δύναμις

Forms

δῠ́νᾰμῐς (dúnamis) f (genitive δῠνᾰ́μεως); third declension^[1] Ionic genitive δυνάμιος, Ionic dative δυνάμι.^[2][3]

Etymology

It is an action noun in -ις from Ancient Greek δύναμαι (dúnamai, “to be able”),^[4][5] formed on the model of θέμις (thémis).^[1][5] The verb is probably a present formed with a nasal infix, and the infix spread from the present to the other tenses and to the nouns, δύναμις among them.^[5][6][7]

The further origin of the verb is uncertain.^[5][7] LIV reconstructs a root Proto-Indo-European *deuh₂- “join, fit together” and compares Tocharian B and Gothic verbs meaning “join” and “make”, as Beekes reports.^[5] Formally the root matches that of δήν (dḗn) “long” and δηρός (dērós) “long-lasting”, but Beekes and Chantraine find no satisfying link in meaning, while Frisk thinks the meanings can be reconciled.^[5][6][7]

Earliest recorded meaning

In Homer it is mainly bodily strength, the power to act: a speaker's “strength and hands” in the Odyssey, and πὰρ δύναμιν “beyond one's strength” in the Iliad.^[2][3][8]

Semantic evolution

From physical strength the word passed to ability or capacity in general, and by the 6th century BC to outward power, influence and authority (Theognis).^[3][4] Herodotus and Thucydides use it for the power of rulers and states, for military forces and for a country's resources.^[3][2] It also named the natural property or effect of things such as plants, rivers and drugs, the meaning of a word (Lysias, Plato) and the sound value of a letter (Polybius), and money value.^[3]

In philosophy Aristotle set δύναμις, “potentiality”, against actuality, and in mathematics it named the power of a number, a square, and a square root.^[3][6] In the New Testament it is God's power, a miracle as a deed of power, and the supernatural “powers” among the spirits.^[9][10]

Medieval Greek kept the word and its senses.^[11] Modern Greek δύναμη (dýnami) continues it; its use for physical force and political power is partly a semantic loan from French force and puissance and English power, and the plural for armed forces follows French forces.^[12] Through Greek δυναμικός (dunamikós) it gave French dynamique and English dynamic.^[13]

Timeline

• Homer – The Iliad and the Odyssey use it for bodily strength.^[2][3][8]
• 6th century BC – Theognis uses it for outward power and influence.^[3][4]
• 5th century BC – Herodotus uses it for the power of rulers, for military forces and for a country's resources.^[3][4]
• 5th–4th century BC – Plato uses it for the meaning of a word and, in mathematics, for a square number and a square root.^[3][4]
• 4th century BC – Aristotle opposes δύναμις, potentiality, to actuality.^[3][4]
• 2nd century BC – Polybius uses it for the sound value of a letter.^[3][4]
• 1st century AD – The New Testament uses it for God's power and for miracles.^[9][10]
• Modern Greek – δύναμη (dýnami) continues the word, with senses partly modelled on French and English.^[12]

Meanings

Noun

1. Physical strength, might, of people and gods.^[3][2]
2. Ability or capacity to do something: κατὰ δύναμιν as far as one can, παρὰ δύναμιν beyond one's strength.^[3][2]
3. Outward power, influence, authority; the power of rulers and states.^[3]
4. Military forces, an army.^[3][2]
5. Resources of a country; abundance of wealth.^[3]
6. Natural property or effect of a thing, as of plants, rivers or drugs; a faculty, as of sight.^[3]
7. The meaning of a word; the sound value of a letter.^[3][10]
8. Money value, worth.^[3]
9. (philosophy) Potentiality, opposed to actuality.^[3]
10. (mathematics) A power of a number; a square; a square root.^[3]
11. (New Testament) A deed of power, a miracle; a supernatural power among the spirits.^[9][10]

Word family

• δυναμικός (dunamikós)
• ἀδυναμία (adunamía)
• ἰσοδύναμος (isodúnamos)

Related words

• δύναμαι (dúnamai)
• δυνατός (dunatós)
• ἀδύνατος (adúnatos)
• δυνάστης (dunástēs)
• English dynamic

References

1. ^ a b c d e Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d e f g 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 t u v Diggle, James, et al., eds. (2021), The Cambridge Greek Lexicon, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press
4. ^ a b c d e f g Rodríguez Adrados, Francisco, et al., eds. (1980–), Diccionario Griego-Español, Madrid: CSIC, http://dge.cchs.csic.es/xdge
5. ^ a b c d e f 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
6. ^ a b c Chantraine, Pierre (2009), Dictionnaire étymologique de la langue grecque: histoire des mots, new ed. with a supplement (Chroniques d'étymologie grecque 1–10), Paris: Klincksieck
7. ^ a b c Frisk, Hjalmar (1960–1972), Griechisches etymologisches Wörterbuch, 3 vols, Heidelberg: Carl Winter
8. ^ a b Keersmaekers, Alek (2021–2025), GLAUx: The Greek Language Automated corpus, https://github.com/alekkeersmaekers/glaux
9. ^ 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
10. ^ a b c d United Bible Societies (2023), UBS Dictionary of the Greek New Testament (revised Louw–Nida semantic domains), open-licence ed.
11. ^ Kriaras, Emmanuel, Επιτομή του Λεξικού της μεσαιωνικής ελληνικής δημώδους γραμματείας 1100–1669, Κέντρο Ελληνικής Γλώσσας, https://www.greek-language.gr
12. ^ a b Ινστιτούτο Νεοελληνικών Σπουδών (Ίδρυμα Μανόλη Τριανταφυλλίδη) (1998), Λεξικό της κοινής νεοελληνικής, Thessaloniki: Aristotle University of Thessaloniki
13. ^ Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com