Finding the Stem of a Word

[LearningGreek]

Hello,

How does one find the stem of a word? I know that if you remove the case ending you get the stem, but when looking up a word I hit a wall.

I have not got to verbs yet (I'm working on it) so I know that's part of the problem with my below example.

βοήθεια
βοηθέω
βοηθός

I am trying to figure out if these are three completely different words, or three infections (not sure if that's the right term) of the same word. I.e., its the same stem with 3 different case endings.

My bible software says that 2 of these are nouns (βοήθεια and βοηθός) and one is a verb (βοηθέω). So I am thinking there are at least two stems here.

Can anyone point me in the right direction as to how to find the stem of each of these three words?

I am thinking that the stem of βοήθεια and βοηθός is βοηθ but I am not that convinced.

None of my greek dictionaries show me the stems that I can tell, but I could be wrong. I have BDAG, Mounces Greek Dictionary, Strong's Dictionary, Thayer's, and some others.

Thank you for your time and help.

[Jean Putmans]

I suppose You use digital dictionaries, which I don't use, so I don't know, whether one sees more than the searchword one gives in.

Using a traditional paper dictionary (as I do) one can see the words before and behind the searchword.

So when I look up βοηθεω in one of my dictionaries (in this case Montanari, The Brill dictionary of ancient Greek) I see above it:

βοηθαρχοσ (commander of auxiliary troops)
βοηθεια (help, assistance)

(Looking a bit further above I see words with βοηδ-, some of them show meanings in connection with "aid, assit" : βοηδρεμεω, βοηδραμιη, that at least shows me , that there must be some Greek rules that change a θ into a δ, these rules one can find in Greek Grammars)

and below

βοηθημα (assistance, aid)
βοηθηματοσ (that brings aid)
βοηθησμασ (curable, correctable)
βοηθησισ (assistence)
etc.

βοηθ- is the stem, with the common meaning "help, assist".

That is my way, to search for stems.

Οf course, there are some stems, one doesn't find that way: Verbs with multiple stems, φερω for example: Future: οισω ; Aor. ηνεγκα. In that case one needs a good memory to connect οισω with φερω, or one uses dictionaries like Bagster's "The analytical Greek Lexicon" (one can find a very good free PDF in Google books/Archive.org). (By the way: Don't by Perschbacher The New analytical Greek Lexicon: to many mistakes in that lexicon).

Regards

Jean

[Devenios Doulenios]

An older but still helpful work I've used is A New Testament Greek Morpheme Lexicon by J. Harold Greenlee (Zondervan Academic, 1983). Print edition, paperback. Link to page on Amazon: https://tinyurl.com/3befwen6. It analyses words into prefixes, root word, suffixes, and endings. The first part has an alphabetical list of all the words in BAGD in that format. The second part has 3 sections: Prefixes, Roots, and Suffixes and Terminations. In the second part, under each type of word there is a second alphabetical list. Under each word in the section a list is given of related words.

Although it was based on BAGD (BDAG had not been published yet), I expect it is still useful today. Since it gives root words and words related to them, that should help in finding stem words.

[LearningGreek]

An older but still helpful work I've used is A New Testament Greek Morpheme Lexicon by J. Harold Greenlee (Zondervan Academic, 1983). Print edition, paperback. Link to page on Amazon: https://tinyurl.com/3befwen6. It analyses words into prefixes, root word, suffixes, and endings. The first part has an alphabetical list of all the words in BAGD in that format. The second part has 3 sections: Prefixes, Roots, and Suffixes and Terminations. In the second part, under each type of word there is a second alphabetical list. Under each word in the section a list is given of related words.

Although it was based on BAGD (BDAG had not been published yet), I expect it is still useful today. Since it gives root words and words related to them, that should help in finding stem words.

I bought this book and it is exactly what I was looking for. I read the preface but I am still not quite following how to use it.

Specifically, in part 1, when you have the -(suffix) as opposed to (suffix), what is that indicating?

For example, on page 27:

βοήθεια, ἡ............βοή, ἡ θέω -εια,

What is the significance of the - before -εια and why does θέω not have one?

Is the dash indicating a compound word?

Thank you for your help.

[Devenios Doulenios]

Hi LearningGreek,

I will be responding to your question about using Greenlee's book, probably later this week. Meanwhile, any forum member who wants to assist with that, feel free to join in.

[Devenios Doulenios]

LearningGreek asked,

Specifically, in part 1, when you have the -(suffix) as opposed to (suffix), what is that indicating?

The "-(suffix)" means the same thing as (suffix), seems to me. The hyphen is just a visual marker to set off or distinguish the suffix from the rest of the word, making suffixes easier to identify and learn. Greenlee says on p. vii of his Preface: "Any suffix or termination is given last, with a hyphen prefixed (e.g., -εω)."

For example, on page 27:

βοήθεια, ἡ............βοή, ἡ θέω -εια,

What is the significance of the - before -εια and why does θέω not have one?

Is the dash indicating a compound word?

The - before -εια tells you that -εια is the suffix for the word βοήθεια. You can confirm this by going to the second part and checking the suffix list. On p. 266, there are two columns listing the suffix -εια and words that contain it. The first column has your word Βοήθεια.

