Ancient Greek words first recorded in the 4th century BC

It is formed from Ancient Greek ἀνά (aná, “up to, according to”) + λόγος (lógos, “ratio, proportion”), literally “according to a due ratio”. LSJ points out that the neuter ⟨ἀνάλογον⟩ is simply the…

It is formed from Ancient Greek ἀν- (an-, “not”) + ἔκδοτος (ékdotos, “given out”), the privative prefix with the verbal adjective of ἐκδίδωμι (ekdídōmi, “to give out; to give in marriage; to…

Beekes, Chantraine and Frisk take it for a loanword from a Mediterranean language of unknown origin, the same source as Latin pirum (“pear”) and pirus (“pear tree”). Wiktionary and Chantraine…

It is formed from Ancient Greek γνῶσις (gnôsis, “knowledge”) + -τικός (-tikós) (or the stem of γνωστός (gnōstós, “known”)). Both belong to γιγνώσκω (gignṓskō, “to know”).

Beekes considers it Pre-Greek. He points to the Hesychius gloss γρυμπαίνω (grumpaínō, “to be bent”), whose nasal may be a prenasalization of the kind found in Pre-Greek words, and to γρυβός (grubós)…

It is the phrase ⟨καθ’ ὅλου⟩, “on the whole”, written as one word: from Ancient Greek κατά (katá) + ὅλος (hólos, “whole”), with the adjective in the genitive. Plato writes it apart, as ⟨κατὰ ὅλου⟩…

The origin is obscure; it is probably a loanword, perhaps a Mediterranean word. Lewy compared Biblical Hebrew גּוֹרָל (gôrāl, “small stone”), and Beekes finds this convincing, though Émilie Masson…

It is a derivation from Ancient Greek κριτής (kritḗs, “judge”), with the suffix -ικός (-ikós); the noun comes from κρίνω (krī́nō, “to judge, distinguish”).

Beekes groups it with λαγαίω (lagaíō, “to release”), λάγανον (láganon, “thin cake”), λάγνος (lágnos, “lascivious”) and λαγών (lagṓn, “flank”), and with a different ablaut grade λήγω (lḗgō, “to…

It is a denominative verb from Ancient Greek λακίς (lakís, “rent, tatters”). It replaced an old primary verb, of which the only trace is the Cypriot gloss ἀπέληκα (apélēka, “I have broken off”) in…

It is formed from Ancient Greek μάθημα (máthēma, “lesson, learning”) + -ικός (-ikós), the adjective suffix. It comes from μανθάνω (manthánō, “to learn”).

It is formed from Ancient Greek μέσος (mésos, “middle”) + -της (-tēs, “abstract noun suffix”), an abstract noun from the adjective for “middle”. The adjective goes back to *métsos, from…

It is from Ancient Greek μεταφέρω (metaphérō, “to carry over, transfer”). Latin metaphora was borrowed from it.

It is formed from Ancient Greek οἰκονόμος (oikonómos, “manager of a household”) + -ία (-íā). Spicq derives it from the verb οἰκονομέω (oikonoméō), itself from the noun. The noun is from Ancient…

Formed from Ancient Greek οἰκονόμος (oikonómos, “manager of a household, steward”) + -ικός (-ikós), with the adjective suffix -ικός. οἰκονόμος (oikonómos) is itself a compound of οἶκος (oîkos…

It is formed from Ancient Greek ὀρχέομαι (orkhéomai, “to dance”) + -τρα (-tra), which forms nouns of place and instrument: the word is the place where one dances. Beekes lists it among the…

It is from Ancient Greek παιδαγωγός (paidagōgós, “slave who took a boy to school; tutor”) + -ικός (-ikós). The noun is a compound of παῖς (paîs, “child”) and ἄγω (ágō, “to lead”).

It is from Ancient Greek πολιτικός (polītikós, “of citizens, political”) used as a noun in the feminine, with τέχνη (tékhnē, “art”) or ἐπιστήμη (epistḗmē, “knowledge”) understood. The adjective is…

It is formed from Ancient Greek πίπτω (píptō, “to fall”) + -σις (-sis), built on the stem ⟨πτω-⟩ of the perfect πέπτωκα (péptōka), as is πτῶμα (ptôma, “fall, corpse”). Beekes traces the verb to…

It is from Ancient Greek ῥήτωρ (rhḗtōr) + -ικός (-ikós) “public speaker”. According to Beekes, ῥήτωρ (rhḗtōr) was created as the name of a profession in the official language of Athens, but it was…

It is probably formed from Ancient Greek Σάρδεις (Sárdeis) + -ιον (-ion), so that it first meant “the stone from Sardis”, named after one of the places where it was found. Lewy's derivation from a…

It is formed from Ancient Greek στοχάζομαι (stokházomai, “to aim at; to guess”) + -τικός (-tikós). The verb comes from στόχος (stókhos, “aim, target”).

It is formed from Ancient Greek τέχνη (tékhnē, “art, skill”) + -ικός (-ikós).

It is formed from Ancient Greek τρι- (tri-) + -άς (-ás), from the stem of τρεῖς (treîs, “three”), with the suffix of collective numerals also seen in πεντάς (pentás, “group of five”). Iamblichus…

Wiktionary has it from Ancient Greek τροχός (trokhós) + -αῖος (-aîos), “wheel, running course”, while LSJ derives it from τρόχος (trókhos) “course”. Both nouns are from Ancient Greek τρέχω (trékhō…

It is formed from Ancient Greek φιλάνθρωπος (philánthrōpos, “loving mankind, humane”) + -ία (-ía), an abstract noun from the adjective. The adjective is made of φίλος (phílos, “dear, loving”) and…

It is from Ancient Greek φιλόλογος (philólogos, “fond of words, of learning”) with the abstract suffix -ία (-ía), and so ultimately from φίλος (phílos) and λόγος (lógos).

