εὐκτική

See also: ευκτική

Ancient Greek

Etymology

By ellipsis, from the phrase ἡ εὐκτῐκή ἔγκλῐσῐς (hē euktikḗ énklisis, “the inflection expressing wishing”): see εὐκτῐκός (euktikós). The optative mood was so named because in independent clauses it expresses a wish:

• 497 BCE – 405 BCE, Sophocles, Ajax 550:

  γένοιο πατρὸς εὐτυχέστερος.

  génoio patròs eutukhésteros.

  May you be more fortunate than your father!

Pronunciation

 

• IPA^(key): /eu̯k.ti.kɛ̌ː/ → /eɸk.tiˈci/ → /efk.tiˈci/

• (5^th BCE Attic) IPA^(key): /eu̯k.ti.kɛ̌ː/
• (1^st CE Egyptian) IPA^(key): /ewk.tiˈke̝/
• (4^th CE Koine) IPA^(key): /eɸk.tiˈci/
• (10^th CE Byzantine) IPA^(key): /efk.tiˈci/
• (15^th CE Constantinopolitan) IPA^(key): /efk.tiˈci/

Noun

εὐκτῐκή • (euktikḗ) f (genitive εὐκτῐκῆς); first declension

1. (grammar) The optative mood

Inflection

First declension of ἡ εὐκτῐκή; τῆς εὐκτῐκῆς (Attic)

Case / #	Singular	Dual	Plural
Nominative	ἡ εὐκτῐκή hē euktikḗ	τὼ εὐκτῐκᾱ́ tṑ euktikā́	αἱ εὐκτῐκαί hai euktikaí
Genitive	τῆς εὐκτῐκῆς tês euktikês	τοῖν εὐκτῐκαῖν toîn euktikaîn	τῶν εὐκτῐκῶν tôn euktikôn
Dative	τῇ εὐκτῐκῇ têi euktikêi	τοῖν εὐκτῐκαῖν toîn euktikaîn	ταῖς εὐκτῐκαῖς taîs euktikaîs
Accusative	τὴν εὐκτῐκήν tḕn euktikḗn	τὼ εὐκτῐκᾱ́ tṑ euktikā́	τᾱ̀ς εὐκτῐκᾱ́ς tā̀s euktikā́s
Vocative	εὐκτῐκή euktikḗ	εὐκτῐκᾱ́ euktikā́	εὐκτῐκαί euktikaí
Notes:	This table gives Attic inflectional endings. For declension in other dialects, see Appendix:Ancient Greek dialectal declension.

Synonyms

• εὐκτικὴ ἔγκλισις (euktikḕ énklisis)

Descendants

• Greek: ευκτική (efktikí)
• → Latin: optātīvus (calque)

Further reading

• “εὐκτικός”, in Liddell & Scott (1940) A Greek–English Lexicon, Oxford: Clarendon Press