φέρβω

Ancient Greek

Etymology

According to Beekes, an agricultural term without etymology. Alternatively from Proto-Indo-European *bʰergʷ-, if Latin forbea reflects a true Italic cognate rather than a borrowing from Ancient Greek φορβή (phorbḗ) or an unattested relative thereof.

Pronunciation

 

• IPA^(key): /pʰér.bɔː/ → /ˈɸer.βo/ → /ˈfer.vo/

• (5^th BCE Attic) IPA^(key): /pʰér.bɔː/
• (1^st CE Egyptian) IPA^(key): /ˈpʰer.bo/
• (4^th CE Koine) IPA^(key): /ˈɸer.βo/
• (10^th CE Byzantine) IPA^(key): /ˈfer.vo/
• (15^th CE Constantinopolitan) IPA^(key): /ˈfer.vo/

Verb

φέρβω • (phérbō)

1. to feed, nourish
2. to pasture, graze
3. (passive voice) to be fed
4. to eat, consume
5. to enjoy, have

Inflection

   Present: φέρβω, φέρβομαι

number		singular			dual		plural
		first	second	third	second	third	first	second	third
active	indicative	φέρβω	φέρβεις	φέρβει	φέρβετον	φέρβετον	φέρβομεν	φέρβετε	φέρβουσῐ(ν)
	subjunctive	φέρβω	φέρβῃς	φέρβῃ	φέρβητον	φέρβητον	φέρβωμεν	φέρβητε	φέρβωσῐ(ν)
	optative	φέρβοιμῐ	φέρβοις	φέρβοι	φέρβοιτον	φερβοίτην	φέρβοιμεν	φέρβοιτε	φέρβοιεν
	imperative		φέρβε	φερβέτω	φέρβετον	φερβέτων		φέρβετε	φερβόντων
middle/ passive	indicative	φέρβομαι	φέρβῃ, φέρβει	φέρβεται	φέρβεσθον	φέρβεσθον	φερβόμεθᾰ	φέρβεσθε	φέρβονται
	subjunctive	φέρβωμαι	φέρβῃ	φέρβηται	φέρβησθον	φέρβησθον	φερβώμεθᾰ	φέρβησθε	φέρβωνται
	optative	φερβοίμην	φέρβοιο	φέρβοιτο	φέρβοισθον	φερβοίσθην	φερβοίμεθᾰ	φέρβοισθε	φέρβοιντο
	imperative		φέρβου	φερβέσθω	φέρβεσθον	φερβέσθων		φέρβεσθε	φερβέσθων
		active				middle/passive
infinitive		φέρβειν				φέρβεσθαι
participle	m	φέρβων				φερβόμενος
	f	φέρβουσᾰ				φερβομένη
	n	φέρβον				φερβόμενον
Notes:	This table gives Attic inflectional endings. For conjugation in dialects other than Attic, see Appendix:Ancient Greek dialectal conjugation.

   Imperfect: ἔφερβον, ἐφερβόμην

number		singular			dual		plural
		first	second	third	second	third	first	second	third
active	indicative	ἔφερβον	ἔφερβες	ἔφερβε(ν)	ἐφέρβετον	ἐφερβέτην	ἐφέρβομεν	ἐφέρβετε	ἔφερβον
middle/ passive	indicative	ἐφερβόμην	ἐφέρβου	ἐφέρβετο	ἐφέρβεσθον	ἐφερβέσθην	ἐφερβόμεθᾰ	ἐφέρβεσθε	ἐφέρβοντο
Notes:	This table gives Attic inflectional endings. For conjugation in dialects other than Attic, see Appendix:Ancient Greek dialectal conjugation.

   Pluperfect: ἐπεφόρβειν, ἐπεφόρμην

number		singular			dual		plural
		first	second	third	second	third	first	second	third
active	indicative	ἐπεφόρβειν, ἐπεφόρβη	ἐπεφόρβεις, ἐπεφόρβης	ἐπεφόρβει(ν)	ἐπεφόρβετον	ἐπεφορβέτην	ἐπεφόρβεμεν	ἐπεφόρβετε	ἐπεφόρβεσᾰν
middle/ passive	indicative	ἐπεφόρμην	ἐπέφορψο	ἐπέφορπτο	ἐπέφορφθον	ἐπεφόρφθην	ἐπεφόρμεθᾰ	ἐπέφορφθε	ἐπεφόρβᾰτο
Notes:	This table gives Attic inflectional endings. For conjugation in dialects other than Attic, see Appendix:Ancient Greek dialectal conjugation.

Derived terms

• εὔφορβος (eúphorbos)
• ἱπποφορβός (hippophorbós)
• πολῠ́φορβος (polúphorbos)
• σῠφορβός (suphorbós)
• ὑφορβός (huphorbós)
• φερβήτης (pherbḗtēs)
• φέρβουσᾰ (phérbousa)
• φορβή (phorbḗ)

 

Further reading

• “φέρβω”, in Liddell & Scott (1940) A Greek–English Lexicon, Oxford: Clarendon Press
• “φέρβω”, in Liddell & Scott (1889) An Intermediate Greek–English Lexicon, New York: Harper & Brothers
• φέρβω in Bailly, Anatole (1935) Le Grand Bailly: Dictionnaire grec-français, Paris: Hachette