ΕΠΟΧΗ (epoche) — Lexarithmos 763 · Etymology, Meanings

Definition

According to the Liddell-Scott-Jones Lexicon, the ancient Greek word ἐποχή (from ἐπέχω) initially means "a stop, a pause, a cessation." This primary meaning refers to a physical or temporal interruption of movement or a process. For instance, it could describe the halt of an army or the discontinuation of an activity, implying a restraint or a standstill.

The word acquired particular philosophical significance with the Skeptics, especially Pyrrho and his followers. In Pyrrhonism, ἐποχή denotes the "suspension of judgment"—the refusal to assent to or deny the truth or falsity of things, particularly concerning their essence or true nature. This suspension is considered essential for achieving ἀταραξία, or mental tranquility, as it frees the mind from the anxieties of dogmatic beliefs.

Beyond philosophy, ἐποχή is also used in the sense of a "period of time" or "era," a meaning that is dominant in Modern Greek. This usage stems from the idea of a "pause" or "point" in time that delineates a specific period. In astronomy, it refers to a fixed point in time (epoch) from which the positions of celestial bodies are calculated, serving as a reference point.

Etymology

ἐποχή ← ἐπέχω ← ἐπι- + ἔχω (root *segh- "to hold, to have")

The word ἐποχή derives from the verb ἐπέχω, which is composed of the prefix ἐπι- ("upon, over, towards") and the verb ἔχω ("to hold, to have"). The original meaning of ἐπέχω is "to hold upon," "to restrain," "to suspend." From this basic concept of restraint or cessation, all subsequent meanings of ἐποχή developed, both its philosophical dimension as suspension of judgment and its temporal sense as a period.

Cognate words include the basic verb ἔχω and its numerous derivatives with various prefixes (e.g., ἀπέχω, κατέχω, παρέχω), as well as words like ἕξις (state, habit) and σχῆμα (form, shape), which originate from the same Indo-European root *segh- meaning "to hold, to have." This root underscores the common idea of possession, restraint, or stability that runs through the word family.

Main Meanings

Stop, pause, cessation — The original, literal meaning, referring to a physical or temporal interruption of movement or activity.
Suspension of judgment (philosophy) — The central concept in Pyrrhonian Skepticism, the refusal to make assertions about the truth or falsity of things.
Period of time, era — A defined span of time, as commonly used today to denote a historical or cultural phase.
Reference point (astronomy) — A specific moment in time from which calculations are made for the positions of celestial bodies.
Restraint, hindrance — The act of holding back or impeding something, keeping it in a particular position or state.
Delay, postponement — The deferral of an action or decision, a temporary interruption of progress.
Abstention from something — The act of refraining or avoiding, often in the sense of abstaining from a particular behavior or judgment.

Word Family

ἐπι- + ἔχω (root *segh- "to hold, to have")

The root ἐπι- + ἔχω forms the core of a word family revolving around the idea of "holding," "possessing," or "pausing." The verb ἔχω, from the Indo-European root *segh-, means "to hold, to have," and when combined with the prefix ἐπι-, it acquires the sense of "to hold upon," "to restrain," "to suspend." This fundamental meaning allows for the development of both physical (cessation of movement) and abstract (suspension of judgment) concepts, as well as temporal definitions (period). Each member of the family highlights a different facet of this foundational idea.

ἐπέχω verb · lex. 1490

The verb from which ἐποχή is derived. It means "to hold upon, to restrain, to suspend, to delay." In classical usage, it can refer to a military halt or the postponement of an action. In Pyrrhonism, it means "to suspend judgment."

ἐποχικός adjective · lex. 1055

Pertaining to an ἐποχή, i.e., to a pause, a suspension, or a period of time. It can refer to something "seasonal" or "temporary" (related to a pause), or to something concerning the suspension of judgment, such as an "epochal disposition."

σκεπτικός adjective · lex. 905

The "skeptic" is one who observes, examines, but also one who doubts, who suspends judgment. It is directly linked to the ἐποχή of the Skeptics, as the skeptical attitude leads to the suspension of judgment, as described by Sextus Empiricus.

