μάταιος

Forms

μάταιος (mátaios) m (feminine μᾰταίᾱ, neuter μάταιον); first/second declension^[1]

Etymology

It is formed from Ancient Greek μάτη (mátē) + -αιος (-aios), from the noun for “fault, folly”, whose fossilized accusative is the adverb μάτην (mátēn, “in vain”).^[1][2][3]

That noun has no convincing etymology, because its first meaning is hard to determine.^[2] The comparison with Slavic words such as Polish matać (“to swindle, deceive”) has little value.^[2] Meier-Brügger connects it with the root Proto-Indo-European *men- (“to have in mind”), used with negative connotations, and Furnée notes that words for “stupid, foolish” are often of substrate origin.^[2]

Earliest recorded meaning

It is first found in Theognis: ἄνθρωποι δὲ μάταια νομίζομεν εἰδότες οὐδέν, “we men hold vain thoughts, knowing nothing”.^[4][5]

Semantic evolution

In classical Greek it describes efforts, remedies and prayers that achieve nothing, and words, thoughts and pleasures with no substance: Herodotus has idle tales, and Plato useless toil.^[4][3] Of people it means foolish or rash: Pindar speaks of a most foolish race,^[4] and Aeschylus often uses it for rash, irreverent speech and thought.^[4] Xenophon applies it to untrained hounds.^[3] Aristotle says that a desire with no final end would be empty and vain,^[4] and a papyrus of the 3rd century AD lists useless expenses.^[4]

The Septuagint gives it a religious sense, “false”, of prophecies, and uses its plural for vain things.^[6] In the New Testament the worship of someone who does not bridle his tongue is worthless.^[7] The phrase “vanity of vanities”, with the derivative ματαιότης (mataiótēs), comes from Ecclesiastes.^[5] Medieval Greek kept the word,^[8] and Modern Greek μάταιος (mátaios) is a learned form of it.^[9]

Timeline

• 6th century BC – Theognis calls human thoughts vain.^[4][5][10]
• 6th–5th century BC – Pindar and Aeschylus use it of foolish and rash people.^[4][10]
• 5th century BC – Herodotus uses it of idle tales.^[4][10]
• 4th century BC – Aristotle calls a desire without an end empty and vain.^[4][10]
• 1st century AD – The Epistle of James calls a man's worship worthless.^[7]
• 3rd century AD – A papyrus records useless expenses.^[4]
• Modern Greek – The learned Modern Greek μάταιος (mátaios) continues it.^[9]

Meanings

Adjective

1. Vain, fruitless, futile: of efforts, remedies, prayers.^[3][4]
2. Empty, idle, with no substance or purpose: of words, thoughts, arguments.^[4][3]
3. Of persons: foolish, rash, irresponsible; worthless.^[4][3]
4. Irreverent, profane.^[4]
5. (Septuagint) False, of prophecies; in the plural, vain things.^[6]

Word family

• ματᾴζω (matáizō)
• ματαιολόγος (mataiológos)
• ματαιοπονέω (mataioponéō)
• ματαιολογία (mataiologíā)
• ματαιοτεχνία (mataiotekhníā)
• ματαιότης (mataiótēs)
• ματαιουργός (mataiourgós)
• ματαιόω (mataióō)

Related words

• μάτην (mátēn)

References

1. ^ a b c d e Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ 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
3. ^ a b c d e f Diggle, James, et al., eds. (2021), The Cambridge Greek Lexicon, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press
4. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o Liddell, Henry George; Scott, Robert; Jones, Henry Stuart (1940), A Greek-English Lexicon, 9th ed., Oxford: Clarendon Press
5. ^ a b c Babiniotis, Georgios (2010), Ετυμολογικό λεξικό της νέας ελληνικής γλώσσας [Etymological Dictionary of Modern Greek], Athens: Κέντρο Λεξικολογίας
6. ^ a b Lust, Johan; Eynikel, Erik; Hauspie, Katrin (2003), Greek-English Lexicon of the Septuagint, rev. ed., Stuttgart: Deutsche Bibelgesellschaft
7. ^ 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
8. ^ Kriaras, Emmanuel, Επιτομή του Λεξικού της μεσαιωνικής ελληνικής δημώδους γραμματείας 1100–1669, Κέντρο Ελληνικής Γλώσσας, https://www.greek-language.gr
9. ^ a b Ινστιτούτο Νεοελληνικών Σπουδών (Ίδρυμα Μανόλη Τριανταφυλλίδη) (1998), Λεξικό της κοινής νεοελληνικής, Thessaloniki: Aristotle University of Thessaloniki
10. ^ a b c d Rodríguez Adrados, Francisco, et al., eds. (1980–), Diccionario Griego-Español, Madrid: CSIC, http://dge.cchs.csic.es/xdge