# ἐπιστήμη
## Ancient Greek
### Etymology

From ἐπίσταμαι (epístamai), from ἐπί (epí) +‎ ἵστημι (hístēmi).

### Pronunciation

* IPA: /e.pis.tɛ̌ː.mɛː/ → /e.pisˈti.mi/ → /e.pisˈti.mi/
* (5th BCE Attic) IPA: /e.pis.tɛ̌ː.mɛː/
* (1st CE Egyptian) IPA: /e.pisˈte̝.me̝/
* (4th CE Koine) IPA: /e.pisˈti.mi/
* (10th CE Byzantine) IPA: /e.pisˈti.mi/
* (15th CE Constantinopolitan) IPA: /e.pisˈti.mi/

### Noun

ἐπιστήμη • (epistḗmē) f (genitive ἐπιστήμης); first declension
* science
** (Can we date this quote?), Plethon, “δʹ. Ἐς θεοὺς τοὺς λογίους εὐχή. [CHAPTER 4. Prayer to the Gods of Learning]”, in ΝΟΜΩΝ ΣΥΓΓΡΑΦΗ. [BOOK OF LAWS]‎, translation of original by John Opsopaus, PhD:Ἄγετε δή, ὦ θεοὶ λόγιοι, οἵτινές τε καὶ ὅσοι ἐστὲ, οἳ ἐπιστήμας τε καὶ δόξας ἀληθεῖς ἐπιτροπεύετε, νέμετέ τε οἷςπερ ἂν ἐθέλητε κατὰ τοῦ μεγάλου πατρὸς τῶν τε πάντων βασιλέως Διὸς βουλάς.Ágete dḗ, ô theoì lógioi, hoítinés te kaì hósoi estè, hoì epistḗmas te kaì dóxas alētheîs epitropeúete, németé te hoîsper àn ethélēte katà toû megálou patròs tôn te pántōn basiléōs Diòs boulás.Come to us, O gods of learning, whoever you may be, in whatever number you may be, you who preside over science and the truth, who distribute them to whomever you please, according to the decrees of the almighty father of all things, King Zeus.
** 460 BCE – 370 BCE, Hippocrates of Kos, The Law 4:δύο γάρ, ἐπιστήμη τε καὶ δόξα, ὧν τὸ μὲν ἐπίστασθαι ποιέει, τὸ δὲ ἀγνοεῖν· ἡ μὲν οὖν ἐπιστήμη ποιέει τὸ ἐπίστασθαι, ἡ δὲ δόξα τὸ ἀγνοεῖν.dúo gár, epistḗmē te kaì dóxa, hôn tò mèn epístasthai poiéei, tò dè agnoeîn; hē mèn oûn epistḗmē poiéei tò epístasthai, hē dè dóxa tò agnoeîn.There are two kinds of knowledge: science and opinion, the former produces understanding, the latter ignorance; it is science that gives understanding, whereas opinion results in ignorance.
* knowledge

#### Descendants

* Greek: επιστήμη f (epistími)
* → English: episteme (learned)
* → Translingual: Episteme

### References

* “ἐπιστήμη”, in Liddell & Scott (1940) A Greek–English Lexicon, Oxford: Clarendon Press
* “ἐπιστήμη”, in Liddell & Scott (1889) An Intermediate Greek–English Lexicon, New York: Harper & Brothers
* ἐπιστήμη in Bailly, Anatole (1935) Le Grand Bailly: Dictionnaire grec-français, Paris: Hachette
* Woodhouse, S. C. (1910) English–Greek Dictionary: A Vocabulary of the Attic Language‎, London: Routledge & Kegan Paul Limited. acquaintance idem, page 8.experience idem, page 294.familiarity idem, page 305.information idem, page 439.knowledge idem, page 472.learning idem, page 483.lore idem, page 500.proficiency idem, page 653.science idem, page 739.theory idem, page 865.understanding idem, page 913.
* Catriona Hanley (2001) Being and God in Aristotle and Heidegger: The Role of Method in Thinking the Infinite, page 4: “"Ἐπιστήμη" comes from the composition of "επ-ἰσταμαι", formed from "επἰ", which means "upon"; plus the middle passive "ἵσταμαι", which means "to be set", or "to stand". "Ἐπιστήμη" then is the sort of knowledge that we can build upon, that which we set or stand other knowledge upon.”
* ἐπιστήμη, in ΛΟΓΕΙΟΝ [Logeion] Dictionaries for Ancient Greek and Latin (in English, French, Spanish, German, Dutch and Chinese), University of Chicago, since 2011