κατήγορος

Forms

κᾰτήγορος (katḗgoros) m (genitive κᾰτηγόρου); second declension^[1]

Etymology

It is formed from Ancient Greek κατά (katá, “against”) + ἀγορεύω (agoreúō, “to speak in public”).^[1][2][3] Babiniotis and Πάπυρος analyse the second part as ⟨-ήγορος⟩, from ἀγορά (agorā́, “assembly”), with the lengthening of the initial vowel that is usual in compounds, as in συνήγορος (sunḗgoros, “advocate”) and παρήγορος (parḗgoros, “consoling”).^[4][5] The verb κατηγορέω (katēgoréō) and the noun κατηγορία (katēgoríā) belong to it.^[6]

Earliest recorded meaning

The first record is figurative: in Aeschylus' Seven against Thebes the tongue “becomes a true accuser” (ἡ γλῶσσ’ ἀληθὴς γίγνεται κατήγορος) of foolish thoughts, that is, it betrays them.^[7][4][8]

Semantic evolution

In Herodotus, Sophocles and the Attic orators it is the accuser who brings a charge in a court or assembly, and Plato's Apology speaks of the accusers in the plural.^[7][9] Athens had no office of public prosecution, but in cases that threatened the state the council or the assembly could appoint citizens to speak for it; these were called κατήγοροι, or more often συνήγοροι (sunḗgoroi).^[10] Isocrates, Aristotle and Dinarchus use the word for such an accuser appointed by the state.^[9]

The figurative sense, one who exposes or betrays something, continued: Xenophon calls neglect a clear accuser of a bad soul, and Polybius applies the word to one's own conscience.^[7][9] Plutarch uses it for a name that points to its bearer's beauty.^[9]

A papyrus of the 3rd century AD has the phrase “public prosecutor”.^[7] The Septuagint has the word twice, and the New Testament uses it for accusers in Acts and, in some manuscripts, for the accuser in Revelation.^[11][12][7] Coptic borrowed it as ⲕⲁⲧⲏⲅⲟⲣⲟⲥ (katēgoros), recorded from about AD 600.^[13] Modern Greek uses κατήγορος (katígoros) as a learned legal term for the accuser in a trial, with the same form for the feminine, and “public accuser” for the public prosecutor.^[14][15]

Timeline

• 6th–5th century BC – Aeschylus uses it figuratively of the tongue that betrays one's thoughts.^[7][4][16]
• 5th century BC – Herodotus and Sophocles use it for an accuser.^[7][16]
• 5th–4th century BC – Isocrates uses it for an accuser appointed by the state, and Xenophon calls neglect the accuser of a bad soul.^[9][7][16]
• 2nd century BC – Polybius applies it to one's conscience.^[9][16]
• 3rd century AD – A papyrus has the phrase “public prosecutor”.^[7]
• About AD 600 – The earliest dated Coptic manuscript with the borrowing is written.^[13]
• Modern Greek – It is a learned legal term for the accuser in a trial.^[14]

Meanings

Noun

1. An accuser, one who brings a charge, especially in a court or assembly.^[7][9][12]
2. An accuser appointed by the state, a public prosecutor.^[9][7][10]
3. (figurative) Something that exposes or betrays: the tongue, neglect, one's conscience.^[7][9]
4. A name that points to some quality of its bearer, such as beauty.^[9]

Related words

• κατηγορέω (katēgoréō)
• κατηγορία (katēgoríā)
• συνήγορος (sunḗgoros)
• ἀγορεύω (agoreúō)

References

1. ^ a b c d e Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ Τεγόπουλος, Γ.; Φυτράκης, Ε. (1997), Μείζον Ελληνικό Λεξικό, Athens: Αρμονία
3. ^ Bailly, Anatole (2020), Dictionnaire grec-français, Bailly 2020 Hugo Chávez ed., ed. Gérard Gréco et al.
4. ^ a b c Babiniotis, Georgios (2010), Ετυμολογικό λεξικό της νέας ελληνικής γλώσσας [Etymological Dictionary of Modern Greek], Athens: Κέντρο Λεξικολογίας
5. ^ Πάπυρος–Larousse–Britannica, Μέγα Λεξικό της Ελληνικής Γλώσσας, Athens: Πάπυρος
6. ^ Μανδουλίδης, Ετυμολογικό λεξικό της αρχαίας ελληνικής
7. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l Liddell, Henry George; Scott, Robert; Jones, Henry Stuart (1940), A Greek-English Lexicon, 9th ed., Oxford: Clarendon Press
8. ^ Keersmaekers, Alek (2021–2025), GLAUx: The Greek Language Automated corpus, https://github.com/alekkeersmaekers/glaux
9. ^ a b c d e f g h i j Diggle, James, et al., eds. (2021), The Cambridge Greek Lexicon, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press
10. ^ a b Cancik, Hubert; Schneider, Helmuth, eds. (2002–2010), Brill's New Pauly: Encyclopaedia of the Ancient World, Leiden: Brill
11. ^ Lust, Johan; Eynikel, Erik; Hauspie, Katrin (2003), Greek-English Lexicon of the Septuagint, rev. ed., Stuttgart: Deutsche Bibelgesellschaft
12. ^ a b 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
13. ^ a b Database and Dictionary of Greek Loanwords in Coptic (DDGLC), Freie Universität Berlin and Universität Leipzig
14. ^ a b Ινστιτούτο Νεοελληνικών Σπουδών (Ίδρυμα Μανόλη Τριανταφυλλίδη) (1998), Λεξικό της κοινής νεοελληνικής, Thessaloniki: Aristotle University of Thessaloniki
15. ^ Ακαδημία Αθηνών (2014), Χρηστικό Λεξικό της Νεοελληνικής Γλώσσας, Athens: Academy of Athens
16. ^ a b c d Rodríguez Adrados, Francisco, et al., eds. (1980–), Diccionario Griego-Español, Madrid: CSIC, http://dge.cchs.csic.es/xdge