ζῶ

Ancient Greek

Alternative forms

• ζώω (zṓō) — Epic, Ionic
• ζάω (záō)

Etymology

Contracted from ζώω (zṓō), from Proto-Hellenic *ďṓwō, from *gʷyṓwō, from Proto-Indo-European *gʷyéh₃woh₂. Doublet of βῐόω (bĭóō).^[1]

Pronunciation

 

• IPA^(key): /zdɔ̂ː/ → /zo/ → /zo/

• (5^th BCE Attic) IPA^(key): /zdɔ̂ː/
• (1^st CE Egyptian) IPA^(key): /zo/
• (4^th CE Koine) IPA^(key): /zo/
• (10^th CE Byzantine) IPA^(key): /zo/
• (15^th CE Constantinopolitan) IPA^(key): /zo/

Verb

ζῶ • (zô)

1. to live

Inflection

number		singular			dual		plural
		first	second	third	second	third	first	second	third
active	indicative	ζῶ	ζῇς	ζῇ	ζῆτον	ζῆτον	ζῶμεν	ζῆτε	ζῶσῐ(ν)
	subjunctive	ζῶ	ζῇς	ζῇ	ζῆτον	ζῆτον	ζῶμεν	ζῆτε	ζῶσῐ(ν)
	optative	ζῴην, ζῷμῐ	ζῴης, ζῷς	ζῴη, ζῷ	ζῷτον, ζῴητον	ζῴτην, ζῳήτην	ζῷμεν, ζῴημεν	ζῷτε, ζῴητε	ζῷεν, ζῴησᾰν
	imperative		ζῆ	ζήτω	ζῆτον	ζήτων		ζῆτε	ζώντων
		active
infinitive		ζῆν
participle	m	ζῶν
	f	ζῶσᾰ
	n	ζῶν
Notes:	This table gives Attic inflectional endings. For conjugation in dialects other than Attic, see Appendix:Ancient Greek dialectal conjugation.

   Present: ζῶ (Contracted)

number		singular			dual		plural
		first	second	third	second	third	first	second	third
active	indicative	ἔζων	ἔζης	ἔζη	ἐζῆτον	ἐζήτην	ἐζῶμεν	ἐζῆτε	ἔζων
Notes:	This table gives Attic inflectional endings. For conjugation in dialects other than Attic, see Appendix:Ancient Greek dialectal conjugation.

   Imperfect: ἔζων (Contracted)

number		singular			dual		plural
		first	second	third	second	third	first	second	third
active	indicative	ζήσω	ζήσεις	ζήσει	ζήσετον	ζήσετον	ζήσομεν	ζήσετε	ζήσουσῐ(ν)
	optative	ζήσοιμῐ	ζήσοις	ζήσοι	ζήσοιτον	ζησοίτην	ζήσοιμεν	ζήσοιτε	ζήσοιεν
middle	indicative	ζήσομαι	ζήσῃ, ζήσει	ζήσεται	ζήσεσθον	ζήσεσθον	ζησόμεθᾰ	ζήσεσθε	ζήσονται
	optative	ζησοίμην	ζήσοιο	ζήσοιτο	ζήσοισθον	ζησοίσθην	ζησοίμεθᾰ	ζήσοισθε	ζήσοιντο
		active			middle
infinitive		ζήσειν			ζήσεσθαι
participle	m	ζήσων			ζησόμενος
	f	ζήσουσᾰ			ζησομένη
	n	ζῆσον			ζησόμενον
Notes:	This table gives Attic inflectional endings. For conjugation in dialects other than Attic, see Appendix:Ancient Greek dialectal conjugation.