ἀταραξία ἡ · noun · lex. 474

"Ataraxia" is mental tranquility, the absence of disturbance. It constitutes the ultimate goal of ἐποχή in Pyrrhonian Skepticism, as the suspension of judgment leads to freedom from the anxieties caused by dogmatic beliefs.

κατάληψις ἡ · noun · lex. 1270

"Katalepsis" is apprehension, comprehension, certain knowledge. In Skepticism, ἐποχή is opposed to katalepsis, as Skeptics deny the possibility of certain knowledge, leading to the suspension of judgment, as analyzed by Cicero in his "Academica."

ἐποχίζω verb · lex. 1572

Means "to suspend, to delay, to stop." It is a verb that expresses the action of ἐποχή, i.e., the act of pausing or suspending. It is used in various contexts to denote the slowing down or interruption of a process, both literally and metaphorically.

ἔχω verb · lex. 1405

The basic verb "to have, to hold." It forms the root of the family and expresses the idea of possession or restraint, from which the concepts of pause and suspension arise. It is one of the most frequent and fundamental verbs in ancient Greek, with a wide range of meanings.

ἕξις ἡ · noun · lex. 275

Means "state, habit, quality." It derives from ἔχω and denotes a stable condition or a disposition that one "holds." In Aristotle's philosophy, ἕξις is a lasting quality or state, in contrast to διάθεσις (a temporary state), emphasizing permanence.

Philosophical Journey

The trajectory of the word ἐποχή reflects the evolution of Greek thought, from describing simple physical phenomena to embodying complex philosophical ideas and its establishment as a temporal landmark.

5th-4th C. BCE

Classical Greek

The word is primarily used with the literal meaning of "pause" or "stop." It appears in texts describing military halts or interruptions of activities, such as in Thucydides.

3rd C. BCE

Hellenistic Period - Pyrrhonism

Pyrrho of Elis and his followers develop the concept of ἐποχή as "suspension of judgment" (ἀκαταληψία) as a central tenet of Skepticism. This is considered the path to ἀταραξία, mental tranquility.

1st C. BCE - 2nd C. CE

Roman Period

Sextus Empiricus, the most significant exponent of Pyrrhonism, systematizes the concept of ἐποχή in his works, such as Outlines of Pyrrhonism, making it fundamental to understanding skepticism.

2nd-4th C. CE

Late Antiquity

The use of the word expands into astronomy, where ἐποχή defines a specific chronological reference point for calculations of celestial bodies, as seen in Claudius Ptolemy and his Almagest.

Byzantine Period

Consolidation of Temporal Meaning

The meaning of "period of time" or "era" begins to solidify, although its philosophical use remains known in circles of scholars and commentators on ancient texts.

Modern Greek

Contemporary Usage

The word is fully established with the meaning of "period of time" (e.g., "the Bronze Age"), while its philosophical dimension primarily persists in academic and specialized philosophical texts.

In Ancient Texts

The philosophical significance of ἐποχή is best understood through the texts of the Skeptics, who elevated it to a central doctrine.

«τὸ δὲ τέλος τοῦ σκεπτικοῦ φασιν εἶναι τὴν ἀταραξίαν ἐν τοῖς κατὰ δόξαν καὶ ἐν τοῖς κατὰ ἀνάγκην μετριοπάθειαν. ἄρχεται γὰρ ἀπὸ τῆς ἐποχῆς.»

"They say that the end of the Skeptic is ataraxia in matters of opinion and metriopatheia in matters of necessity. For it begins from epochē."

Sextus Empiricus, Outlines of Pyrrhonism 1.25

«ἐποχὴ δέ ἐστι στάσις διανοίας περὶ τὸ πότερον οὕτως ἢ ἑτέρως ἔχει τι τῶν προκειμένων.»

"Epochē is a suspension of thought concerning whether any of the things proposed is thus or otherwise."

Diogenes Laertius, Lives of Eminent Philosophers 9.76 (attributed to Timon)

«οἱ δὲ σκεπτικοὶ τὴν ἐποχὴν ἀποδέχονται, ἵνα μὴ δόξωσι καταλαμβάνειν τι.»

"The Skeptics accept epochē, so that they may not seem to apprehend anything."

