γενεά

Forms

γενεᾱ́ (geneā́) f (genitive γενεᾶς); first declension^[1] Ionic γενεή (geneḗ); epic dative γενεῆφι.^[2][3]

Etymology

It is an action noun from Ancient Greek γίγνομαι (gígnomai, “to be born, become”), built on the stem γενε- (gene-) of that verb.^[4][2][3] The DGE finds the suffix not satisfactorily explained.^[5] Formally, Wiktionary reconstructs Proto-Hellenic *genehā́, Proto-Indo-European *ǵenh₁eseh₂, a feminine derivative of *ǵénh₁os, the source of γένος (génos, “race, kind”), in the same way as ἰδέα (idéa) stands beside εἶδος (eîdos).^[1] The root *ǵenh₁- (“to beget, be born”) is also in Latin gignō (“to beget”) and genus (“birth, race”).^[4][1]

Earliest recorded meaning

In Homer it means a family or race (the race of Priam), a generation of men, as in the Iliad’s οἵη περ φύλλων γενεὴ τοιήδε καὶ ἀνδρῶν, “as is the generation of leaves, so too is that of men”, and offspring.^[2][3][6] Homer also uses it of age (γενεῇ νεώτατος, “youngest in age”), of birth, and of a birthplace, even an eagle's eyrie.^[2][3]

Semantic evolution

Hesiod uses it of the successive races of men, and Herodotus and Thucydides of a generation as a span of time.^[2][3] After Homer the phrase ἐκ γενεῆς, “from birth”, is used of congenital conditions (Herodotus).^[2][3] Aeschylus and Pindar use it of a race or nation, Euripides of womankind as a sex, and Plato figuratively of a class or kind of things.^[3][2]

The Septuagint uses it over two hundred times, for a generation, a family, offspring and an age.^[7] In the New Testament it is above all the people living at the same time, and also a clan or ethnic group and a period of time.^[8][9]

In medieval Greek it meant a family, a breed of animals and a race or nation, with the forms γενέα, γενία, γενέ (still used in Crete) and γενιά (geniá), which survives in Modern Greek.^[10] Modern Greek also has the learned γενεά (geneá), “generation”.^[11]

Timeline

• Homer – The Iliad and the Odyssey use it of a family, a generation, offspring, age and birthplace.^[2][3]
• Before the 6th century BC – Hesiod uses it of the races of men.^[3][12]
• 5th century BC – Herodotus uses it of a generation as a measure of time and of being so from birth, and Euripides of the female sex.^[2][3]
• 5th–4th century BC – Plato uses it figuratively of a class of things.^[2]
• 1st century AD – The New Testament uses it of the people living at one time.^[8][9]
• 1100–1669 – Vernacular Greek uses it, also as γενιά (geniá), of a family, a breed and a nation.^[10]
• Modern Greek – The learned γενεά (geneá) means “generation”.^[11]

Meanings

Noun

1. A line of descent, lineage, ancestry; a family or race.^[2][3]
2. A stock or breed, as of horses.^[3]
3. A race or nation.^[3]
4. A generation of men; the time that a generation lives, an age.^[2][3][8]
5. Offspring, progeny; of a single person, a descendant.^[2][3]
6. (figurative) A class or kind.^[2][3]
7. The female sex.^[3]
8. Age, time of life; time of birth (ἐκ γενεῆς, “from birth”).^[2][3]
9. A birthplace; of an eagle, its eyrie.^[2][3]

Word family

• γενεαλογία (geneālogíā)
• γενεαλόγος (geneālógos)

Related words

• γίγνομαι (gígnomai)
• γένεσις (génesis)
• Latin genus

Usage notes

The Etymologicum Magnum derives it from γένος (génos) and illustrates its meanings (the whole human race, nobility of birth, age) with Homeric lines.^[6]

References

1. ^ a b c d e f Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p Liddell, Henry George; Scott, Robert; Jones, Henry Stuart (1940), A Greek-English Lexicon, 9th ed., Oxford: Clarendon Press
3. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s Diggle, James, et al., eds. (2021), The Cambridge Greek Lexicon, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press
4. ^ a b Beekes, Robert S. P. (2010), Etymological Dictionary of Greek, with the assistance of Lucien van Beek, Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series 10, Leiden; Boston: Brill
5. ^ Rodríguez Adrados, Francisco, et al., eds. (1980–), Diccionario Griego-Español, Madrid: CSIC, http://dge.cchs.csic.es/xdge
6. ^ a b Gaisford, Thomas, ed. (1848), Etymologicum Magnum, Oxford: Oxford University Press
7. ^ Lust, Johan; Eynikel, Erik; Hauspie, Katrin (2003), Greek-English Lexicon of the Septuagint, rev. ed., Stuttgart: Deutsche Bibelgesellschaft
8. ^ a b c Bauer, Walter; Danker, Frederick W., et al. (2000), A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament and Other Early Christian Literature, 3rd ed., Chicago: University of Chicago Press
9. ^ a b United Bible Societies (2023), UBS Dictionary of the Greek New Testament (revised Louw–Nida semantic domains), open-licence ed.
10. ^ a b Kriaras, Emmanuel, Επιτομή του Λεξικού της μεσαιωνικής ελληνικής δημώδους γραμματείας 1100–1669, Κέντρο Ελληνικής Γλώσσας, https://www.greek-language.gr
11. ^ a b Ινστιτούτο Νεοελληνικών Σπουδών (Ίδρυμα Μανόλη Τριανταφυλλίδη) (1998), Λεξικό της κοινής νεοελληνικής, Thessaloniki: Aristotle University of Thessaloniki
12. ^ Keersmaekers, Alek (2021–2025), GLAUx: The Greek Language Automated corpus, https://github.com/alekkeersmaekers/glaux