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The corpus record

ἤπειρος

epeiros

continent

Generated live from the audited corpus — every figure on this page is a database query, not prose from memory.

Where it lives

  • De Mundo 5 · 7.89/10k
  • Menexenus 3 · 6.24/10k
  • History 66 · 4.41/10k
  • Theogony 3 · 4.36/10k
  • Critias 2 · 4.05/10k
  • Persians 2 · 3.93/10k
  • Histories 66 · 3.6/10k
  • Prometheus Bound 2 · 3.4/10k
  • Ways and Means 1 · 2.62/10k
  • Charmides 2 · 2.41/10k
  • Odyssey 20 · 2.3/10k
  • Eumenides 1 · 1.91/10k

Densest 12 of 25 attested works shown, by occurrences per 10,000 attested tokens.

What it meant

1. ἤπειρος · ēpeiros — Beekes

ἤπειρος [f.] ‘continent’ as opposed to the sea and the islands, ‘coast’, also in opposition to the inland (11.), as a TN Epeiros. «τεῦ *Heh,per- ‘shore’> VAR Dor. ἄπειρος, Aeol. ἄπερρος. *COMP As a first member in ἠπειρο-γενής ‘born on the mainland’ (A. Pers. 42). *DER ἠπειρώτης, fem. -τις ‘inhabitant of the continent, of Asia Minor, of Epeiros’ (IA; on the formation Fraenkel 1912: 128 ἢ. 1) with ἠπειρωτικός (X.); … — [Beekes, s.v. ἤπειρος, p. 569]

2. ἤπειρος · ēpeiros — Chantraine

ἤπειρος : dor. ἄπειρος, 601. ἄπερρος «rivage» par opposition à la mer, «terre ferme » (Hom., ion.-att., etc.}, à partir d'Hdt. désigne le continent par opposition aux îles. Sert dès l'Od. à désigner la Grèce occidentale par opposition aux îles, etc., et devient le nom de l'Épire. Sert de premier membre de composé dans ἠπειρογενής (Æsch., Pers. 42). Dérivés. : ἠπειρώτης m., -τις Î. «de la terre ferme» par opposition … — [Chantraine, s.v. ἤπειρος, p. 429]

3. ἤπειρος · ēpeiros — Frisk

ἤπειρος, dor. ἄπειρος, äol. ἄπερρος f. "Festland? im Gegensatz zu dem Meer und den Inseln, "Küste’, auch im Gegensatz zum Binnenland (seit Il.), auch EN Epeiros. Als Vorderglied in ἠπειρο-γενής "auf dem Festland geboren’ (A. Pers. 42). Davon ἠπειρώτης, f. -τις “Festlandsbewohnerfin), (Klein)- asiate, -in, Epeirot’ (ion. att.; zur Bildung Fraenkel Nom. ag. 2, 128A.1) mit ἠπειρωτιπός (X. u.a.); denom. Verb. … — [Frisk, s.v. ἤπειρος, p. 672]

4. ἤπειρ-ος · ēpeir-os — LSJ

terra firma, land, the sea, land

terra firma, land, opp. the sea, Od. 3.90, 10.56, Il. 1.485, Hes. Op. 624, etc.; κατʼ ἤπειρον by land, Hdt. 4.97, 8.66; μήτʼ ἐν θαλάττῃ μήτʼ ἐν ἠπείρῳ Ar. Ach. 534, cf. Timocr. 8: hence, even of an island, ἤπειρόνδε Od. 5.56; but,

II the mainland of Western Greece, mainland

esp. the mainland of Western Greece, opp. the neighbouring islands, Od. 14.97, al.; ἤπειρόνδε 18.84, cf. Th. 3.114 (so as pr. n., Pi. N. 4.51, X. HG 6.1.7, etc.): generally, mainland, opp. islands, Hdt. 1.148, 171, al., Th. 1.5, Philostr. VA 1.20, etc.

III a continent

later, a continent, esp. of Asia. Hdt. 1.96, 4.91, A. Pers. 718 (troch.), X. HG 3.1.5, D. 60.11, etc.; ῥεῖθρον ἠπείροιν (-ων codd.) ὅρον, of the Tanais or Phasis, A. Pr. 790; so δισσαὶ ἄπειροι, i.e. Europe and Asia, S. Tr. 101 (lyr.); τὼ δύʼ ἠπείρω Id. Fr. 881; ἐφʼ ἑκατέρας τῆς ἠ. Isoc. 4.35; ἤ. δοιαί, δίδυμαι, ἀμφότεραι, Mosch. 2.8, AP 7.18 (Antip. Thess.), 240 (Adaeus), Lib. Ep. 783.3; ῥίζαν ἀπείρον τρίταν, of Libya, Pi. P. 9.8.

IV plain

plain, opp. mountain, ἤπειρόνδε A.R. 2.734, 976.

V land above inundation level

in Egypt, land above inundation level, PGiss. 48.8 (iii A.D.); more freq., γῆ ἤ. PLond. 3.1201.2 (ii B.C.), etc. (Fr. ἀ̄περ-yος, cf. Germ. Ufer.)

In the wild

6 of 192 attestations shown. Ask for more.

Where it came from

  • Beekes, Etymological Dictionary of Greek (Brill 2010) Treated in Beekes, Etymological Dictionary of Greek (Brill 2010) s.v. ἤπειρος (scan pp. 569-570; entry #2483). Root candidates: *apero-.
  • Chantraine, Dictionnaire etymologique de la langue grecque Treated in Chantraine, Dictionnaire etymologique de la langue grecque s.v. ἤπειρος (scan p. 429; entry #3030).
  • Frisk, Griechisches etymologisches Worterbuch Treated in Frisk, Griechisches etymologisches Worterbuch s.v. ἤπειρος (scan p. 672; entry #2355). Root candidates: *ipero-.

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