Lexical Definition

‎ἐπαινέω‎ epainéō (ep-ahee-neh'-o) to praise ^G:V
from ‎ἐπί‎ and ‎αἰνέω‎

commend, laud, praise.

• to applaud

Abbott-Smith

ἐπ-αινέω, -ῶ [in LXX for הָלַל pi., שָׁבַח pi. ;]
to praise: c. acc, Ro 15:11, I Co 11:22; seq. ὅτι, Lk 16:8, I Co 11:2; absol., seq. ὅτι, I Co 11:17.†

Abbott-Smith References

Liddell-Scott-Jones

ἐπαινέω-έω,

Aeolic dialect ἐπαίνημι [Refs 4th c.BC+]; Laconian dialect ἐπαινέωίω [Refs 5th c.BC+]imperfect ἐπῄνεον Il [Refs]: future -έσω[Refs 7th c.BC+]: but more frequently -έσομαι[Refs 5th c.BC+] poetry -ήσω [Refs 6th c.BC+]: aorist 1 ἐπῄνεσα [Refs 8th c.BC+]: also Aeolic dialect prose, [Refs]: perfect ἐπῄνεκα [Refs 5th c.BC+]:—middle, aorist ἐπῃνησάμην [Refs 4th c.AD+]; -εσάμην [Refs 3rd c.BC+]:—passive, future ἐπαινέωεθήσομαι [ἐπαινέωηθήσομαι 3rd c.AD(?): Longus Scriptor Eroticus 4.4 ">Refs 5th c.BC+] codices: aorist ἐπῃνέθην [Refs 5th c.BC+]: perfect ἐπῄνημαι [Refs 5th c.BC+]:—approve, applaud, commend, in [ἐπαινέωήσαντες Ὀδυσσῆος 2.335; μῦθον ἐ. πρεσβυτέροισι “hymnus ad Mercurium” 457; σύνθεσιν 5th c.BC: Pindarus Lyricus “P.” 4.168 ">Refs 8th c.BC+]: with dative person, agree with, side with, Ἕκτορι μὲν γὰρ ἐπῄνησαν [Refs 8th c.BC+]: absolutely, assent, agree, [Refs 5th c.BC+]; ἐπαινέωεσάντων δ᾽ αὐτῶν on their assent, [Refs 5th c.BC+]

__2 praise, commend in any way (the usually sense in Attic dialect and Trag.), τινά or τι, [Refs 7th c.BC+]; ἐ. τινά τι commend one for a thing, but in this case the thing is always a neuter pronoun or adjective, τὰ μέν σ᾽ ἐπαινέωῶ [ἐπαινέωέσαι 5th c.BC: Sophocles Tragicus “Ajax” 1381, compare 5th-6th c.BC: Plato Philosophus “Symposium” 222a; in 4th-3rd c.BC: Dinarchus Orator 3.22 ">Refs 5th c.BC+] ἐπαινέωεῖσθαι ταῖς ζητήσεσιν, [ἐπί] should be read; ἐπί τινι.. καὶ διότι [Refs 2nd c.BC+]; εἴς τι [Refs 5th c.BC+] praise something in some one, [Refs 5th c.BC+]: with participle, ἐπαινέωέσεσθαί τινα ἀνασχόμενον [Refs 5th c.BC+]; ἐ. τινὰ πρός τινα praise one man to another, [Refs]; especially compliment publicly, [Βρασίδας] πρῶτος τῶν κατὰ τὸν πόλεμον ἐπῃνέθη ἐν Σπάρτῃ [Refs 5th c.BC+]; frequently in honorary Inscrr.,[Refs 2nd c.BC+]
__3 of things, [πολιτεία] ὑπὸ πάντων -ουμένη [Refs 5th c.BC+]; approve, πόλις ἄλλως ἄλλοτ᾽ ἐ. τὰ δίκαια [Refs 4th c.BC+]
__4 agree to or undertake to do, ῥώμην μ᾽ ἐπαινέωῶ λαμβάνειν [Refs 5th c.BC+]
__5 aorist ἐπῄνεσα in Attic dialect in present sense, ἐπῄνεσ᾽ ἔργον I commend it, [Refs 5th c.BC+]: absolutely, well done! [Refs 5th c.BC+]
__II ={παραινέω}, recommend, advise, τοιούσδ᾽ ἐπαινέωεῖς δῆτα δὺ κτᾶσθαι φίλου; [Refs 5th c.BC+]: with dative et infinitive, ὑμῖν δ᾽ ἐπαινέωῶ γλῶσσαν εὔφημον φέρειν [Refs]; σιγᾶν ἐπῄνεσ᾽[Refs 5th c.BC+]
__III as a civil form of declining an offer or invitation, I thank you, I am much obliged, κάλλιστ᾽, ἐπαινέωῶ [Refs 5th c.BC+]; so ἐ. τὴν κλῆσιν decline it, [Refs 5th c.BC+]
__IV of Rhapsodists, recite, declaim publicly, [Refs 5th c.BC+]