ἕρπω

See also: έρπω

Ancient Greek

Etymology

From Proto-Indo-European *sérpeti. Cognates include Sanskrit सर्पति (sarpati, “to glide, crawl”), and Latin serpō (“to creep, crawl”).

Pronunciation

 

• IPA^(key): /hér.pɔː/ → /ˈer.po/ → /ˈer.po/

• (5^th BCE Attic) IPA^(key): /hér.pɔː/
• (1^st CE Egyptian) IPA^(key): /ˈ(h)er.po/
• (4^th CE Koine) IPA^(key): /ˈer.po/
• (10^th CE Byzantine) IPA^(key): /ˈer.po/
• (15^th CE Constantinopolitan) IPA^(key): /ˈer.po/

Verb

ἕρπω • (hérpō)

1. to move slowly, walk; crawl, creep, slink
   • 467 BCE, Aeschylus, Seven Against Thebes 17
   • 422 BCE, Aristophanes, The Wasps 552
   • c. 800 BCE – 600 BCE, Homer, Iliad 17.447
   • c. 800 BCE – 600 BCE, Homer, Odyssey 12.395
   • c. 800 BCE – 600 BCE, Homer, Odyssey 17.158
   • 522 BCE – 443 BCE, Pindar, Olympian Ode 7.52
   • 409 BCE, Sophocles, Philoctetes 207
2. (Doric) to go or come
   • 525 BCE – 455 BCE, Aeschylus, Fragments 195
   • 525 BCE – 455 BCE, Aeschylus, Prometheus Bound 810
   • 425 BCE, Euripides, Andromache 722
   • 480 BCE – 406 BCE, Euripides, Cyclops 423
   • 416 BCE, Euripides, Herakles 1154
   • 412 BCE, Euripides, Helen 316
   • c. 445 BCE, Sophocles, Ajax 287
   • 406 BCE, Sophocles, Oedipus at Colonus 1643
   • 409 BCE, Sophocles, Philoctetes 1223
3. to come, happen (of things, events, etc.)
   • 424 BCE, Aristophanes, The Knights 673
   • 411 BCE, Aristophanes, Lysistrata 129
   • 522 BCE – 443 BCE, Pindar, Nemean Ode 4.43
   • 522 BCE – 443 BCE, Pindar, Nemean Ode 7.68
   • 522 BCE – 443 BCE, Pindar, Olympian Ode 13.105
   • c. 445 BCE, Sophocles, Ajax 157
   • c. 445 BCE, Sophocles, Ajax 1087
   • 442 BCE, Sophocles, Antigone 585
   • 442 BCE, Sophocles, Antigone 618
   • c. 420 BCE, Sophocles, Electra 1231
   • 497 BCE – 405 BCE, Sophocles, Fragments 255
   • 497 BCE – 405 BCE, Sophocles, Fragments 593
   • c. 450 BCE, Sophocles, Women of Trachis 547

Inflection

   Present: ἕρπω

number		singular			dual		plural
		first	second	third	second	third	first	second	third
active	indicative	ἕρπω	ἕρπεις	ἕρπει	ἕρπετον	ἕρπετον	ἕρπομεν	ἕρπετε	ἕρπουσῐ(ν)
	subjunctive	ἕρπω	ἕρπῃς	ἕρπῃ	ἕρπητον	ἕρπητον	ἕρπωμεν	ἕρπητε	ἕρπωσῐ(ν)
	optative	ἕρποιμῐ	ἕρποις	ἕρποι	ἕρποιτον	ἑρποίτην	ἕρποιμεν	ἕρποιτε	ἕρποιεν
	imperative		ἕρπε	ἑρπέτω	ἕρπετον	ἑρπέτων		ἕρπετε	ἑρπόντων
		active
infinitive		ἕρπειν
participle	m	ἕρπων
	f	ἕρπουσᾰ
	n	ἕρπον
Notes:	This table gives Attic inflectional endings. For conjugation in dialects other than Attic, see Appendix:Ancient Greek dialectal conjugation.

   Imperfect: εἷρπον

number		singular			dual		plural
		first	second	third	second	third	first	second	third
active	indicative	εἷρπον	εἷρπες	εἷρπε(ν)	εἵρπετον	εἱρπέτην	εἵρπομεν	εἵρπετε	εἷρπον
Notes:	This table gives Attic inflectional endings. For conjugation in dialects other than Attic, see Appendix:Ancient Greek dialectal conjugation.

   Imperfect: ἧρπον

number		singular			dual		plural
		first	second	third	second	third	first	second	third
active	indicative	ἧρπον	ἧρπες	ἧρπε(ν)	ἥρπετον	ἡρπέτην	ἥρπομεν	ἥρπετε	ἧρπον
Notes:	This table gives Attic inflectional endings. For conjugation in dialects other than Attic, see Appendix:Ancient Greek dialectal conjugation.

