ἄγχω

Ancient Greek

Etymology

From Proto-Indo-European *h₂enǵʰ-. Cognates include Old English enge (whence the first element in English hangnail), Latin angō, Sanskrit अंहु (aṃhu), and Old Armenian անձուկ (anjuk, “narrow, tight”).

Pronunciation

 

• IPA^(key): /áŋ.kʰɔː/ → /ˈaŋ.xo/ → /ˈaŋ.xo/

• (5^th BCE Attic) IPA^(key): /áŋ.kʰɔː/
• (1^st CE Egyptian) IPA^(key): /ˈaŋ.kʰo/
• (4^th CE Koine) IPA^(key): /ˈaŋ.xo/
• (10^th CE Byzantine) IPA^(key): /ˈaŋ.xo/
• (15^th CE Constantinopolitan) IPA^(key): /ˈaŋ.xo/

Verb

ἄγχω • (ánkhō) (Epic, Attic, Doric, Koine)

1. (transitive) to compress, press tight, especially the throat
2. (transitive) to strangle, throttle, choke
3. (figurative, transitive) to put pressure on
   • 424 BCE, Aristophanes, The Knights 773–777:

     καὶ πῶς ἂν ἐμοῦ μᾶλλόν σε φιλῶν ὦ Δῆμε γένοιτο πολίτης;
     ὃς πρῶτα μὲν ἡνίκ’ ἐβούλευον σοὶ χρήματα πλεῖστ’ ἀπέδειξα
     ἐν τῷ κοινῷ, τοὺς μὲν στρεβλῶν τοὺς δ’ ἄγχων τοὺς δὲ μεταιτῶν,
     οὐ φροντίζων τῶν ἰδιωτῶν οὐδενός, εἰ σοὶ χαριοίμην.

     kaì pôs àn emoû mâllón se philôn ô Dême génoito polítēs?
     hòs prôta mèn hēník’ eboúleuon soì khrḗmata pleîst’ apédeixa
     en tôi koinôi, toùs mèn streblôn toùs d’ ánkhōn toùs dè metaitôn,
     ou phrontízōn tôn idiōtôn oudenós, ei soì kharioímēn.

     • Translation by Eugene O'Neill, Jr.

       Is it possible, Demos, to love you more than I do? And firstly, as long as you have governed with my consent, have I not filled your treasury, putting pressure on some, torturing others or begging of them, indifferent to the opinion of private individuals, and solely anxious to please you?

   • 125 CE – 200 CE, Lucian, The Symposium 32

Inflection

   Present: ἄγχω, ἄγχομαι

number		singular			dual		plural
		first	second	third	second	third	first	second	third
active	indicative	ἄγχω	ἄγχεις	ἄγχει	ἄγχετον	ἄγχετον	ἄγχομεν	ἄγχετε	ἄγχουσῐ(ν)
	subjunctive	ἄγχω	ἄγχῃς	ἄγχῃ	ἄγχητον	ἄγχητον	ἄγχωμεν	ἄγχητε	ἄγχωσῐ(ν)
	optative	ἄγχοιμῐ	ἄγχοις	ἄγχοι	ἄγχοιτον	ἀγχοίτην	ἄγχοιμεν	ἄγχοιτε	ἄγχοιεν
	imperative		ἆγχε	ἀγχέτω	ἄγχετον	ἀγχέτων		ἄγχετε	ἀγχόντων
middle/ passive	indicative	ἄγχομαι	ἄγχῃ, ἄγχει	ἄγχεται	ἄγχεσθον	ἄγχεσθον	ἀγχόμεθᾰ	ἄγχεσθε	ἄγχονται
	subjunctive	ἄγχωμαι	ἄγχῃ	ἄγχηται	ἄγχησθον	ἄγχησθον	ἀγχώμεθᾰ	ἄγχησθε	ἄγχωνται
	optative	ἀγχοίμην	ἄγχοιο	ἄγχοιτο	ἄγχοισθον	ἀγχοίσθην	ἀγχοίμεθᾰ	ἄγχοισθε	ἄγχοιντο
	imperative		ἄγχου	ἀγχέσθω	ἄγχεσθον	ἀγχέσθων		ἄγχεσθε	ἀγχέσθων
		active				middle/passive
infinitive		ἄγχειν				ἄγχεσθαι
participle	m	ἄγχων				ἀγχόμενος
	f	ἄγχουσᾰ				ἀγχομένη
	n	ἆγχον				ἀγχόμενον
Notes:	This table gives Attic inflectional endings. For conjugation in dialects other than Attic, see Appendix:Ancient Greek dialectal conjugation.

