δῆλος

Forms

δῆλος (dêlos) m (feminine δήλη, neuter δῆλον); first/second declension^[1] Epic δέελος (déelos).^[2]

Etymology

It probably continues *δέαλος (*déalos), inherited from Proto-Indo-European *deih₂-(e)lo-, from the root *deyh₂- (“to shine”).^[3][1][4] Hesychius' glosses δίαλος (díalos, “clear”) and διάλας (diálas), dialect forms with δεα- (dea-), support this, as does the Homeric ἔκδηλος (ékdēlos).^[3] The cognate is δέατο (déato, “seemed”).^[3][1][5] Schulze and Chantraine explained it differently, and another theory derives it from *dyew- (“sky”).^[3][1]

Earliest recorded meaning

Homer has it first as the Epic δέελος (déelos), meaning visible, of a mark set up in the Iliad; the Odyssey uses δῆλον for what is clear to the mind.^[2][6]

Semantic evolution

The usual Classical sense is “clear, evident, plain” to the mind.^[2][7] Classical writers used a personal construction on it: “he is clear doing” something, that is, he is clearly doing it, with a participle, or with ὡς or ὅτι; δῆλον ποιεῖν was “to make clear”, and the neuter δῆλον (ἐστί) “it is clear”.^[7][2] Empedocles uses it of what is perceptible to any of the senses.^[7]

The New Testament and early Christian writers keep δῆλον ὅτι, “it is clear that”.^[8] Modern Greek keeps δήλος (dílos) as a learned word, with compounds such as έκδηλος (ékdilos) and πρόδηλος (pródilos).^[5]

Timeline

• Homer – The Iliad uses the Epic form for something plainly visible; the Odyssey uses δῆλον for what is plain.^[2][6]
• 6th century BC – Theognis and the Homeric Hymn to Apollo use it.^[6]
• 5th century BC – Herodotus and Thucydides use δῆλον ποιεῖν, “to make clear”.^[7][4]
• 5th century BC – Sophocles and Thucydides construe it with a participle.^[2][7][4]
• 1st century AD – The Letters to the Corinthians and to the Galatians use δῆλον ὅτι, “it is clear that”.^[8]
• Modern Greek – Modern Greek δήλος (dílos) survives as a learned word.^[5]

Meanings

Adjective

1. Visible, conspicuous, clear to the eye.^[2][7]
2. Perceptible to the senses.^[7]
3. Clear to the mind, evident, manifest, plain.^[2][7][8]
4. With a participle, or with ὡς or ὅτι: being clearly so, clearly doing something.^[7][2]
5. In δῆλον ποιεῖν: to make clear.^[7][8]
6. Neuter δῆλον (ἐστί): it is clear (that).^[7][8]

Word family

• δηλόω (dēlóō)
• δέελος (déelos)
• ἔκδηλος (ékdēlos)

Related words

• δέατο (déato)
• Modern Greek δήλος (dílos)

References

1. ^ a b c d e f g Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d e f g h i Liddell, Henry George; Scott, Robert; Jones, Henry Stuart (1940), A Greek-English Lexicon, 9th ed., Oxford: Clarendon Press
3. ^ a b c d 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
4. ^ a b c Rodríguez Adrados, Francisco, et al., eds. (1980–), Diccionario Griego-Español, Madrid: CSIC, http://dge.cchs.csic.es/xdge
5. ^ a b c Babiniotis, Georgios (2010), Ετυμολογικό λεξικό της νέας ελληνικής γλώσσας [Etymological Dictionary of Modern Greek], Athens: Κέντρο Λεξικολογίας
6. ^ a b c Keersmaekers, Alek (2021–2025), GLAUx: The Greek Language Automated corpus, https://github.com/alekkeersmaekers/glaux
7. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k Diggle, James, et al., eds. (2021), The Cambridge Greek Lexicon, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press
8. ^ a b c d e 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