Greetings, I have had it represented to me that the Greek word MORFH includes within its semantic range the meaning of 'essential nature'. I cannot find this meaning referred to in LSJ 9, nor can I find any examples of it in Greek literature. The LSJ 9 entry follows: > morph-ê, hê, form, shape, twice in Hom. (not in Hes.), soi d' epi men morphê epeôn thou hast comeliness of words, Hom. Od. 11.367 (cf. Eust. ad loc.); so prob. allos men . . eidos akidnoteros pelei anêr, alla theos morphên epesi stephei God adds a crown of shapeliness to his words, Hom. Od. 8.170: freq. later, morphas duo onomazein Parm.8.53; morphên allaxanta Emp.137.1; morphan brachus Pind. I. 4.53; morphês metra shape and size, Eur. Alc. 1063 : periphr., morphês phusis Aesch. Supp. 496; morphês schêma, tupôma, Eur. Ion 992ti=tên autên tou schêmatos morphên Arist.PA640b34; kai Gaia, pollôn onomatôn m. mia Aesch. PB 212oneiratôn alinkioi morphaisin IBID=au=Aesch. PB 449; nukterôn phantasmatôn echousi morphas IDEM=A.Fr.312; proupempsen anti philtatês m. spodon Soph. El. 1159 ; of plants, Thphr.HP1.1.12 (pl.); esp. with ref. to beauty of form, huperphaton morphai Pind. O. 9.65 ; hois potistaxêi charis euklea m. IBID=au=Pind. O. 6.76 cf. IG42 (au=IG 1).au=IG =lr (Epid., iv B. C.), LXX To.1.13, Vett.Val.1.6, etc.; sôma morphês emês OGI383.41 (Commagene, i B. C.); morphês eikonas IBID=au=OGI 383.27=lr; charaktêra morphês emês IBID=au=OGI 383.60=lr. 2. generally, form, fashion, appearance, Aesch. PB 78 , Soph. Trach. 699 , ti=Soph. El. 199(lyr.); outward form, opp. eidos, hekaterô tô eideos pollai m. Philol.5; allattonta to hautou eidos eis pollas morphas Plat. Rep. 380d ; m. theôn Xen. Mem. 4.3.13 , cf. Ep.Phil.2.6, Dam.Pr.304; hêrôôn eidea kai morphas A.R.4.1193; kata te morphas kai phônas gesticulations and cries, D.H.14.9; tên m. melanchrous, têi m. melichroas, in complexion, Ptol.Tetr.143, au=Ptol. Tetr. 144. 3. kind, sort, Eur. Ion 382 , au=Eur. Ion 1068 <(lyr.), Plat. Rep. 397c , etc. (Possibly cogn. with Lat. forma for morg&uup;hmā, with f by dissimilation, êcf. murmx .) > It has been suggested to me that the final sense here ('kind, sort'), encompasses the meaning 'essential nature'. Having examined the citations in the reference here, I could not see that any of them referred to 'essential nature'. Everything I can find tells me that the word refers to external appearance, to form, fashion, or shape. What am I missing here? Thanks, Jonathan Burke. --- B-Greek home page: http://metalab.unc.edu/bgreek You are currently subscribed to b-greek as: [jwrobie@mindspring.com] To unsubscribe, forward this message to leave-b-greek-327Q@franklin.oit.unc.edu To subscribe, send a message to subscribe-b-greek@franklin.oit.unc.edu