ἐπίσταμαι

English (LSJ)

2 pers.

   A -ασαι A.Pr.376, 982, S.El.629, Pl.Euthd.296a, but ἐπίστᾳ Pi.P.3.80, A.Eu.86, 581, ἐπίστῃ Thgn.1085, PCair.Zen. 41.19 (iii B.C.), Ion. ἐπίστεαι ἐξ-) Hdt.7.135; imper. ἐπίστασο ib. 29, 209, A.Pr.840, 967, PCair.Zen.57.4 (iii B.C.), etc., but ἐπίσταο v.l. in Hdt.7.209, contr. ἐπίστω S.OT658, etc.; subj. Ion. ἐπιστέωμαι Hdt.3.134, Att. ἐπίστωμαι Pl.Euthd.296a: impf. ἠπιστάμην A.Pr.267, etc.; without augm. ἐπίστατο Il.5.60: Hdt. has ἐπ- 5.42 (v.l.ἠπ-), ἠπ- 3.139; Ion. 3pl. ἠπιστέατο or ἐπιστέατο 8.132: fut. ἐπιστήσομαι Il.21.320, etc.: aor. 1 ἠπιστήθην Hdt.3.15, Pl.Lg.687a.    I. know how to do, be able to do, capable of doing, c.inf., οὐδέ οἱ ὀστέ' ἐπιστήσονται Ἀχαιοὶ ἀλλέξαι Il.21.320, cf. Od.13.207, Sapph.70, etc.: Hom. has it both of intellectual power, ὅς τις ἐπίσταιτο ᾗσι φρεσὶν ἄρτια βάζειν Il.14.92; ἐπιστάμεναι σάφα θυμῷ Od.4.730; and of artistic skill, ὃς χερσὶν ἐπίστατο δαίδαλα πάντα τεύχειν Il.5.60: freq. in Trag. and Att., οὔπω σωφρονεῖν ἐπίστασαι A.Pr.982, cf. 1032, S.OT 589; πένεσθαι δ' οὐκ ἐ. δόμος A.Ag.962; ἐ. . . θεοὺς σέβειν E.Hipp.996, cf. Alc.566; κιθαρίζειν οὐκ ἐ. Ar.V.989, cf. Pl.Smp.223d, R.420e, al.: without inf., σῷζ ὅπως ἐπίστασαι as best you can, A.Pr.376, cf. Eu. 581.    2. to be assured, feel sure that... τοῦτον ἐπίστανται πλεῖστα εἰδέναι Heraclit.57, cf. Hdt.3.134, 139, 6.139, al.: folld. by ὡς, Id.1.122.    II. c. acc., understand a matter, know, be versed in or acquainted with, πολλὰ δ' ἐπίστατο ἔργα Il.23.705, cf. Od.2.117; Μουσέων δῶρον Archil.1; τὴν τέχνην Hdt.3.130; τὸ μέλλον A.Pers. 373; ἐμπειρίᾳ ἐ. τὴν ναυτικήν Th.4.10; τὰς φύσεις ὑμῶν Id.7.14; πάσας τὰς δημιουργίας Pl.R.598c; ἔγωγε γράμματ' οὐδ' ἐ. Cratin.122; τὸ μὴ ἐ. γράμματα illiteracy, PRyl.73.19 (i B.C.), etc.; ἐ. ἱερατικὰ καὶ Αἰγύπτια γράμματα PTeb. 291.41 (ii A.D.); ἐ. μύθους τοὺς Αἰσώπου know them by heart, Pl.Phd.61b, cf. Grg.484b: also with an Adv., Συριστὶ ἐ. know Syrian, X.Cyr.7.5.31; with acc. and inf. conjoined, A.Eu.276; with inf. to expl. the acc., ἔργον δὲ μοῦνον ἐσθίειν ἐ. Semon.7.24, cf. Archil.65.    