τριλογία

Forms

τρῐλογῐ́ᾱ (trilogíā) f (genitive τρῐλογῐ́ᾱς); first declension^[1]

Etymology

It is formed from Ancient Greek τρι- (tri-, “three”) + λόγος (lógos, “speech, story”).^[2][3][4] Babiniotis analyses the second part as the suffix -λογία (-logía), from λέγω (légō), and gives “three dialogues” as the original sense.^[5]

Earliest recorded meaning

Aristophanes of Byzantium (3rd–2nd century BC), as quoted by Diogenes Laertius, uses it of a group of three dialogues.^[6][7]

Semantic evolution

The grammarians Aristarchus and Apollonius, quoted in the scholia to Aristophanes' Frogs, use it of a group of three tragedies.^[6] From Hellenistic philology on it was the term for the three tragedies, without the satyr play that followed them, which a poet put on at the Great Dionysia in Athens; the four plays together were a τετραλογία (tetralogía).^[8][9] A library catalogue inscribed at Piraeus lists a trilogy of Sophocles.^[10]

English trilogy is recorded from the 1660s.^[4] Modern Greek τριλογία (trilogía) is a learned word from the Hellenistic one: it means the three connected tragedies of an ancient poet, such as Aeschylus's Oresteia, and by extension any work in three parts on one theme, a sense the Χρηστικό Λεξικό links with French trilogie, German Trilogie and English trilogy.^[11][12]

Timeline

• 3rd–2nd century BC – Aristophanes of Byzantium uses it of a group of three dialogues.^[6][7]
• 3rd–2nd century BC – Aristarchus uses it of a group of three tragedies.^[6][7]
• 3rd century AD – Diogenes Laertius preserves the use of Aristophanes of Byzantium.^[13][7]
• 1660s – English borrows it as trilogy.^[4]
• Modern Greek – τριλογία (trilogía) is a group of three connected tragedies or any three-part work.^[11]

Meanings

Noun

1. A group of three dialogues.^[6][14]
2. A trilogy: a group of three tragedies performed together.^[6][8][15]

Related words

• τετραλογία (tetralogía)
• λόγος (lógos)
• English trilogy

References

1. ^ a b c d 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. ^ Τεγόπουλος, Γ.; Φυτράκης, Ε. (1997), Μείζον Ελληνικό Λεξικό, Athens: Αρμονία
4. ^ a b c Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
5. ^ Babiniotis, Georgios (2010), Ετυμολογικό λεξικό της νέας ελληνικής γλώσσας [Etymological Dictionary of Modern Greek], Athens: Κέντρο Λεξικολογίας
6. ^ a b c d e f Liddell, Henry George; Scott, Robert; Jones, Henry Stuart (1940), A Greek-English Lexicon, 9th ed., Oxford: Clarendon Press
7. ^ a b c d Rodríguez Adrados, Francisco, et al., eds. (1980–), Diccionario Griego-Español, Madrid: CSIC, http://dge.cchs.csic.es/xdge
8. ^ a b Cancik, Hubert; Schneider, Helmuth, eds. (2002–2010), Brill's New Pauly: Encyclopaedia of the Ancient World, Leiden: Brill
9. ^ Liddell, Henry George; Scott, Robert (1889), An Intermediate Greek-English Lexicon, Oxford: Clarendon Press
10. ^ Charbonnet, André (2025), Chæréphon, v4.7: supplement to Bailly from papyri, inscriptions and recent lexica
11. ^ a b Ινστιτούτο Νεοελληνικών Σπουδών (Ίδρυμα Μανόλη Τριανταφυλλίδη) (1998), Λεξικό της κοινής νεοελληνικής, Thessaloniki: Aristotle University of Thessaloniki
12. ^ Ακαδημία Αθηνών (2014), Χρηστικό Λεξικό της Νεοελληνικής Γλώσσας, Athens: Academy of Athens
13. ^ Keersmaekers, Alek (2021–2025), GLAUx: The Greek Language Automated corpus, https://github.com/alekkeersmaekers/glaux
14. ^ Korinthios, J. (2025), Grande Dizionario Greco Classico: Greco–Italiano, digital ed., Milan: Hoepli
15. ^ Pape, Wilhelm (1914), Griechisch-deutsches Handwörterbuch, 3rd ed., rev. Max Sengebusch, Braunschweig: Vieweg