interjection
ecce
ecce
Classical[ˈɛk.kɛ]Ecclesiastical[ˈɛt.t͡ʃe]
№ 643 of the 1,000 commonest wordsMille Verba core vocabulary
Meaning
- see!, look!, behold!, points out something with emphasis
Quem quaerō, optimē ecce obviam mihi est.
Behold! There comes he I was wishing for.Ecce hominem miserum.
Behold, a sad man. - here!, or here am/are/is!; used to denote that something is present (compare French voici or Italian ecco)
Quid cessāmus lūdōs facere? Circus noster ecce adest!
Why should we stop playing games? We have our theatre here!Quid mē quaeris? Ecce mē.
Are you searching for me? Here I am.
Latīnē defined in Latin in our graded readers
ēn! aspice!ecce — in Evangelium secundum Matthaeum, ch. 12
look!
ecce — in Seneca, ch. I
Choosing the right word Döderlein's Latin Synonyms
En · Ecce
En (ἠνί) means, see here what was before hidden from thee! like ἤν, ἠνί, ἠνίδε; whereas ecce (ἔχε? or the reduplication of the imperative of Eco, to see, oculus?) means, see there what thou hast not before observed! like ἰδού. (vi. 112.)
ecce,
I. adv. demonstr. [perh. from locat. form of pronom. stem i, with demonstr. ending -ce; hence, in comedy often scanned ĕce, Corss. Aussp. 2, 636, 1026 sq. —Ribbeck explains ecce as indef. form ec, as in ecquis, ecquando, etc., strengthened by demonstr. ce, Lat. Part. p. 42 sq.; and Curt. refers it to root oc- of oculus; cf. eccere, Gr. Etym. p. 457], points out an object with emphasis, lo! see! behold! (constr. class. with nom. or clause, and ante-class. also with acc.).
I. In gen.:
quem quaero, optime ecce obviam mihi est, behold! there comes he I was wishing for, Plaut. Bacch. 4, 4, 16: ecce autem video rure redeuntem senem, Ter. Eun. 5, 4, 45: ecce Dionaei processit Caesaris astrum, Verg. E. 9, 47: ecce trahebatur passis Priameïa virgo Crinibus, id. A. 2, 403; cf. id. ib. 6, 337; Ov. M. 2, 441 al.; sometimes in the middle of a clause: audiat haec tantum—vel qui venit ecce Palaemon, Verg. E. 3, 50; Ov. M. 2, 93: apparet adhuc vetus cicatrix, id. ib. 12, 444; Calp. Ec. 1, 4 al.—II. In partic.
A. To denote that something is present (cf. Fr. voici), here (in this sense mostly ellipt.): circus noster ecce adest, Plaut Fragm. ap. Varr. L. L. 5, § 153 Müll.;
so with adest, Ov. M. 2, 496; 3, 101: quid me quaeris? ... ecce me, here I am, Plaut. Epid. 5, 2, 15; so, ecce me, id. Curc. 1, 3, 6; id. Mil. 3, 1, 69; Ter. Ad. 5, 9, 38: ecce nos, Plaut. Mil. 3, 1, 17: ecce odium meum, id. Poen. 1, 2, 139: ecce Gripi scelera, id. Rud. 4, 4, 134: ecce tuae litterae de Varrone, Cic. Att. 13, 16: ecce hominem te, Stasime, nihili, Plaut. Trin. 4, 3, 6; and simply ecce, here I am, id. As. 1, 1, 96.—B. In enumerations, or after other objects mentioned, to introduce a new one with emphasis (Ciceronian): consecuti sunt hos Critias, Theramenes, Lysias, etc. ... ecce tibi exortus est Isocrates, Cic de Or. 2, 22 fin.; id. Or. 16 fin.; id. de Or. 3, 3, 31;
