κατά

See also: κατα-, κατά-, and κᾷτα

Ancient Greek

Alternative forms

• κᾰτᾰ- (kătă-, prefix)
• κᾰταί (kătaí), κᾰται- (kătai-, prefix) — rare, poetic
• (apocopic):
  • κᾰτ’ (kăt’, before a vowel with smooth breathing), κᾰθ’ (kăth’, before a vowel with rough breathing)
  • (poetic) κᾰ́β (kắb, before β), κᾰ́γ (kắg, before γ), κᾰ́δ (kắd, before δ), κᾰ́κ (kắk, before κ, χ, ξ), κᾰ́μ (kắm, before μ), κᾰ́ν (kắn, before δ, ν), κᾰ́π (kắp, before π, φ, ψ), κᾰ́ρ (kắr, before ρ), κᾰ́τ (kắt, before τ, θ)
• κᾰτῠ́ (kătŭ́) — Arcadocypriot

Etymology

From Proto-Hellenic *kətá, perhaps from Proto-Indo-European *ḱm̥-th₂, from *ḱóm (“beside, with”).

Cognate with Hittite 𒃰𒋫 (katta, “down from, at, with, under”), Cuneiform Luwian [script needed] (zanta, “down”), Tocharian B kätk- (“to lower”) and perhaps Old Welsh cant, Modern Welsh gan (“with”).

The genitive is from the Proto-Indo-European ablative of separation. The accusative is from the pre-Proto-Indo-European directional and the Proto-Indo-European direct object.

Pronunciation

 

• IPA^(key): /ka.tá/ → /kaˈta/ → /kaˈta/

• (5^th BCE Attic) IPA^(key): /ka.tá/
• (1^st CE Egyptian) IPA^(key): /kaˈta/
• (4^th CE Koine) IPA^(key): /kaˈta/
• (10^th CE Medieval) IPA^(key): /kaˈta/
• (15^th CE Constantinopolitan) IPA^(key): /kaˈta/

Preposition

κᾰτᾰ́ • (kătắ) (governs the genitive and accusative)

1. [with genitive]
   1. against; opposing
   2. into
   3. against
2. [with accusative]
   1. downwards
   2. along, through; in
   3. towards
   4. during
   5. for; for the purpose of
   6. according to; in conformity with

Derived terms

• κᾰτᾰ- (kătă-, prefix)

Descendants

• Greek: κατά (katá)
• → Latin: cata (see there for further descendants)
• → English: cata-, kata

Further reading

• “κατά”, in Liddell & Scott (1940), A Greek–English Lexicon, Oxford: Clarendon Press
• “κατά” in Bailly, Anatole (1935), Le Grand Bailly: Dictionnaire grec-français, Paris: Hachette
• κατά in Cunliffe, Richard J. (1924), A Lexicon of the Homeric Dialect: Expanded Edition, Norman: University of Oklahoma Press, published 1963
• “κατά”, in Slater, William J. (1969), Lexicon to Pindar, Berlin: Walter de Gruyter
• “κατά”, in Autenrieth, Georg (1891), A Homeric Dictionary for Schools and Colleges, New York: Harper and Brothers
• “κατά”, in Liddell & Scott (1889), An Intermediate Greek–English Lexicon, New York: Harper & Brothers
• Bauer, Walter et al. (2001), A Greek–English Lexicon of the New Testament and Other Early Christian Literature, Third edition, Chicago: University of Chicago Press
• Strong, James (1979), “G2596”, in Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance to the Bible
• κατά in Trapp, Erich, et al. (1994–2007), Lexikon zur byzantinischen Gräzität besonders des 9.-12. Jahrhunderts [the Lexicon of Byzantine Hellenism, Particularly the 9th–12th Centuries], Verlag der Österreichischen Akademie der Wissenschaften
• Woodhouse, S. C. (1910), English–Greek Dictionary: A Vocabulary of the Attic Language‎^[1], London: Routledge & Kegan Paul Limited.
  • about idem, page 2.
  • abuse idem, page 5.
  • accordance idem, page 7.
  • according to idem, page 7.
  • against idem, page 18.
  • agreeably idem, page 20.
  • along idem, page 25.
  • as idem, page 42.
  • base idem, page 64.
  • by idem, page 107.
  • case idem, page 116.
  • concerning idem, page 155.
  • connection idem, page 161.
  • defame idem, page 203.
  • down idem, page 249.
  • facing idem, page 300.
  • for idem, page 334.
  • front idem, page 346.
  • ground idem, page 375.
  • interest idem, page 450.
  • laugh idem, page 478.
  • libel idem, page 487.
  • mock idem, page 537.
  • off idem, page 569.
  • opposite idem, page 576.
  • reference idem, page 684.
  • regard idem, page 686.
  • regarding idem, page 686.
  • respect idem, page 703.
  • revile idem, page 710.
  • scoff idem, page 740.
  • search idem, page 746.
  • through idem, page 871.
  • throughout idem, page 871.
  • under idem, page 912.
  • up idem, page 937.
  • way idem, page 968.
• κατά, in ΛΟΓΕΙΟΝ [Logeion] Dictionaries for Ancient Greek and Latin (in English, French, Spanish, German, Dutch and Chinese), University of Chicago, since 2011

