οὐδέτερος

Forms

οὐδέτερος (oudéteros) m (feminine οὐδετέρᾱ or οὐδετέρη, neuter οὐδέτερον)^[1]

Etymology

It is a compound from Ancient Greek οὐδέ (oudé, “not even”) + ἕτερος (héteros, “one of two”), “not either of two”.^[1][2][3] Its counterpart μηδέτερος (mēdéteros) is built in the same way with μηδέ (mēdé).^[4][5] Latin made its word for “neither” in the same way, Latin neuter, from “not” and “either”.^[6]

Earliest recorded meaning

The first examples are plural, for “neither of the two sides”: Hesiod's Theogony (638) and the Shield of Heracles (171).^[7][8]

Semantic evolution

In classical prose it is “neither of the two”, as in Herodotus, Aristophanes and Plato, and its adverb οὐδετέρως (oudetérōs) means “in neither way”.^[7][6]

Philosophers used it for what is neither one thing nor its opposite: Aristotle speaks of things that are neither choiceworthy nor to be avoided.^[7] In medicine Herophilus and Galen used it of a state that is neither illness nor health.^[7] The grammarians made it the name of the third gender: Dionysius of Halicarnassus lists masculine, feminine and neuter words, and Apollonius Dyscolus calls the neuter τὸ οὐδέτερον.^[7] They also called verbs that are neither active nor passive “neuter” verbs.^[7][9]

The Modern Greek ουδέτερος (oudéteros) means “neuter” in grammar and “neutral”; the sense of a state that stays out of a war is modelled on French neutre.^[10] Its derivative ουδετερότητα (oudeterótita) “neutrality” was coined in 1824 on French neutralité.^[5]

Timeline

• Before the 6th century BC – Hesiod's Theogony uses the plural for neither of two sides.^[7][8]
• 5th century BC – Herodotus uses it for neither of two persons or things.^[7][11]
• 4th century BC – Aristotle uses it for what is neither good nor bad, neither to be chosen nor avoided.^[7][11]
• 3rd century BC – The physician Herophilus uses it of a state that is neither illness nor health.^[7][11]
• 1st century BC – Dionysius of Halicarnassus uses it for neuter words in grammar.^[7][11]
• 1824 – Modern Greek coins ουδετερότητα (oudeterótita) on French neutralité.^[5]

Meanings

Adjective

1. Neither of the two; in the plural, neither of two sides or groups.^[7][6]
2. (philosophy, medicine) Neutral, neither one thing nor its opposite; of a bodily state, neither healthy nor ill.^[7]
3. (grammar) Neuter; τὸ οὐδέτερον, the neuter gender; of verbs, neither active nor passive.^[7][9]

Word family

• οὐδετέρως (oudetérōs)

Related words

• ἑκάτερος (hekáteros)
• ἕτερος (héteros)
• μηδέτερος (mēdéteros)

References

1. ^ a b c d e Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ Bailly, Anatole (2020), Dictionnaire grec-français, Bailly 2020 Hugo Chávez ed., ed. Gérard Gréco et al.
3. ^ Malhadas, Daisi; Dezotti, Maria Celeste C.; Neves, Maria Helena de Moura, eds. (2006–2010), Dicionário Grego-Português, São Paulo: Ateliê; digital ed. 3 (2022), UNESP Araraquara
4. ^ Diggle, James, et al., eds. (2021), The Cambridge Greek Lexicon, Cambridge: Cambridge University 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 c Liddell, Henry George; Scott, Robert (1889), An Intermediate Greek-English Lexicon, Oxford: Clarendon Press
7. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n Liddell, Henry George; Scott, Robert; Jones, Henry Stuart (1940), A Greek-English Lexicon, 9th ed., Oxford: Clarendon Press
8. ^ a b Keersmaekers, Alek (2021–2025), GLAUx: The Greek Language Automated corpus, https://github.com/alekkeersmaekers/glaux
9. ^ a b Charbonnet, André (2025), Chæréphon, v4.7: supplement to Bailly from papyri, inscriptions and recent lexica
10. ^ Ινστιτούτο Νεοελληνικών Σπουδών (Ίδρυμα Μανόλη Τριανταφυλλίδη) (1998), Λεξικό της κοινής νεοελληνικής, Thessaloniki: Aristotle University of Thessaloniki
11. ^ a b c d Rodríguez Adrados, Francisco, et al., eds. (1980–), Diccionario Griego-Español, Madrid: CSIC, http://dge.cchs.csic.es/xdge