σφαιρικός

Forms

σφαιρικός (sphairikós), feminine σφαιρική, neuter σφαιρικόν; adverb σφαιρικῶς.^[1] Doric feminine σφαιρικά.^[1]

Etymology

It is formed from Ancient Greek σφαῖρα (sphaîra, “ball, sphere”) + -ικός (-ikós).^[2][3][4]

Earliest recorded meaning

The earliest examples are from the 4th century BC: Archytas has the Doric feminine for the science of the spheres, and the Aristotelian corpus uses the adverb σφαιρικῶς, “in the manner of a globe”.^[1][5]

Semantic evolution

In mathematics and astronomy it meant both “ball-shaped, spherical” and “of a sphere”: Euclid's Optics speaks of a spherical surface, and the science of spherics was called ἡ σφαιρική.^[1][2] In arithmetic Nicomachus called a “spherical number” one whose powers all end in the same digit.^[1][6] With reference to the heavens it described the doctrine of the celestial spheres, in Diodorus and later writers, and the Sphaerica of Theodosius.^[1] It is rare before the Roman period: GLAUx counts most of its occurrences in the 2nd century AD.^[5] Korinthios and the DGP also record a use for the ball game.^[7][3]

Modern Greek σφαιρικός (sferikós) is a learned continuation of the Hellenistic word; its general sense “to do with a sphere” follows French sphérique, which goes back to the Greek through Late Latin sphaericus, and its newer sense “overall, comprehensive” follows French global.^[8][9] English spheric is from Late Latin sphaericus too, while spherical was formed in English from sphere.^[10]

Timeline

• 4th century BC – Archytas uses the Doric feminine for the science of the spheres, and the Aristotelian corpus has the adverb.^[1][11]
• 3rd century BC – Euclid's Optics speaks of a spherical surface, and Archimedes uses the word in his work on the sphere.^[1][5][11]
• 1st century BC – Diodorus uses it for the doctrine of the celestial spheres.^[1][11]
• 1st–2nd century AD – Nicomachus names a kind of number “spherical”.^[1][11]
• 2nd century AD – Ptolemy and Cleomedes use it in the sense “globular”.^[1][11]
• 5th century AD – Proclus calls the science of spherics ἡ σφαιρική.^[1][11]

Meanings

Adjective

1. Globular, spherical.^[1][2]
2. Of a sphere: a spherical surface.^[1][2]
3. (mathematics) Of a number whose powers all end in the same digit.^[1][6]
4. (astronomy) Of the celestial spheres; τὰ σφαιρικά, the doctrine or treatises on the spheres.^[1][3]
5. (as a noun, feminine, ἡ σφαιρική) The science of spherics.^[1][3]
6. Of the ball game.^[7][3]

Related words

• σφαῖρα (sphaîra)
• Latin sphaericus
• English spheric

References

1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q Liddell, Henry George; Scott, Robert; Jones, Henry Stuart (1940), A Greek-English Lexicon, 9th ed., Oxford: Clarendon Press
2. ^ a b c d Bailly, Anatole (2020), Dictionnaire grec-français, Bailly 2020 Hugo Chávez ed., ed. Gérard Gréco et al.
3. ^ a b c d e 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. ^ Köbler, Gerhard, Griechisch-deutsches Wörterbuch, online ed., https://www.koeblergerhard.de
5. ^ a b c Keersmaekers, Alek (2021–2025), GLAUx: The Greek Language Automated corpus, https://github.com/alekkeersmaekers/glaux
6. ^ a b Charbonnet, André (2025), Chæréphon, v4.7: supplement to Bailly from papyri, inscriptions and recent lexica
7. ^ a b Korinthios, J. (2025), Grande Dizionario Greco Classico: Greco–Italiano, digital ed., Milan: Hoepli
8. ^ Ινστιτούτο Νεοελληνικών Σπουδών (Ίδρυμα Μανόλη Τριανταφυλλίδη) (1998), Λεξικό της κοινής νεοελληνικής, Thessaloniki: Aristotle University of Thessaloniki
9. ^ Ακαδημία Αθηνών (2014), Χρηστικό Λεξικό της Νεοελληνικής Γλώσσας, Athens: Academy of Athens
10. ^ Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
11. ^ a b c d e f Rodríguez Adrados, Francisco, et al., eds. (1980–), Diccionario Griego-Español, Madrid: CSIC, http://dge.cchs.csic.es/xdge