δογματικός

Forms

δογμᾰτῐκός (dogmatikós) m (feminine δογμᾰτῐκή, neuter δογμᾰτῐκόν); first/second declension^[1]

Etymology

It is formed from Ancient Greek δόγμα (dógma, “opinion, doctrine”) + -ικός (-ikós).^[1][2] Latin borrowed it as dogmaticus.^[1][3]

Earliest recorded meaning

It first appears in Philo of Alexandria, who speaks of the doctrinal disputes of the sophists.^[4][5]

Semantic evolution

In the Roman imperial period it became a technical term of philosophy and medicine.^[6][4] Epictetus uses it of the field of doctrine, and Quintilian applies it to those of Plato's dialogues that teach, as opposed to those that refute.^[4][6] The “dogmatic” physicians reasoned from general principles, unlike the Empiricists and the Methodists, in Dioscorides and Galen.^[6][4] Sextus Empiricus and Diogenes Laertius call dogmatists the philosophers who assert doctrines, especially the Stoics, against the sceptics.^[4][6]

Christian writers from Clement of Alexandria and Eusebius on use it of Christian doctrine, and John Chrysostom contrasts doctrinal with moral discourse.^[4] Coptic borrowed it, with records from about AD 600.^[7]

Modern Greek uses it as a learned word, in theology (the noun δογματική (dogmatikí), dogmatic theology), in philosophy, and pejoratively for someone who will not allow an objection, the last sense from French dogmatique.^[3][8]

Timeline

• 1st century BC to 1st century AD – Philo of Alexandria uses it of doctrinal disputes.^[4]
• 1st century AD – Dioscorides uses it of the physicians who reason from principles.^[6][4]
• 2nd century AD – Galen uses it of the same school of medicine.^[6][4]
• 2nd–3rd century AD – Sextus Empiricus uses it for the dogmatist philosophers.^[4][6]
• 2nd–3rd century AD – Clement of Alexandria uses it of Christian doctrine.^[4]
• About AD 600 – Coptic texts record the borrowed word.^[7]
• Modern Greek – The learned δογματικός (dogmatikós) means doctrinal and dogmatic.^[3][8]

Meanings

Adjective

1. Concerning doctrine, doctrinal, theoretical; of Christian doctrine.^[4][6]
2. Based on doctrines, dogmatic, as opposed to empirical or sceptical.^[4][6]
3. Of persons, keeping to doctrines and theory: as a noun, a dogmatist philosopher or physician.^[4][6][9]

Related words

• δόγμα (dógma)
• Latin dogmaticus

Usage notes

The adverb δογματικῶς means dogmatically, in Sextus Empiricus and Diogenes Laertius.^[6][4]

References

1. ^ a b c d e f Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ Πάπυρος–Larousse–Britannica, Μέγα Λεξικό της Ελληνικής Γλώσσας, Athens: Πάπυρος
3. ^ a b c Ινστιτούτο Νεοελληνικών Σπουδών (Ίδρυμα Μανόλη Τριανταφυλλίδη) (1998), Λεξικό της κοινής νεοελληνικής, Thessaloniki: Aristotle University of Thessaloniki
4. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o Rodríguez Adrados, Francisco, et al., eds. (1980–), Diccionario Griego-Español, Madrid: CSIC, http://dge.cchs.csic.es/xdge
5. ^ Keersmaekers, Alek (2021–2025), GLAUx: The Greek Language Automated corpus, https://github.com/alekkeersmaekers/glaux
6. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k Liddell, Henry George; Scott, Robert; Jones, Henry Stuart (1940), A Greek-English Lexicon, 9th ed., Oxford: Clarendon Press
7. ^ a b Database and Dictionary of Greek Loanwords in Coptic (DDGLC), Freie Universität Berlin and Universität Leipzig
8. ^ a b Ακαδημία Αθηνών (2014), Χρηστικό Λεξικό της Νεοελληνικής Γλώσσας, Athens: Academy of Athens
9. ^ Korinthios, J. (2025), Grande Dizionario Greco Classico: Greco–Italiano, digital ed., Milan: Hoepli