ὀρθόδοξος

Forms

ὀρθόδοξος (orthódoxos) m or f (neuter ὀρθόδοξον); second declension^[1]

Etymology

A compound of ὀρθός (orthós, “straight, right”) and δόξα (dóxa, “opinion”), with the adjectival ending -ος: “holding the right opinion”.^[1][2][3] The verb ὀρθοδοξέω (orthodoxéō, “to hold a right opinion”) is older: Aristotle already uses it in the Nicomachean Ethics.^[4][3]

Earliest recorded meaning

The adjective is a word of later Greek.^[5] Babiniotis finds it first in Origen, where it marks the faith of the Church against the heresies of his time.^[3] Wiktionary describes it as a Christian word of late antiquity, current from about the 4th or 5th century.^[1]

Semantic evolution

Its general sense, “thinking rightly, of correct opinion”, survives beside the religious one in a few late texts.^[6][5] In Christian Greek it became the word for one who holds the faith of the Church, opposed to ἑτερόδοξος (heteródoxos) “holding other opinions”,^[6] and LSJ's citations are Justinian's Code and an inscription from Phrygia.^[4][6] The noun ὀρθοδοξία (orthodoxíā) went the same way, from “right opinion” to the orthodox Christian doctrine.^[3] The 13th-century lexicon of Zonaras defines the pair as a true conception of God and of creation.^[7]

Coptic borrowed it as ⲟⲣⲑⲟⲇⲟⲝⲟⲥ, in Sahidic texts.^[8] Vernacular medieval Greek kept the word,^[9] and Modern Greek uses it as a learned word, Modern Greek ορθόδοξος (orthódoxos), especially of the Orthodox Church.^[10][3] Through Late Latin orthodoxus it gave English orthodox in the mid-15th century, first of theological opinion, and of other subjects from the 1640s.^[11]

Timeline

• 4th century BC – Aristotle uses the verb ὀρθοδοξέω, “to hold a right opinion”.^[4][3]
• 2nd–3rd century AD – Origen uses the adjective of the faith of the Church against the heresies.^[3]
• 3rd–4th century AD – Methodius of Olympus uses the adverb ὀρθοδόξως.^[12]
• 6th century AD – Justinian's Code uses it for the orthodox in religion.^[4][6]
• 1100–1669 – Vernacular Greek keeps the word.^[9]
• Mid-15th century – English borrows it as orthodox, through Late Latin.^[11]
• Modern Greek – The learned ορθόδοξος (orthódoxos) means orthodox, especially of the Orthodox Church.^[10][3]

Meanings

Adjective

1. Holding a correct opinion, thinking rightly.^[6][5]
2. (Christianity) orthodox, holding the right faith, opposed to heterodox.^[4][6][13]

Word family

• ὀρθοδοξία (orthodoxíā)
• ὀρθοδοξέω (orthodoxéō)

Related words

• ὀρθός (orthós)
• δόξα (dóxa)
• ἑτερόδοξος (heteródoxos)
• English orthodox

References

1. ^ a b c d e f Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ Köbler, Gerhard, Griechisch-deutsches Wörterbuch, online ed., https://www.koeblergerhard.de
3. ^ a b c d e f g h Babiniotis, Georgios (2010), Ετυμολογικό λεξικό της νέας ελληνικής γλώσσας [Etymological Dictionary of Modern Greek], Athens: Κέντρο Λεξικολογίας
4. ^ a b c d e Liddell, Henry George; Scott, Robert; Jones, Henry Stuart (1940), A Greek-English Lexicon, 9th ed., Oxford: Clarendon Press
5. ^ a b c Pape, Wilhelm (1914), Griechisch-deutsches Handwörterbuch, 3rd ed., rev. Max Sengebusch, Braunschweig: Vieweg
6. ^ a b c d e f Charbonnet, André (2025), Chæréphon, v4.7: supplement to Bailly from papyri, inscriptions and recent lexica
7. ^ Pseudo-Zonaras, Lexicon, ed. Johann August Heinrich Tittmann (1808), Iohannis Zonarae Lexicon, Leipzig: Crusius
8. ^ Database and Dictionary of Greek Loanwords in Coptic (DDGLC), Freie Universität Berlin and Universität Leipzig
9. ^ a b Kriaras, Emmanuel, Επιτομή του Λεξικού της μεσαιωνικής ελληνικής δημώδους γραμματείας 1100–1669, Κέντρο Ελληνικής Γλώσσας, https://www.greek-language.gr
10. ^ a b Ινστιτούτο Νεοελληνικών Σπουδών (Ίδρυμα Μανόλη Τριανταφυλλίδη) (1998), Λεξικό της κοινής νεοελληνικής, Thessaloniki: Aristotle University of Thessaloniki
11. ^ a b Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
12. ^ Keersmaekers, Alek (2021–2025), GLAUx: The Greek Language Automated corpus, https://github.com/alekkeersmaekers/glaux
13. ^ Korinthios, J. (2025), Grande Dizionario Greco Classico: Greco–Italiano, digital ed., Milan: Hoepli