χρόνος

Pronunciation

• IPA (5th-century BC Attic): /kʰró.nos/^[1]
• IPA (4th-century AD Koine): /ˈxro.nos/^[1]
• IPA (10th-century Byzantine): /ˈxro.nos/^[1]

Forms

χρόνος (khrónos) m (genitive χρόνου); second declension^[1]

Etymology

The etymology is unknown.^[2][1] On the model of κλόνος (klónos) and θρόνος (thrónos), it has been analysed as *ǵʰr-ono-, from a root “to seize, enclose” supposed also for χόρτος (khórtos), with a first meaning “encompassing time-limit” or even “seizer”.^[2][3][4] Beekes doubts that κλόνος (klónos) and θρόνος (thrónos) can be analysed so.^[2] Another theory connects it with κορμός (kormós), from Proto-Indo-European *(s)ker- (“to cut off”).^[1] The other Greek words for time are καιρός (kairós), also of unclear origin, and the inherited αἰών (aiṓn).^[2]

Earliest recorded meaning

Homer uses it from the Iliad (2.299) for a period or length of time.^[5][6][2]

Semantic evolution

From elegy, lyric and Herodotus on it is time in the abstract, “that which passes”, and Solon, the lyric poets and the tragedians personify Time as an agent of change and even a primordial god.^[6] Pindar says that not even Time could undo what has been done.^[7] It was a lifetime, a specific moment, and a delay (Demosthenes, Menander), and Demosthenes distinguishes it from καιρός (kairós), the right moment.^[6][7] Grammarians used it for the tense of a verb.^[1] From the 3rd–4th century AD the plural meant “years”.^[2]

Its compounds include χρονογράφος (khronográphos) “chronicler” (Strabo) and σύγχρονος (súnkhronos) “contemporary”.^[2] Modern Greek χρόνος continues it, and χρονιά “year” comes from it.^[8][9] English chrono- comes from it.^[10]

Timeline

• Homer – The Iliad uses it for a period of time.^[5][6]
• 7th–6th century BC – Solon personifies Time.^[6][11]
• 6th–5th century BC – Pindar says Time cannot undo what is done.^[7][11]
• 4th century BC – Demosthenes distinguishes it from καιρός.^[7][11]
• 3rd–4th century AD – The plural means years.^[2]
• Modern Greek – χρονιά “year” is derived from it.^[9]

Meanings

Noun

1. Time, the passing of time.^[6][1]
2. A period, length of time; a lifetime.^[6][1]
3. A specific time, moment.^[6]
4. A delay.^[6][1]
5. (grammar) A tense.^[1]
6. (plural, late) Years.^[2]

Proper noun

1. Time personified.^[6]

Word family

• χρόνιος (khrónios)
• ἄχρονος (ákhronos)
• βαιόχρονος (baiókhronos)
• πεντάχρονος (pentákhronos)
• πολυχρονικός (polukhronikós)
• πρόχρονος (prókhronos)
• σύγχρονος (súnkhronos)
• ὑπόχρονος (hupókhronos)

Related words

• English chronic
• English chrono-

References

1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d e f g h i 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
3. ^ Frisk, Hjalmar (1960–1972), Griechisches etymologisches Wörterbuch, 3 vols, Heidelberg: Carl Winter
4. ^ Πάπυρος–Larousse–Britannica, Μέγα Λεξικό της Ελληνικής Γλώσσας, Athens: Πάπυρος
5. ^ a b Keersmaekers, Alek (2021–2025), GLAUx: The Greek Language Automated corpus, https://github.com/alekkeersmaekers/glaux
6. ^ a b c d e f g h i j Diggle, James, et al., eds. (2021), The Cambridge Greek Lexicon, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press
7. ^ a b c d Liddell, Henry George; Scott, Robert; Jones, Henry Stuart (1940), A Greek-English Lexicon, 9th ed., Oxford: Clarendon Press
8. ^ Ινστιτούτο Νεοελληνικών Σπουδών (Ίδρυμα Μανόλη Τριανταφυλλίδη) (1998), Λεξικό της κοινής νεοελληνικής, Thessaloniki: Aristotle University of Thessaloniki
9. ^ a b Heggarty, Paul, et al. (2023), Indo-European Cognate Relationships (IE-CoR), Leipzig: Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, https://iecor.clld.org
10. ^ Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
11. ^ a b c Rodríguez Adrados, Francisco, et al., eds. (1980–), Diccionario Griego-Español, Madrid: CSIC, http://dge.cchs.csic.es/xdge