ἐνεργός

Forms

ἐνεργός (energós) m or f (neuter ἐνεργόν); second declension^[1]

Etymology

It is formed from Ancient Greek ἐν (en, “in”) + ἔργον (érgon, “work”) + -ος (-os), “at work”, like συνεργός (sunergós) and εὐεργός (euergós).^[1][2][3]

Earliest recorded meaning

Herodotus and Thucydides first use it, in the 5th century BC: Herodotus of men who need a living and want to be busy, Thucydides of ships fit for service.^[4][5][6]

Semantic evolution

In classical prose the word meant active and busy, of people at work or on duty: Plato would not let pilots or judges drink wine while on duty.^[4][5] Of things it meant effective or in working order, and Xenophon applies it to land that is tilled and productive, the opposite of ἀργός (argós), and to mines in operation.^[4][2] Money that was ἐνεργός was capital put out to earn a return, as in Demosthenes.^[4][2] Polybius speaks of a vigorous attack and of effective javelins.^[4] According to the New Pauly, Aristotle formed from it the abstract noun ἐνέργεια (enérgeia), his term for actuality as opposed to potential.^[7]

Papyri of the 3rd century BC use it of people who have work, and the Septuagint of the working days of the week.^[5][8] Coptic borrowed it.^[9] Modern Greek ενεργός (energós) is a learned revival of the ancient word: active, of people and of participation, and in geology of an active volcano.^[10] It forms compounds such as ραδιενεργός (radienergós, “radioactive”).^[3]

Timeline

• 5th century BC – Herodotus uses it for people who want to be busy, and Thucydides for ships fit for service.^[4][5]
• 5th–4th century BC – Xenophon uses it for productive land and working mines.^[4]
• 4th century BC – Demosthenes uses it for capital earning a return, and Aristotle for the most effective arguments.^[4][2]
• 3rd century BC – Papyri use it for people who have work, and the Septuagint for working days.^[5][8]
• 2nd century BC – Polybius uses it for a vigorous attack and effective weapons.^[4]
• 1st century AD – Papyri use it for a mill in working order.^[4]
• Modern Greek – The learned word ενεργός (energós) means active.^[10]

Meanings

Adjective

1. At work, active, busy; having work or business.^[4][5]
2. On duty, of officials or workers.^[4][5]
3. effective, fit for service, of ships, troops or weapons; vigorous, of an attack or a march.^[4][5]
4. Of land, productive or tilled; of mines or mills, in working order.^[4][2]
5. Of money, earning a return; τὰ ἐνεργά: employed capital.^[4]
6. (philosophy) actual, as opposed to potential.^[4]

Word family

• ἐνέργεια (enérgeia)

Related words

• ἔργον (érgon)
• ἐνεργέω (energéō)
• συνεργός (sunergós)
• ἀργός (argós)

References

1. ^ a b c d e Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d e Κέντρο Ελληνικής Γλώσσας, Βασικό Λεξικό της Αρχαίας Ελληνικής, Portal for the Greek Language, https://www.greek-language.gr
3. ^ a b Babiniotis, Georgios (2010), Ετυμολογικό λεξικό της νέας ελληνικής γλώσσας [Etymological Dictionary of Modern Greek], Athens: Κέντρο Λεξικολογίας
4. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p Liddell, Henry George; Scott, Robert; Jones, Henry Stuart (1940), A Greek-English Lexicon, 9th ed., Oxford: Clarendon Press
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. ^ Keersmaekers, Alek (2021–2025), GLAUx: The Greek Language Automated corpus, https://github.com/alekkeersmaekers/glaux
7. ^ Cancik, Hubert; Schneider, Helmuth, eds. (2002–2010), Brill's New Pauly: Encyclopaedia of the Ancient World, Leiden: Brill
8. ^ a b Lust, Johan; Eynikel, Erik; Hauspie, Katrin (2003), Greek-English Lexicon of the Septuagint, rev. ed., Stuttgart: Deutsche Bibelgesellschaft
9. ^ Database and Dictionary of Greek Loanwords in Coptic (DDGLC), Freie Universität Berlin and Universität Leipzig
10. ^ a b Ινστιτούτο Νεοελληνικών Σπουδών (Ίδρυμα Μανόλη Τριανταφυλλίδη) (1998), Λεξικό της κοινής νεοελληνικής, Thessaloniki: Aristotle University of Thessaloniki