so ellipt., id. Div. 2, 70, 144; id. Ac. 2, 43, 134; id. Pis. 21.—C. To introduce something unexpected or strange; hence, sometimes connected with subito, repente, de improviso, etc.:
ecce Apollo mihi ex oraculo imperat, Ut, etc., Plaut. Men. 5, 2, 87; Cic. Sest. 41, 89; id. de Or. 2, 22, 94: et ecce de improviso ad nos accedit cana veritas, Varr. ap. Non. 243, 1; cf. Sall. J. 14, 11: discubitum noctu ut imus, ecce ad me advenit mulier, Plaut. Merc. 1, 1, 99; so with a preceding cum, Cic. Caecin. 7, 20; with dum: haec dum agit, ecce, etc., Hor. S. 1, 9, 60; with ubi, Verg. A. 3, 219.—Ellipt.: ecce postridie Cassio litterae Capua a Lucretio, Cic. Att. 7, 24; id. Q. Fr. 1, 2, 2, § 6; id. Ac. 2, 38; with subito, id. Att. 8, 8; 10, 3; cf.: ecce autem repente, Cic. Verr. 2, 5, 34; and with a preceding cum, id. Att. 2, 8; Liv. 2, 36 fin.— For the expression ecce autem, v. autem. —D. In conversat. lang., combined with the pronouns is, ille, and iste, into one word standing for either the simple ecce, or the pronoun itself, but with demonstrative force, in the foll. forms: nom., ecca, Plaut. Men. 1, 2, 66; id. Rud. 4, 4, 130; Ter. Eun. 1, 1, 34:
eccilla, Plaut. Stich. 4, 1, 30: eccillud, id. Rud. 2, 7, 18: acc. sing., eccum, Plaut. Am. prol. 120; 1, 2, 35; 3, 4, 22 et saep.; Ter. And. 3, 2, 52; 3, 3, 48 et saep.; Titin. ap. Charis. p. 177 P.: eccam, Plaut. Am. 2, 2, 146; id. As. 1, 2, 25; id. Cas. 2, 1, 15 et saep.; Ter. Eun. 4, 5, 12; id. Hec. 4, 1, 8: eccillum, Plaut. Merc. 2, 3, 98; id. Pers. 2, 2, 65; id. Trin. 3, 1, 21; and syncopated ellum, Ter. And. 5, 2, 14; id. Ad. 2, 3, 7; Plaut. Curc. 2, 2, 28: eccillam, and sync. ellam, Ter. Ad. 3, 3, 35; Plaut. Aul. 4, 10, 51; id. Mil. 3, 1, 194; eccistam, Plaut. Curc. 5, 2, 17: plur., eccos, id. Bacch. 3, 2, 19; id. Most. 1, 3, 154; id. Mil. 4, 7, 27; 5, 35; id. Rud. 2, 2, 4; Ter. Heaut. 2, 3, 15; Afran. ap. Charis. p. 95 P.: eccas, id. Rud. 3, 2, 49: ecca, Plaut. Rud. 4, 4, 110. —On the construction of eccum, etc., cf. Brix ad Plaut. Capt. 1002, p. 72; and on ecce see Hand, Turs. II. pp. 343-351.Charlton Lewis's shorter dictionary for students: the same scholarship in plain, modern definitions.
ec-ce adv.
demonstr. — Calling attention, lo! see! behold! there! look! ecce autem video senem, T.: Ecce processit Caesaris astrum, V.: adspice voltūs Ecce meos, O. — Esp., to announce the presence of an object, here, lo: Ecce, Arcas adest, O.: Ecce me, T.: ecce tuae litterae de Varrone.— In a transition, emphatically introducing a new object or thought: ecce tibi alter: ecce ex inproviso Iugurtha, S.: ecce autem repente nuntiatur: haec dum agit, ecce, etc., H.: ecce aliud miraculum, L.—Combined with a pron pers. (old and colloq.): eccum ipsum obviam (i. e. ecce eum), here he is, T.: eccam ipsam (i. e. ecce eam), T.: eccos (i. e. ecce eos), T.
Origins
Proto-Indo-European *ḱe Proto-Italic *ke Latin -ce Latin ecce From ec- + -ce. Compare Oscan ekkum.
Descendants
- Neapolitance
- Old Frenches
- Old Frenchez
- Old Frencheis
- Old Frenchas
- Old Frenchais
- Galicianaquefrom Old Galician-Portuguese aque