θέω does not have a dash or hyphen because it is the root word for βοήθεια. Ιn the Preface, also on p. vii, Greenlee states, "Root words, including prefixed prepositions, are given as separate words." Using his Part 1 example entry ἀτιμάζω on that page, τιμή, ἡ is the root word for ἀτιμάζω. (ἡ is the definite article, fem. nom. sg.). Notice that τιμή is separated from the prefix, ἀ-, and the "termination" -αζω. Like θέω, there is no hyphen in front of τιμή because it is a root, not a suffix or termination. Greenlee uses "suffix" and "termination" basically as synonyms. He says, on the same page, "By 'termination' I refer to the declension or conjugation endings, as the -ω of the verb βλέπω."

A dash would only indicate a compound word in the case of an inseparable prefix, which would have a hyphen after the word, not before it. Greenlee states (also on p. vii): "If the word contains an inseparable prefix—a prefix that does not appear as a separate Greek word—that prefix is given with a hyphen following (e.g., δυσ-)." When he lists a word with a preposition, for example, that is prefixed, it does not have a hyphen after it if it appears also as a separate Greek word. See, for example, the listings in part 1 with the word ἀνά, where ἀνά appears without the hyphen.

If you are in doubt which category a part of the word is in, Part 2 comes in handy. Look up the part of the word in each section (Prefixes, Roots, and Suffixes and Terminations). You will find it in one of these. Each is listed alphabetically, with an appended list of words that contain it.

I hope this helps. You have some wonderful adventures in Greek ahead, and treasures beyond imagination. Just be willing to work hard and to persevere, then over time these thrilling and deeply satisfying vistas will unfold before you. Whether it is from Paul, Plutarch, or Plato ( to give just 3 examples), it is immensely delightful and a great privilege to read and understand what an ancient author and thinker wrote, unfiltered by translation, in their own words. Doing so helps you go further on the journey to appreciate the heart and mind and culture of the ancients. In the case of the Greek Bible, in my own opinion, it also gives you some more insight into the heart of God. (That is not to say you cannot go there with a Bible translation, or several, in modern languages. But, as something is always lost in translation, the more you can treat Greek as Greek, enjoying it on its own terms, the better off you are. I say this despite being a translator myself.)

[LearningGreek]

LearningGreek asked,

Specifically, in part 1, when you have the -(suffix) as opposed to (suffix), what is that indicating?

The "-(suffix)" means the same thing as (suffix), seems to me. The hyphen is just a visual marker to set off or distinguish the suffix from the rest of the word, making suffixes easier to identify and learn. Greenlee says on p. vii of his Preface: "Any suffix or termination is given last, with a hyphen prefixed (e.g., -εω)."

For example, on page 27:

βοήθεια, ἡ............βοή, ἡ θέω -εια,

What is the significance of the - before -εια and why does θέω not have one?

Is the dash indicating a compound word?

The - before -εια tells you that -εια is the suffix for the word βοήθεια. You can confirm this by going to the second part and checking the suffix list. On p. 266, there are two columns listing the suffix -εια and words that contain it. The first column has your word Βοήθεια.

θέω does not have a dash or hyphen because it is the root word for βοήθεια. Ιn the Preface, also on p. vii, Greenlee states, "Root words, including prefixed prepositions, are given as separate words." Using his Part 1 example entry ἀτιμάζω on that page, τιμή, ἡ is the root word for ἀτιμάζω. (ἡ is the definite article, fem. nom. sg.). Notice that τιμή is separated from the prefix, ἀ-, and the "termination" -αζω. Like θέω, there is no hyphen in front of τιμή because it is a root, not a suffix or termination. Greenlee uses "suffix" and "termination" basically as synonyms. He says, on the same page, "By 'termination' I refer to the declension or conjugation endings, as the -ω of the verb βλέπω."

A dash would only indicate a compound word in the case of an inseparable prefix, which would have a hyphen after the word, not before it. Greenlee states (also on p. vii): "If the word contains an inseparable prefix—a prefix that does not appear as a separate Greek word—that prefix is given with a hyphen following (e.g., δυσ-)." When he lists a word with a preposition, for example, that is prefixed, it does not have a hyphen after it if it appears also as a separate Greek word. See, for example, the listings in part 1 with the word ἀνά, where ἀνά appears without the hyphen.

If you are in doubt which category a part of the word is in, Part 2 comes in handy. Look up the part of the word in each section (Prefixes, Roots, and Suffixes and Terminations). You will find it in one of these. Each is listed alphabetically, with an appended list of words that contain it.

I hope this helps. You have some wonderful adventures in Greek ahead, and treasures beyond imagination. Just be willing to work hard and to persevere, then over time these thrilling and deeply satisfying vistas will unfold before you. Whether it is from Paul, Plutarch, or Plato ( to give just 3 examples), it is immensely delightful and a great privilege to read and understand what an ancient author and thinker wrote, unfiltered by translation, in their own words. Doing so helps you go further on the journey to appreciate the heart and mind and culture of the ancients. In the case of the Greek Bible, in my own opinion, it also gives you some more insight into the heart of God. (That is not to say you cannot go there with a Bible translation, or several, in modern languages. But, as something is always lost in translation, the more you can treat Greek as Greek, enjoying it on its own terms, the better off you are. I say this despite being a translator myself.)

Thank you for taking all the time to explain this and the words of encouragement.

[Devenios Doulenios]

My pleasure. Welcome to the forum, and feel free to ask more questions. There is such a thing as a stupid answer; not so with questions if the person asking truly wants to learn.

We look forward to hearing how your learning progresses.