ῥῆμα

Forms

ῥῆμᾰ (rhêma) n (genitive ῥήμᾰτος); third declension^[1]

Etymology

It is formed from Ancient Greek εἴρω (eírō, “to say”) + -μα (-ma), a noun of result, “what is said”.^[1][2][3] It belongs to the group of ῥῆσις (rhêsis, “speech”), ῥήτρα (rhḗtra, “agreement, law”) and ῥήτωρ (rhḗtōr, “speaker”), whose initial /w/ appears in Arcadian ϝρῆσις (wrêsis) and Elean ϝράτρα (wrátra).^[2] Beekes derives all these forms from a two-syllable root Proto-Indo-European *werh₁- (“to speak solemnly”), and compares the verb Hittite weriye/a-zi (“to call, name”).^[2]

Ancient grammarians such as Philoxenus derived it from a monosyllabic verb meaning “to speak”, and gave its future and aorist.^[4]

Earliest recorded meaning

Its first texts are Archilochus and Theognis, where it means a word or something said.^[3][5][6] In prose Herodotus is the first to use it.^[3]

Semantic evolution

In classical Greek it is a saying or statement, a wise man's maxim (Plato's Protagoras discusses a saying of Pittacus), and words opposed to deeds or to the truth, as in Pindar and Thucydides.^[3][5] Aristophanes uses it of a single expression or phrase.^[5] Plato and Aristotle made it a grammatical term: set against ὄνομα (ónoma, “noun”), it is the verb or predicate of a sentence.^[5][2]

In the New Testament it is any word or saying, and in the plural the words of God and the teachings of the Lord.^[7] Paul uses the singular for the message that is “near you”.^[7] Medieval and Modern Greek keep it as a grammatical term: Modern Greek ρήμα (ríma) is a learned word for a verb.^[8][9]

Timeline

• 7th century BC – Archilochus uses it for a word or saying.^[3][5][10]
• 6th–5th century BC – Pindar sets words against deeds.^[3][10]
• 5th century BC – Herodotus is the first to use it in prose.^[3][10]
• 5th–4th century BC – Plato uses it for a verb as opposed to a noun.^[5][10]
• 1st century AD – The New Testament uses it for the words of God.^[7]
• Modern Greek – ρήμα is the grammatical term for a verb.^[9]

Meanings

Noun

1. Something said, a statement; a saying, maxim.^[3][5]
2. A spoken word, often in the plural.^[5][3]
3. A mere word, as opposed to deeds or reality.^[5]
4. A word or phrase, an expression.^[5]
5. (grammar) A verb, as opposed to a noun; a phrase.^[5]
6. (New Testament) The word of God, divine teaching.^[7]

Word family

• ἐπίρρημα (epírrhēma)

Related words

• εἴρω (eírō)
• ῥῆσις (rhêsis)
• ῥήτωρ (rhḗtōr)
• ῥήτρα (rhḗtra)
• ῥητός (rhētós)

Usage notes

A proverb recorded by the Suda, “words instead of barley groats”, mocks fine words that do not feed anyone.^[3][11]

References

1. ^ a b c d e Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d 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. ^ a b c d e f g h i j Liddell, Henry George; Scott, Robert; Jones, Henry Stuart (1940), A Greek-English Lexicon, 9th ed., Oxford: Clarendon Press
4. ^ Etygram: ancient etymologies of Greek words, CEPAM, Université Côte d'Azur, http://appsweb-cepam.unice.fr/etygram
5. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k Diggle, James, et al., eds. (2021), The Cambridge Greek Lexicon, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press
6. ^ Keersmaekers, Alek (2021–2025), GLAUx: The Greek Language Automated corpus, https://github.com/alekkeersmaekers/glaux
7. ^ a b c d 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
8. ^ Kriaras, Emmanuel, Επιτομή του Λεξικού της μεσαιωνικής ελληνικής δημώδους γραμματείας 1100–1669, Κέντρο Ελληνικής Γλώσσας, https://www.greek-language.gr
9. ^ a b Ινστιτούτο Νεοελληνικών Σπουδών (Ίδρυμα Μανόλη Τριανταφυλλίδη) (1998), Λεξικό της κοινής νεοελληνικής, Thessaloniki: Aristotle University of Thessaloniki
10. ^ a b c d Rodríguez Adrados, Francisco, et al., eds. (1980–), Diccionario Griego-Español, Madrid: CSIC, http://dge.cchs.csic.es/xdge
11. ^ Adler, Ada, ed. (1928–1938), Suidae Lexicon, 5 vols, Leipzig: Teubner