   Future: ἕρψω (Doric)

number		singular			dual		plural
		first	second	third	second	third	first	second	third
active	indicative	ἕρψω	ἕρψεις	ἕρψει	ἕρψετον	ἕρψετον	ἕρψομες	ἕρψετε	ἕρψοντῐ
	optative	ἕρψοιμῐ	ἕρψοις	ἕρψοι	ἕρψοιτον	ἑρψοίτᾱν	ἕρψοιμες	ἕρψοιτε	ἕρψοιεν
		active
infinitive		ἕρψεν
participle	m	ἕρψων
	f	ἕρψουσᾰ
	n	ἕρψον
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.

   Aorist: ἧρψᾰ

number		singular			dual		plural
		first	second	third	second	third	first	second	third
active	indicative	ἧρψᾰ	ἧρψᾰς	ἧρψε(ν)	ἥρψᾰτον	ἡρψᾰ́την	ἥρψᾰμεν	ἥρψᾰτε	ἧρψᾰν
	subjunctive	ἕρψω	ἕρψῃς	ἕρψῃ	ἕρψητον	ἕρψητον	ἕρψωμεν	ἕρψητε	ἕρψωσῐ(ν)
	optative	ἕρψαιμῐ	ἕρψειᾰς, ἕρψαις	ἕρψειε(ν), ἕρψαι	ἕρψαιτον	ἑρψαίτην	ἕρψαιμεν	ἕρψαιτε	ἕρψειᾰν, ἕρψαιεν
	imperative		ἕρψον	ἑρψᾰ́τω	ἕρψᾰτον	ἑρψᾰ́των		ἕρψᾰτε	ἑρψᾰ́ντων
		active
infinitive		ἕρψαι
participle	m	ἕρψᾱς
	f	ἕρψᾱσᾰ
	n	ἕρψᾰν
Notes:	This table gives Attic inflectional endings. For conjugation in dialects other than Attic, see Appendix:Ancient Greek dialectal conjugation.

   Aorist: εἵρπῠσᾰ

number		singular			dual		plural
		first	second	third	second	third	first	second	third
active	indicative	εἵρπῠσᾰ	εἵρπῠσᾰς	εἵρπῠσε(ν)	εἱρπῠ́σᾰτον	εἱρπῠσᾰ́την	εἱρπῠ́σᾰμεν	εἱρπῠ́σᾰτε	εἵρπῠσᾰν
	subjunctive	ἑρπῠ́σω	ἑρπῠ́σῃς	ἑρπῠ́σῃ	ἑρπῠ́σητον	ἑρπῠ́σητον	ἑρπῠ́σωμεν	ἑρπῠ́σητε	ἑρπῠ́σωσῐ(ν)
	optative	ἑρπῠ́σαιμῐ	ἑρπῠ́σειᾰς, ἑρπῠ́σαις	ἑρπῠ́σειε(ν), ἑρπῠ́σαι	ἑρπῠ́σαιτον	ἑρπῠσαίτην	ἑρπῠ́σαιμεν	ἑρπῠ́σαιτε	ἑρπῠ́σειᾰν, ἑρπῠ́σαιεν
	imperative		ἕρπῠσον	ἑρπῠσᾰ́τω	ἑρπῠ́σᾰτον	ἑρπῠσᾰ́των		ἑρπῠ́σᾰτε	ἑρπῠσᾰ́ντων
		active
infinitive		ἑρπῠ́σαι
participle	m	ἑρπῠ́σᾱς
	f	ἑρπῠ́σᾱσᾰ
	n	ἑρπῠ́σᾰν
Notes:	This table gives Attic inflectional endings. For conjugation in dialects other than Attic, see Appendix:Ancient Greek dialectal conjugation.

Derived terms

• ἀνέρπω (anérpō)
• ἀφέρπω (aphérpō)
• διέρπω (diérpō)
• εἰσέρπω (eisérpō)
• ἐξέρπω (exérpō)
• ἐφέρπω (ephérpō)
• καθέρπω (kathérpō)
• μεθέρπω (methérpō)
• παρέρπω (parérpō)
• περιέρπω (periérpō)
• προέρπω (proérpō)
• προσέρπω (prosérpō)
• ὑφέρπω (huphérpō)

Related terms

• ἑρπετόν (herpetón)
• ἑρπηδών (herpēdṓn)
• ἕρπηλα (hérpēla)
• ἕρπης (hérpēs)
• ἑρπύζω (herpúzō)
• ἕρψις (hérpsis)

Descendants

• Greek: έρπω (érpo)

References

• “ἕρπω”, in Liddell & Scott (1940), A Greek–English Lexicon, Oxford: Clarendon Press
• “ἕρπω”, in Liddell & Scott (1889), An Intermediate Greek–English Lexicon, New York: Harper & Brothers
• “ἕρπω”, in Autenrieth, Georg (1891), A Homeric Dictionary for Schools and Colleges, New York: Harper and Brothers
• ἕρπω in Bailly, Anatole (1935), Le Grand Bailly: Dictionnaire grec-français, Paris: Hachette
• ἕρπω in Cunliffe, Richard J. (1924), A Lexicon of the Homeric Dialect: Expanded Edition, Norman: University of Oklahoma Press, published 1963
• “ἕρπω”, in Slater, William J. (1969), Lexicon to Pindar, Berlin: Walter de Gruyter