikhairekakíān	τὼ ἐπῐχαιρεκᾰκῐ́ᾱ tṑ epikhairekakíā	τᾱ̀ς ἐπῐχαιρεκᾰκῐ́ᾱς tā̀s epikhairekakíās
Vocative	ἐπῐχαιρεκᾰκῐ́ᾱ epikhairekakíā	ἐπῐχαιρεκᾰκῐ́ᾱ epikhairekakíā	ἐπῐχαιρεκᾰκῐ́αι epikhairekakíai
Notes:	This table gives Attic inflectional endings. For declension in other dialects, see Appendix:Ancient Greek dialectal declension.

Descendants

• → English: epicaricacy

References

• “ἐπιχαιρεκακία”, in Liddell & Scott (1940) A Greek–English Lexicon, Oxford: Clarendon Press
• ἐπιχαιρεκακία in Bailly, Anatole (1935) Le Grand Bailly: Dictionnaire grec-français, Paris: Hachette