2. after Hom., know as a fact, know for certain, ἐπισταμένοισι εὖ οὐκ ἄν τις λέγοι Hdt.7.8.ά, etc.; used convertibly with εἰδέναι, Pl.Tht.163b, Arist.APr.66b31, Ph.184a10; even χάριν ἐ., = χάριν εἰδέναι, Jul.Or.8.246c(but sts. εἰδέναι is general, ἐπίστασθαι being confined to scientific knowledge (ἐπιστήμη) , διὰ τὸ εἰδέναι τὸ ἐπίστασθαι ἐδίωκον Arist.Metaph.982b21): freq.strengthd., εὖ ἐ. Hdt.l.c.; σαφῶς ἐ. A.Pr.840, etc.: most freq. c. acc., τὰ διαφέροντα ἐ. And.4.19, etc.; also ἐ. περί τινος Hdt.2.3, Th.6.60; περὶ θεῶν E.Fr.795.4: folld. by a dependent clause, τί σφιν χρήσηται ἐ. Thgn. 772; ἐ. ὅτι . ., or ἐ. τοῦτο, ὅτι . ., Hdt.1.3, 156, etc.; ὡς . . A.Pers.599; τοῦτ' ἐπίστασ', ὡς S.Aj.1370; ἐ. αὐτὸν οἷς ψωμίζεται Ar.Eq.715, etc.    3. rarely, know a person, Ἀρίγνωτον γὰρ οὐδεὶς ὅστις οὐκ ἐ. Ar.Eq.1278, cf. Muson.Fr.3p.12H., Luc.Asin.1; τὸν Ἰησοῦν γινώσκω καὶ τὸν Παῦλον ἐ. Act.Ap.19.15; but ὁ παῖς τοὺς τεκόντας οὐκ ἐ. does not know who they are, E.Ion51.    III. c. part., in Prose and Trag., know that one is, has, etc., εὖ ἐ. αὐτὸς σχήσων Hdt.5.42; ἐσθλὸς ὢν ἐπίστασο S.Aj.1399, cf. Th.2.44; also ὡς ὧδ' ἐχόντων τῶνδ' ἐ. σε χρή S.Aj.281; ὡς φανέν γε τοὔπος ὧδ' ἐ. Id.OT848: c. dupl. acc., ἑαυτοὺς Φαυστύλου ἠπιστάμεθα παῖδας (sc. ὄντας) Plu.Rom.7: c.acc. et inf., S.Ant.1092, Lys.Fr.53.1.    IV. pres.part. ἐπιστάμενος, η, ον, freq. as Adj., knowing, understanding, skilful, ἀνδρὸς ἐ. Od.14.359; χαλεπὸν ἐ. περ ἐόντι Il.19.80; καὶ μάλ' ἐ. Od.13.313; even of a dancer's feet, θρέξασκον ἐπισταμένοισι πόδεσσι Il.18.599: also c.gen., φόρμιγγος ἐ. καὶ ἀοιδῆς skilled, versed in them, Od.21.406: and c. dat., ἄκοντι Il.15.282: hence,    2. Adv. ἐπιστᾰμένως skilfully, expertly, 7.317, Hes.Th.87, etc.; εὖ καὶ ἐ. Il.10.265, Od.20.161, Hes.Op.107; ἐ. πίνειν Thgn.212; also in Prose, X.Cyr.1.1.3, A.D.Adv.146.7, Vett. Val.298.2: c.inf., with knowledge how to... Epicur.Nat.14.4. (Since ἐφίστημι τὸν νοῦν is used in the sense of ἐπίσταμαι, attend, observe, it is prob. that ἐπίσταμαι is merely an old med. form of ἐφίστημι, cf. Arist. Ph.247b11 τῷ γὰρ ἠρεμῆσαι καὶ στῆναι τὴν διάνοιαν ἐπίστασθαι . . λέγομεν, and v. ἐπίστασις 11.2.)