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μυθικός

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Etymology and origin of the Ancient Greek word μυθικός

Confidence
Established
Formation
Derivation
First attested
500–300 BC Plato, Phaedrus More words from the 5th century BC
Ultimate origin
Ancient Greek μῦθος
Etymology tree
inherited borrowed derived
Ancient Greek μῦθος (mûthos)
Ancient Greek μυθικός (mūthikós)
Latin mȳthicus
English mythical

Pronunciation

  • 5th-century BC Attic: /myː.tʰi.kós/[1]
  • 4th-century AD Koine: /my.θiˈkos/[1]
  • 10th-century Byzantine: /my.θiˈkos/[1]

Forms

μῡθῐκός (mūthikós) m (feminine μῡθῐκή, neuter μῡθῐκόν); first/second declension[1]

Etymology

It is formed from Ancient Greek μῦθος (mûthos, “word, tale, myth”) + -ικός (-ikós).[1][2]

Earliest recorded meaning

The first record is in Plato's Phaedrus, which speaks of a kind of mythic hymn.[3][2][4]

Semantic evolution

Aristotle uses the adverb μυθικῶς, “in the manner of myth”, in the Metaphysics and On the Heavens, and Philodemus contrasts it with “truly”.[3][4] Dionysius of Halicarnassus speaks of “mythical times”, and Neanthes wrote a treatise titled τὰ μυθικά, “legends”.[3] Papias, in the fragments preserved by Eusebius, tells some “rather fictive” tales.[5]

Medieval vernacular Greek kept μυθικός (mythikós) for what belongs to myths or is imaginary, and used the neuter as a noun for a fairy tale.[6][2] In Modern Greek the learned μυθικός (mythikós) means belonging to the age of myth, before recorded history, invented or false, and also fabulous, extraordinary, as of great wealth.[7][2]

Late Latin mythicus gave English mythic (1660s), and mythical followed in the 1670s.[8]

Timeline

  • 5th–4th century BC – Plato's Phaedrus speaks of a mythic hymn.[3][4][9]
  • 4th century BC – Aristotle uses the adverb μυθικῶς, in the manner of myth.[3][4][9]
  • 1st century BC – Dionysius of Halicarnassus speaks of mythical times, and Philodemus sets μυθικῶς against truth.[3][9]
  • 1100–1669 – Vernacular Greek uses the neuter μυθικόν (mythikón) for a fairy tale.[6][2]
  • 1660s – English borrows it as mythic, through Late Latin.[8]
  • Modern Greek – The learned μυθικός (mythikós) means mythical, fictitious or fabulous.[7][2]

Meanings

Adjective

  1. Mythic, legendary, belonging to myth; the adverb μυθικῶς means in the manner of myth, as opposed to truly.[3][2]
  2. Invented, fictional.[5]
  3. Neuter plural as a noun, τὰ μυθικά, books of legends (the title of a treatise by Neanthes).[3]

References

  1. ^ a b c d e Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c d e f g Πάπυρος–Larousse–Britannica, Μέγα Λεξικό της Ελληνικής Γλώσσας, Athens: Πάπυρος
  3. ^ a b c d e f g h Liddell, Henry George; Scott, Robert; Jones, Henry Stuart (1940), A Greek-English Lexicon, 9th ed., Oxford: Clarendon Press
  4. ^ a b c d Keersmaekers, Alek (2021–2025), GLAUx: The Greek Language Automated corpus, https://github.com/alekkeersmaekers/glaux
  5. ^ 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
  6. ^ a b Kriaras, Emmanuel, Επιτομή του Λεξικού της μεσαιωνικής ελληνικής δημώδους γραμματείας 1100–1669, Κέντρο Ελληνικής Γλώσσας, https://www.greek-language.gr
  7. ^ a b Ινστιτούτο Νεοελληνικών Σπουδών (Ίδρυμα Μανόλη Τριανταφυλλίδη) (1998), Λεξικό της κοινής νεοελληνικής, Thessaloniki: Aristotle University of Thessaloniki
  8. ^ a b Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
  9. ^ a b c Rodríguez Adrados, Francisco, et al., eds. (1980–), Diccionario Griego-Español, Madrid: CSIC, http://dge.cchs.csic.es/xdge
Cite this entry

“Μυθικός.” Etymologically, 8 Nov. 2026, etymologically.com/grc/%CE%BC%CF%85%CE%B8%CE%B9%CE%BA%CF%8C%CF%82. Accessed 8 Nov. 2026.

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