   Future: ζήσω, ζήσομαι

number		singular			dual		plural
		first	second	third	second	third	first	second	third
active	indicative	ἔζησᾰ	ἔζησᾰς	ἔζησε(ν)	ἐζήσᾰτον	ἐζησᾰ́την	ἐζήσᾰμεν	ἐζήσᾰτε	ἔζησᾰν
	subjunctive	ζήσω	ζήσῃς	ζήσῃ	ζήσητον	ζήσητον	ζήσωμεν	ζήσητε	ζήσωσῐ(ν)
	optative	ζήσαιμῐ	ζήσειᾰς, ζήσαις	ζήσειε(ν), ζήσαι	ζήσαιτον	ζησαίτην	ζήσαιμεν	ζήσαιτε	ζήσειᾰν, ζήσαιεν
	imperative		ζῆσον	ζησᾰ́τω	ζήσᾰτον	ζησᾰ́των		ζήσᾰτε	ζησᾰ́ντων
middle	indicative	ἐζησᾰ́μην	ἐζήσω	ἐζήσᾰτο	ἐζήσᾰσθον	ἐζησᾰ́σθην	ἐζησᾰ́μεθᾰ	ἐζήσᾰσθε	ἐζήσᾰντο
	subjunctive	ζήσωμαι	ζήσῃ	ζήσηται	ζήσησθον	ζήσησθον	ζησώμεθᾰ	ζήσησθε	ζήσωνται
	optative	ζησαίμην	ζήσαιο	ζήσαιτο	ζήσαισθον	ζησαίσθην	ζησαίμεθᾰ	ζήσαισθε	ζήσαιντο
	imperative		ζῆσαι	ζησᾰ́σθω	ζήσᾰσθον	ζησᾰ́σθων		ζήσᾰσθε	ζησᾰ́σθων
		active			middle
infinitive		ζῆσαι			ζήσᾰσθαι
participle	m	ζήσᾱς			ζησᾰ́μενος
	f	ζήσᾱσᾰ			ζησᾰμένη
	n	ζῆσᾰν			ζησᾰ́μενον
Notes:	This table gives Attic inflectional endings. For conjugation in dialects other than Attic, see Appendix:Ancient Greek dialectal conjugation.

   Aorist: ἔζησᾰ, ἐζησᾰ́μην

number		singular			dual		plural
		first	second	third	second	third	first	second	third
active	indicative	ἔζηκᾰ	ἔζηκᾰς	ἔζηκε(ν)	ἐζήκᾰτον	ἐζήκᾰτον	ἐζήκᾰμεν	ἐζήκᾰτε	ἐζήκᾱσῐ(ν)
	subjunctive	ἐζήκω	ἐζήκῃς	ἐζήκῃ	ἐζήκητον	ἐζήκητον	ἐζήκωμεν	ἐζήκητε	ἐζήκωσῐ(ν)
	optative	ἐζήκοιμῐ, ἐζηκοίην	ἐζήκοις, ἐζηκοίης	ἐζήκοι, ἐζηκοίη	ἐζήκοιτον	ἐζηκοίτην	ἐζήκοιμεν	ἐζήκοιτε	ἐζήκοιεν
	imperative		ἔζηκε	ἐζηκέτω	ἐζήκετον	ἐζηκέτων		ἐζήκετε	ἐζηκόντων
		active
infinitive		ἐζηκέναι
participle	m	ἐζηκώς
	f	ἐζηκυῖᾰ
	n	ἐζηκός
Notes:	This table gives Attic inflectional endings. For conjugation in dialects other than Attic, see Appendix:Ancient Greek dialectal conjugation.

   Perfect: ἔζηκᾰ

Synonyms

• βιόω (bióō)

Derived terms

• ἀναζῶ (anazô)
• ἀποζῶ (apozô)
• διαζῶ (diazô)
• ἐπιζῶ (epizô)

Related terms

• ζωή (zōḗ)
• ζῷον (zôion)

Descendants

• Greek: ζω (zo, “live”), ζήτω (zíto, “long live”)
• Mariupol Greek: зу (zu)

References

1. Beekes, Robert S. P. (2010) “ζώω”, in Etymological Dictionary of Greek (Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series; 10), with the assistance of Lucien van Beek, Leiden, Boston: Brill, →ISBN, page 505

Further reading

• “ζῶ”, in Liddell & Scott (1940) A Greek–English Lexicon, Oxford: Clarendon Press
• “ζάω”, in Liddell & Scott (1889) An Intermediate Greek–English Lexicon, New York: Harper & Brothers
• “ζώω”, in Autenrieth, Georg (1891) A Homeric Dictionary for Schools and Colleges, New York: Harper and Brothers
• ζάω in Bailly, Anatole (1935) Le Grand Bailly: Dictionnaire grec-français, Paris: Hachette
• G2198 in Strong, James (1979) Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance to the Bible
• Encyclopedia Papyrus Larousse (1963)
• J.B Hofmann, Ετυμολογικόν Λεξικόν της Αρχαίας Ελληνικής (Etymologisches Wörterbuch des Griechischen)