Plutarch, Against the Stoics on Common Conceptions 1084a

Lexarithmic Analysis

The lexarithmos of the word ΕΠΟΧΗ is 763, from the sum of its letter values:

Ε = 5

Epsilon

Π = 80

Pi

Ο = 70

Omicron

Χ = 600

Chi

Η = 8

Eta

= 763

Total

5 + 80 + 70 + 600 + 8 = 763

763 decomposes into 700 (hundreds) + 60 (tens) + 3 (units).

The 18 Methods

Applying the 18 traditional lexarithmic methods to the word ΕΠΟΧΗ:

Method	Result	Meaning
Isopsephy	763	Base lexarithmos
Decade Numerology	7	7+6+3=16 → 1+6=7 — Heptad, the number of completion, spiritual quest, and perfection.
Letter Count	5	5 letters — Pentad, the number of balance, human experience, and change.
Cumulative	3/60/700	Units 3 · Tens 60 · Hundreds 700
Odd/Even	Odd	Masculine force
Left/Right Hand	Right	Divine (≥100)
Quotient	—	Comparative method
Notarikon	E-P-O-C-H-E	Epignosis Pases Ousias Choros Ethikes krisis (interpretive, especially for the philosophical concept of suspension of judgment, meaning "Knowledge of all being without ethical judgment").
Grammatical Groups	3V · 0S · 2C	3 vowels (Epsilon, Omicron, Eta), 0 semivowels, 2 consonants (Pi, Chi).
Palindromes	No
Onomancy	—	Comparative
Sphere of Democritus	—	Divination with lunar day
Zodiacal Isopsephy	Moon ☽ / Scorpio ♏	763 mod 7 = 0 · 763 mod 12 = 7

Isopsephic Words (763)

Words from the Liddell-Scott-Jones lexicon with the same lexarithmos (763) as ἐποχή, but from different roots, offering interesting connections and highlighting numerical coincidence:

ἀναρχία

"anarchy, absence of rule, disorder" — a word that, like ἐποχή, can imply a cessation or absence, in this case, of authority or order, albeit with a different underlying cause.

διακόσμησις

"arrangement, order, adornment" — an interesting contrast to ἐποχή as a pause, as διακόσμησις implies an active organization and arrangement, a creative process.

ἐκπληκτικός

"astonishing, striking" — a word describing an intense emotional state, in contrast to the detached rationality of philosophical ἐποχή, which seeks impassivity.

ἐμμετάβολος

"easily changeable, mutable" — in opposition to the stability or cessation implied by ἐποχή, this word emphasizes change and instability, a continuous movement.

μαργαρίτης

"pearl" — a word referring to a precious object, with no apparent conceptual link to ἐποχή, highlighting the randomness of isopsephy and the diversity of language.

μεσίτης

"mediator, intermediary" — a word implying connection and flow between two points, in contrast to the interruption or suspension of ἐποχή, which marks an end or a pause.

The LSJ lexicon contains a total of 74 words with lexarithmos 763. For the full catalog and AI semantic filtering, see the interactive tool.

Sources & Bibliography

Liddell, H. G., Scott, R., Jones, H. S. — A Greek-English Lexicon. Oxford University Press, 9th ed., 1940.
Sextus Empiricus — Outlines of Pyrrhonism. Translated by R. G. Bury, Loeb Classical Library, Harvard University Press, 1933.
Diogenes Laertius — Lives of Eminent Philosophers. Translated by R. D. Hicks, Loeb Classical Library, Harvard University Press, 1925.
Plutarch — Against the Stoics on Common Conceptions. In Moralia, Loeb Classical Library, Harvard University Press.
Long, A. A., Sedley, D. N. — The Hellenistic Philosophers, Vol. 1: Translations of the Principal Sources with Philosophical Commentary. Cambridge University Press, 1987.
Ptolemy, Claudius — Almagest. Translated by G. J. Toomer, Princeton University Press, 1998.
Bauer, W., Arndt, W. F., Gingrich, F. W., Danker, F. W. — A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament and Other Early Christian Literature. University of Chicago Press, 3rd ed., 2000.