σύμφωνος

Forms

σῠ́μφωνος (súmphōnos) m or f (neuter σῠ́μφωνον); second declension^[1]

Etymology

It is formed from Ancient Greek σύν (sún, “with, together”) + φωνή (phōnḗ, “sound, voice”) + -ος (-os), literally “sounding together”.^[1][2][3]

Earliest recorded meaning

Its first known use is in the Homeric Hymn to Hermes, where the young god stretches seven strings tuned in harmony across his new lyre.^[4][3][2]

Semantic evolution

In the 5th century BC Pindar speaks of harmonious peace, and Sophocles uses it of pledges and of a place that echoes cries.^[4][3] Plato and Aristotle make it a term of music, for notes in concord, distinguished from notes in unison or answering at the octave, and use it figuratively of numbers, movements and a life in harmony with its words.^[4][3] Polybius uses it of persons in agreement and of decisions agreed on.^[3]

The grammarians from Dionysius Thrax on call the consonants τὰ σύμφωνα, the sounds that are pronounced together with a vowel.^[4][2] In the papyri and the New Testament the neuter τὸ σύμφωνον means an agreement, and Paul's “by agreement” is the papyri's phrase.^[5] The modern Modern Greek σύμφωνος (sýmfonos) is learned and means “agreeing, in accord”, and σύμφωνο (sýmfono) is a consonant and, after French accord, a pact.^[6][2]

Timeline

• Homeric hymns – The Hymn to Hermes uses it of the strings of the lyre.^[4][3]
• 6th–5th century BC – Pindar calls peace harmonious.^[4][3][7]
• 5th century BC – Sophocles uses it of a place that echoes cries.^[4][3]
• 5th–4th century BC – Plato uses it as a musical term for concordant notes.^[4][3]
• 2nd century BC – Polybius uses it of persons in agreement.^[3]
• 2nd–1st century BC – Dionysius Thrax uses the neuter plural for the consonants.^[4][2]
• Modern Greek – The learned σύμφωνος (sýmfonos) means “agreeing”.^[6]

Meanings

Adjective

1. Sounding together, harmonious: of strings, notes, singers.^[4][3]
2. (music) In concord: of notes forming a consonant interval.^[4]
3. Echoing, of a place.^[4][3]
4. (figurative) In harmony, in accord with something; of numbers, concordant; of a person, consistent.^[3][4]
5. Of one mind, in agreement; of decisions, agreed upon.^[3][5]
6. Having the same speech.^[4]

Noun

1. (grammar, neuter plural) The consonants.^[4][2]
2. (Koine, neuter) An agreement.^[5]

Word family

• συμφωνία (sumphōníā)
• συμφωνέω (sumphōnéō)

Related words

• φωνή (phōnḗ)
• ἀντίφωνος (antíphōnos)
• ὁμόφωνος (homóphōnos)

References

1. ^ a b c d e Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d e f Babiniotis, Georgios (2010), Ετυμολογικό λεξικό της νέας ελληνικής γλώσσας [Etymological Dictionary of Modern Greek], Athens: Κέντρο Λεξικολογίας
3. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n 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 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 Ινστιτούτο Νεοελληνικών Σπουδών (Ίδρυμα Μανόλη Τριανταφυλλίδη) (1998), Λεξικό της κοινής νεοελληνικής, Thessaloniki: Aristotle University of Thessaloniki
7. ^ Keersmaekers, Alek (2021–2025), GLAUx: The Greek Language Automated corpus, https://github.com/alekkeersmaekers/glaux