   Imperfect: ἦγχον, ἠγχόμην

number		singular			dual		plural
		first	second	third	second	third	first	second	third
active	indicative	ἦγχον	ἦγχες	ἦγχε(ν)	ἤγχετον	ἠγχέτην	ἤγχομεν	ἤγχετε	ἦγχον
middle/ passive	indicative	ἠγχόμην	ἤγχου	ἤγχετο	ἤγχεσθον	ἠγχέσθην	ἠγχόμεθᾰ	ἤγχεσθε	ἤγχοντο
Notes:	This table gives Attic inflectional endings. For conjugation in dialects other than Attic, see Appendix:Ancient Greek dialectal conjugation.

   Future: ἄγξω

number		singular			dual		plural
		first	second	third	second	third	first	second	third
active	indicative	ἄγξω	ἄγξεις	ἄγξει	ἄγξετον	ἄγξετον	ἄγξομεν	ἄγξετε	ἄγξουσῐ(ν)
	optative	ἄγξοιμῐ	ἄγξοις	ἄγξοι	ἄγξοιτον	ἀγξοίτην	ἄγξοιμεν	ἄγξοιτε	ἄγξοιεν
		active
infinitive		ἄγξειν
participle	m	ἄγξων
	f	ἄγξουσᾰ
	n	ἆγξον
Notes:	This table gives Attic inflectional endings. For conjugation in dialects other than Attic, see Appendix:Ancient Greek dialectal conjugation.

   Aorist: ἦγξᾰ

number		singular			dual		plural
		first	second	third	second	third	first	second	third
active	indicative	ἦγξᾰ	ἦγξᾰς	ἦγξε(ν)	ἤγξᾰτον	ἠγξᾰ́την	ἤγξᾰμεν	ἤγξᾰτε	ἦγξᾰν
	subjunctive	ἄγξω	ἄγξῃς	ἄγξῃ	ἄγξητον	ἄγξητον	ἄγξωμεν	ἄγξητε	ἄγξωσῐ(ν)
	optative	ἄγξαιμῐ	ἄγξειᾰς, ἄγξαις	ἄγξειε(ν), ἄγξαι	ἄγξαιτον	ἀγξαίτην	ἄγξαιμεν	ἄγξαιτε	ἄγξειᾰν, ἄγξαιεν
	imperative		ἆγξον	ἀγξᾰ́τω	ἄγξᾰτον	ἀγξᾰ́των		ἄγξᾰτε	ἀγξᾰ́ντων
		active
infinitive		ἆγξαι
participle	m	ἄγξᾱς
	f	ἄγξᾱσᾰ
	n	ἆγξᾰν
Notes:	This table gives Attic inflectional endings. For conjugation in dialects other than Attic, see Appendix:Ancient Greek dialectal conjugation.

Derived terms

• ἀνάγχω (anánkhō)
• ἀπάγχω (apánkhō)
• διάγχω (diánkhō)
• κατάγχω (katánkhō)
• κῠνάγχη (kunánkhē)
• ὀροβάγχη (orobánkhē)
• περιάγχω (periánkhō)
• ὑάγχη (huánkhē)

 

Related terms

• ἀγκτήρ (anktḗr)
• ἄγξις (ánxis)
• ἀγχόνη (ankhónē)
• ἀγχώδης (ankhṓdēs)

References

• “ἄγχω”, in Liddell & Scott (1940) A Greek–English Lexicon, Oxford: Clarendon Press
• “ἄγχω”, in Liddell & Scott (1889) An Intermediate Greek–English Lexicon, New York: Harper & Brothers
• “ἄγχω”, in Autenrieth, Georg (1891) A Homeric Dictionary for Schools and Colleges, New York: Harper and Brothers
• ἄγχω in Bailly, Anatole (1935) Le Grand Bailly: Dictionnaire grec-français, Paris: Hachette
• ἄγχω in Cunliffe, Richard J. (1924) A Lexicon of the Homeric Dialect: Expanded Edition, Norman: University of Oklahoma Press, published 1963
• ἄγχω in the Diccionario Griego–Español en línea (2006–2024)
• “ἄγχω”, in Slater, William J. (1969) Lexicon to Pindar, Berlin: Walter de Gruyter