σκέπτομαι

Etymology

From Proto-Hellenic *sképťomai, from Proto-Indo-European *skep-ye-, from a metathesis of *speḱ-.

Cognate to Latin speciō (“I see”).

Pronunciation

Verb

σκέπτομαι • (sképtomai)

1. I look at, examine
   • 428 BCE, Euripides, Hippolytus 943

     σκέψασθε δ᾽ ἐς τόνδ᾽

     sképsasthe d᾽ es tónd᾽

     Look at this man

   • 800 BCE – 600 BCE, Homer, Odyssey 12.247

     σκεψάμενος δ᾽ ἐς νῆα θοὴν ἅμα καὶ μεθ᾽ ἑταίρους

     skepsámenos d᾽ es nêa thoḕn háma kaì meth᾽ hetaírous

     Looking at once at both ship and men

2. I examine, consider, think
   • 497 BCE – 405 BCE, Sophocles, Ajax 1028

     σκέψασθε, πρὸς θεῶν, τὴν τύχην δυοῖν βροτοῖν.

     sképsasthe, pròs theôn, tḕn túkhēn duoîn brotoîn.

     Consider, by the gods, the fortune of these two men.

   • 460 BCE – 395 BCE, Thucydides, History of the Peloponnesian War 6.38

     καὶ δῆτα, ὃ πολλάκις ἐσκεψάμην, τί καὶ βούλεσθε, ὦ νεώτεροι;

     kaì dêta, hò pollákis eskepsámēn, tí kaì boúlesthe, ô neṓteroi?

     And after all, as I have often asked, what would you have, young men?

   1. (rarely) I think, deem
      • 428 BCE – 347 BCE, Plato, Laws 854c

        καλλίω θάνατον σκεψάμενος

        kallíō thánaton skepsámenos

        deeming death the more noble way

   2. I prepare, premeditate
      • 384 BCE – 322 BCE, Demosthenes, Against Timocrates 158

        καὶ τοιούτους λόγους σχολὴν ἄγοντ᾽ ἐσκέφθαι περὶ πάντων ὥστ᾽ εὖ εἰδέναι

        kaì toioútous lógous skholḕn ágont᾽ esképhthai perì pántōn hṓst᾽ eû eidénai

        and he has thought out at leisure such fine arguments on every point

      • 349 BCE, Demosthenes, First Olynthiac 1

        οὐ γὰρ μόνον εἴ τι χρήσιμον ἐσκεμμένος ἥκει τις,

        ou gàr mónon eí ti khrḗsimon eskemménos hḗkei tis,

        For not only if someone comes forward with a well-considered plan,

Verb

σκέπτομαι • (sképtomai) deponent (simple past σκέφτηκα, σκέφθηκα)

1. Alternative form of σκέφτομαι (skéftomai)