ἀπολογία

Forms

ᾰ̓πολογῐ́ᾱ (apologíā) f (genitive ᾰ̓πολογῐ́ᾱς); first declension^[1]

Etymology

It is formed from Ancient Greek ἀπο- (apo-, “back”) + λόγος (lógos, “speech”) + -ία (-ía),^[1] and is the noun belonging to the verb ἀπολογέομαι (apologéomai, “to speak in one's defence”).^[2]

Earliest recorded meaning

It is first found in the 5th century BC in Antiphon and Thucydides, meaning a speech in defence, the opposite of κατηγορία (katēgoría, “accusation”).^[3][4][5]

Semantic evolution

In Attic oratory it is above all the defence before a court, the line of defence chosen and the chance to be heard, and Plato's Apology uses it of Socrates' defence.^[3][6] It also came to mean any justification of one's conduct, as when Lysias speaks of a man making his own life a defence against his father's crimes.^[3][5]

In the New Testament Paul speaks of his defence before his judges and of the defence of the gospel, and in Christian literature it became the defence of the faith by martyrs and apologists.^[2][5] In medieval vernacular Greek, beside “justification”, it meant an answer, leave to depart, a farewell and dismissal.^[7] Modern Greek has the learned απολογία (apología), a defence against a charge, and the popular απολογιά (apologiá), “answer”, a medieval form with the vowels merged into one syllable.^[8]

Timeline

• 5th century BC – Antiphon and Thucydides use it of a defence speech.^[3][4]
• 5th–4th century BC – Plato uses it of Socrates' defence, and Lysias of a justification.^[3][5]
• 2nd century BC – Polybius speaks of making one's defence against all accusers.^[5]
• 1st century AD – Paul speaks of his defence and of the defence of the gospel.^[2][3]
• 1100–1669 – Vernacular Greek uses it also for an answer and for dismissal.^[7]
• Modern Greek – απολογία (apología) means a defence; απολογιά (apologiá) means an answer.^[8]

Meanings

Noun

1. A speech in defence, especially before a court.^[3][6]
2. A line or means of defence; the opportunity to make one's defence.^[6]
3. A justification of one's conduct, in general.^[6][5]
4. (Christian) A defence of the faith; an apology.^[5][2]
5. (Koine) An excuse; an answer.^[2][5]

Related words

• ἀπολογέομαι (apologéomai)
• λόγος (lógos)
• κατηγορία (katēgoría)

References

1. ^ a b c d e Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d e 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
3. ^ a b c d e f g Liddell, Henry George; Scott, Robert; Jones, Henry Stuart (1940), A Greek-English Lexicon, 9th ed., Oxford: Clarendon Press
4. ^ a b Keersmaekers, Alek (2021–2025), GLAUx: The Greek Language Automated corpus, https://github.com/alekkeersmaekers/glaux
5. ^ a b c d e f g h Rodríguez Adrados, Francisco, et al., eds. (1980–), Diccionario Griego-Español, Madrid: CSIC, http://dge.cchs.csic.es/xdge
6. ^ a b c d Diggle, James, et al., eds. (2021), The Cambridge Greek Lexicon, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press
7. ^ a b Kriaras, Emmanuel, Επιτομή του Λεξικού της μεσαιωνικής ελληνικής δημώδους γραμματείας 1100–1669, Κέντρο Ελληνικής Γλώσσας, https://www.greek-language.gr
8. ^ a b Ινστιτούτο Νεοελληνικών Σπουδών (Ίδρυμα Μανόλη Τριανταφυλλίδη) (1998), Λεξικό της κοινής νεοελληνικής, Thessaloniki: Aristotle University of Thessaloniki