χαρακτηρίζω

Forms

χᾰρακτηρίζω (kharaktērízō) ^[1] Future χαρακτηρίσω (Philodemus), aorist ἐχαρακτήρισα, perfect κεχαρακτήρικα (Letter of Aristeas); passive aorist ἐχαρακτηρίσθην, future χαρακτηρισθήσομαι; verbal adjective χαρακτηριστέον.^[2][3]

Etymology

It is formed from Ancient Greek χαρακτήρ (kharaktḗr, “stamp, mark, character”) + -ίζω (-ízō).^[1][4][5] The noun is an agent and instrument noun from χαράσσω (kharássō, “to sharpen, engrave”), first “engraver”, then “stamp” and “impressed mark”, and later “distinctive feature, character”.^[6] Beekes considers the verb, formed from χάραξ (khárax, “pointed stake”), Pre-Greek because of the suffix of that noun, and rejects a link with Lithuanian žer̃ti (“to scrape”), which does not explain the Greek formation.^[6]

Earliest recorded meaning

Its first record is the perfect κεχαρακτήρικα in the Letter of Aristeas, from the Hellenistic period, where it means to emphasize that something is so.^[2][7]

Semantic evolution

The concrete senses “engrave, inscribe” and, in the passive, “be stamped, formed” are found in Manetho (as quoted by Syncellus) and Aristaenetus, and Menander Protector says that men are made in the image of gods.^[2] The main sense, to mark out by a distinctive feature, to characterize, appears in Philo, and is used by Galen, Plotinus and Maximus of Tyre.^[2][4] Philodemus and the Stoics use the passive “be characterized”, and Philodemus also “indicate, expound”.^[2] In Christian Greek Papyros quotes John Chrysostom: love characterizes Christianity.^[5]

Modern Greek χαρακτηρίζω (charaktirízo) is a learned form of the Hellenistic verb.^[8] It means to distinguish someone or something by a feature, and also to class or describe someone as something.^[8][5]

Timeline

• Hellenistic period – The Letter of Aristeas has the perfect κεχαρακτήρικα, “has emphasized”.^[2][7]
• 1st century BC – Philodemus uses the future and the passive.^[2][9]
• 1st century BC to 1st century AD – Philo uses it for “characterize”.^[2][4][9]
• 2nd century AD – Galen and Maximus of Tyre use it.^[2][9]
• 3rd century AD – Plotinus uses it.^[2][9]
• 6th century AD – Menander Protector says men are “formed” in the image of gods.^[2][9]
• Modern Greek – The learned χαρακτηρίζω (charaktirízo) means to characterize or to describe as.^[8][5]

Meanings

Verb

1. To engrave, inscribe; passive, to be stamped or formed.^[2][3]
2. To mark out by a distinctive feature, to characterize; passive, to be characterized.^[2][4]
3. To emphasize, with accusative and infinitive.^[2]
4. To indicate, expound.^[2][5]

Related words

• χαρακτήρ (kharaktḗr)
• χαράσσω (kharássō)
• χάραγμα (kháragma)
• χαρακτηριστικός (kharaktēristikós)

References

1. ^ a b c d e Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ 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
3. ^ a b Korinthios, J. (2025), Grande Dizionario Greco Classico: Greco–Italiano, digital ed., Milan: Hoepli
4. ^ a b c d Bailly, Anatole (2020), Dictionnaire grec-français, Bailly 2020 Hugo Chávez ed., ed. Gérard Gréco et al.
5. ^ a b c d e Πάπυρος–Larousse–Britannica, Μέγα Λεξικό της Ελληνικής Γλώσσας, Athens: Πάπυρος
6. ^ a b Beekes, Robert S. P. (2010), Etymological Dictionary of Greek, with the assistance of Lucien van Beek, Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series 10, Leiden; Boston: Brill
7. ^ a b Keersmaekers, Alek (2021–2025), GLAUx: The Greek Language Automated corpus, https://github.com/alekkeersmaekers/glaux
8. ^ a b c Ινστιτούτο Νεοελληνικών Σπουδών (Ίδρυμα Μανόλη Τριανταφυλλίδη) (1998), Λεξικό της κοινής νεοελληνικής, Thessaloniki: Aristotle University of Thessaloniki
9. ^ a b c d e Rodríguez Adrados, Francisco, et al., eds. (1980–), Diccionario Griego-Español, Madrid: CSIC, http://dge.cchs.csic.es/xdge