Greek

Alternative forms

• κατ’ (kat’)
• καθ’ (kath’)

Etymology

From the Ancient Greek κᾰτά (kătá).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /kaˈta/

Preposition

κατά • (katá)

1. (with genitive) versus, against

   Antonym: υπέρ (ypér)

   Έγινε έγκλημα κατά της Ελλάδας! ― Égine égklima katá tis Elládas! ― Crimes were committed against Greece!

2. (with accusative) towards

   Το δωμάτιο βλέπει κατά την ανατολή. ― To domátio vlépei katá tin anatolí. ― The room faces towards the east

3. (with accusative) during

   κατά τη διάρκεια του ταξιδιού ― katá ti diárkeia tou taxidioú ― during the trip (literally, “toward the duration of the trip”)

4. (with accusative) around, about, close to

   Θα έρθω κατά τις έξι το απόγευμα. ― Tha értho katá tis éxi to apógevma. ― I will come at about six in the evening.

5. (with accusative) according

   κατά παράδοση ― katá parádosi ― traditionally (literally, “according to tradition”)

   κατά τον Γιώργο ... ― katá ton Giórgo ... ― according to George ...

Synonyms

• (versus): εναντίον (enantíon)
• (according): σύμφωνα (sýmfona)

Derived terms

• κατα- (kata-, prefix)

• ανάκατα (anákata, “topsy-turvy, higgledy-piggledy”, adverb)
• καθ’ εκάστην (kath’ ekástin, “every day”) (Katharevousa)
• καθέκαστα n pl (kathékasta, “details, particulars”)
• κατ΄ αποκοπήν (“with a prearranged payment”)
• κατά βάθος (katá váthos, “deep down, at bottom”)
• κατά βάση (katá vási, “basically”)
• κατά διαβολική σύμπτωση (katá diavolikí sýmptosi, “by diabolical coincidence”)
• κατά διαβόλου σύμπτωση (katá diavólou sýmptosi, “by diabolical coincidence”) (less frequent)
• κατά διαόλου σύμπτωση (katá diaólou sýmptosi, “by diabolical coincidence”) (less frequent)
• κατά καιρούς (katá kairoús, “at times”)
• κατά κανόνα (katá kanóna, “as a rule”)
• κατά κόσμον (katá kósmon, “name of a clergyman before confirmation”)
• κατά μέτωπον (katá métopon, “head-on, in full force”)
• κατά πως (katá pos, “according (to)”)
• κατά τη διάρκεια (katá ti diárkeia, “during, for the duration of”)
• καταπληξία f (kataplixía, “cataplexy, shock”)
• κατεξοχήν (katexochín, “eminently”)
• το κατά δύναμιν (to katá dýnamin, “to (my) best efforts, in (my) power”), το κατά δύναμη (to katá dýnami)