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ἐγένετο

γίνομαι

3rd person singular aorist indicative active (ἐ- prefix + ἐγέν- stem + -ετο ending)

1. became
2. came to be
3. happened
4. was made

Built from

• ἐ- — prefix · past marker (augment)
  Marks the aorist indicative as past tense; the ἐ- is prepended to vowel-initial roots.
• γεν- — stem · come to be, born
  Reduplicating or strengthened form related to the present-tense stem γιν-; from root *gen-.
• -ετο — ending · 3sg. aorist indicative
  Secondary ending indicating third person singular subject in past-tense narrative.

Analysis. The aorist form of γίνομαι uses the augment ἐ- (marking past time in indicative), the stem γεν- (older form of the present γιν-), and the secondary ending -ετο. This is the most common biblical form of 'became,' especially in narrative openings (e.g., Jn 1:1 Ἐγένετο λόγος, 'the Word came to be').

Etymology. Root *gen- (to come into being, be born). Cognate with Latin gignō ('I beget, produce') and English kin, kind. The sense 'become' emerges from 'come into being'—the concrete image of something arising or appearing gradually.

Dictionary entry by Claude.

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