εἴρομαι
τὸ μὴ γενέσθαι κρεῖσσον ἢ φῦναι βροτοῖς → not existing is better for mortals than being born, not to be born is better than life for mortals
English (LSJ)
Ion. for ἔρομαι,
A ask; v. εἴρω (C).
German (Pape)
[Seite 735] ep. u. ion. = ἔρομαι, s. ερ.
Greek (Liddell-Scott)
εἴρομαι: Ἰων. ἀντὶ τοῦ ἔρομαι, ἐρωτῶ, ἴδε τὴν λ. εἴρω, λέγω.
French (Bailly abrégé)
sbj. prés. épq. de ἔρομαι.
English (Autenrieth)
εἴρεαι, subj. εἴρωμαι, -ηαι, -ηται, -ώμεθα, imp. εἴρεο, εἰρέσθω, inf. εἴρεσθαι, part. εἰρόμενος, ipf. εἴρετο, -οντο, fut. εἰρήσομαι: ask, inquire, often τινά τι, also ἀμφί τινι, περί τινος, etc.; and w. acc. of thing inquired about or for, φυλακᾶς δ' ἃς εἴρεαι, Il. 10.416, Ζ 23, Od. 11.542.
Spanish (DGE)
v. ἔρομαι.
Greek Monotonic
εἴρομαι: Ιων. αντί ἔρομαι, ρωτώ· βλ. εἴρω Β.
Russian (Dvoretsky)
εἴρομαι:
I эп.-ион. = *ἔρομαι.
II med.-pass. к εἴρω II.
Frisk Etymological English
Grammatical information: v.
Meaning: ask (Il.)
Other forms: also ἐρέομαι, ἐρέω (ep.), subj. (w. short vowel) ἐρείομεν, imp. med. ἔρειο (from *ἐρευο? Chantr. Gr. Hom. 1, 297), aor. ἐρέσθαι (Od.), fut. εἰρήσομαι (Od., Ion.), ἐρήσομαι (Att.). S. Chantr. Gr. Hom. 1, 394.
Dialectal forms: Myc. ereutere \/ereuteres\/.
Compounds: With prefix: ἀν-, δι-, ἐξ-, ἐπ-.
Derivatives: Agent noun ἐρευταί ζητηταί, name of the state exactors on Crete (inscr., cf. Fraenkel Nom. ag. 1, 181); sec. presents ἐρεείνω, ἐρευνάω, ἐρωτάω, s. vv.
Origin: IE [Indo-European] [337] *h₁r(e)u- ask, inquire
Etymology: The verbal noun ἐρευ-ταί beside ἔρευε ἐρεύνα H. (Aeol.) and the subjunctive ἐρείομεν (Α 62), from *ἐρέϜ-ο-μεν, lead to ἐρέ(Ϝ)-ω, athematic *ἔρευ-μι. Therefor εἴρομαι is derived from weak grade *ἔρϜ-ομαι, for the aorist ἐρέσθαι one supposes also (with Attic development, Wackernagel Unt. 121f.) *ἐρϜ-έσθαι (both IE *h₁ru̯-e-). The shifting accentuation (ἔρεσθαι beside ἐρέσθαι, but also ἐπ-ειρέσθαι) shows the uncertainty of the speaker regarding the function of the weak forms. Details in Schwyzer 680 and 746, Chantraine Gramm. hom. 1, 31; 162; 297; 394. - No direct non-Greek cognate. Perhaps in OWNo. raun f. attempt, test, IE *h₁rou-nā; further s. ἐρευνάω and ἐρεείνω.