The origin is unknown. Beekes tentatively considers it Pre-Greek, and holds that a substrate word is probable in any case. Furnée connected it with κονή (konḗ) and κῶνος (kônos, “pine cone”)…

It is a compound from Ancient Greek ἀμφί (amphí, “on both sides”) + βίος (bíos, “life”), literally “having life on both sides”. Theophrastus says that Democritus was the first to use it.

It is formed from Ancient Greek ἀνατίθημι (anatíthēmi, “to set up, dedicate”) + -μα (-ma): “something set up”. It is the Hellenistic form of the older ἀνάθημα (anáthēma), which has the same meaning…

It is formed from Ancient Greek ἀνάλυσις (análusis, “analysis, resolution”) + -ικός (-ikós), from the verb ἀναλύω (analū́ō, “to undo, resolve”), itself ἀνα- (ana-, “up, back”) with λύω (lū́ō, “to…

It is formed from Ancient Greek ἀνατέμνω (anatémnō, “to cut up”) + -η (-ē), a verbal noun. The verb is ἀνά (aná, “up”) with τέμνω (témnō, “to cut”), which goes back to Proto-Indo-European *temh₁-…

It is a compound from Ancient Greek ἄνθρωπος (ánthrōpos, “human being”) + λέγω (légō, “to speak”), literally “speaking about people”. The Modern Greek word ανθρωπολόγος (anthropológos)…

It is formed from Ancient Greek ἀπαθής (apathḗs, “not suffering, without feeling”) + -ια (-ia), the abstract suffix. Ἀπαθής is formed from the privative prefix and the root of πάθος (páthos…

It is from Ancient Greek ἁρμονία (harmoníā, “fitting together; harmony”) + -ικός (-ikós).

It is a word of eastern origin, probably borrowed from Classical Syriac ܙܪܢܝܟܐ (zarnīkā, “arsenic”), which goes back to Middle Persian *zarnīk (“gold-coloured”). For the root of the Persian word…

It is the later and non-Attic spelling of ἀσφάραγος (aspháragos), which the grammarian Phrynichus gives as the Attic form; ἀσπάραγος is found in the comic poets, Theophrastus, Polybius and later…

It is formed from Ancient Greek αὐλή (aulḗ, “courtyard”) + -αῖος (-aîos), as the feminine of an adjective used as a noun. Babiniotis notes that the adjective αὐλαῖος (aulaîos) itself is recorded…

It is borrowed from Biblical Hebrew בָּשָׂם (bāśām, “sweet spice, sweet smell”) or a related Semitic form, which Rosół counts among the Semitic loanwords. Wiktionary explains the ⟨λσ⟩ of the Greek…

The origin is unknown. Several rare words seem to share this form: a bird name, “arrogance”, Hesychius' gloss “tomb”, and the names of a perfume and of some plants, and it is unclear how they are…

It is borrowed from Old Persian, a word of Persian origin, as the Latin geographer Pomponius Mela already says. The Iranian word is attested as Middle Persian ganǰ (“treasure, treasury”), and it…

The origin is unknown. Wiktionary considers the name probably Punic, and perhaps taken over by Punic from an African word used for hairy people. The Greek Wiktionary likewise calls it of unknown…

It is formed from Ancient Greek γράφω (gráphō, “to write, draw”) + -εῖον (-eîon), with the suffix of nouns of instrument and place. The papyri often spell it γραφῖον (graphîon).

It is a noun from Ancient Greek γυρός (gurós, “round, curved”), with the accent moved back. The adjective occurs once in Homer, of a man “round in the shoulders”. Beekes finds a link with…

It is formed from Ancient Greek διπλόω (diplóō, “to double, fold”) + -μα (-ma), from διπλόος (diplóos, “double”).

It is from Ancient Greek διχότομος (dikhótomos, “cut in two”) + -ία (-ía), an abstract noun from the adjective. The adjective joins δίχα (díkha, “in two, asunder”) and the stem of τέμνω (témnō, “to…

1. The word for spring is inherited from Proto-Hellenic *wéhər, inherited from Proto-Indo-European *wésr̥ (“spring”), an old heteroclitic stem in r and n. The gloss γέαρ (géar) in Hesychius and…

It is formed from Ancient Greek ἐξίστημι (exístēmi, “to put out of place; to be beside oneself”) + -τικός (-tikós), the verb from which ἔκστασις (ékstasis) also comes. Wiktionary also analyses it as…

It is formed from Ancient Greek ἐλεήμων (eleḗmōn, “merciful, pitiful”) + -σύνη (-súnē). Ἐλεήμων is from ἔλεος (éleos, “pity”).

1. The noun meaning “winding” is from Ancient Greek ἕλιξ (hélix, “anything twisted or spiral”). The constellation is so called because it revolves around the pole. 2. The noun meaning “willow” is of…

It is formed from Ancient Greek ἐμφαίνω (emphaínō, “to show in; to be reflected”) + -σις (-sis, “action noun suffix”). The verb is ἐν (en, “in”) with φαίνω (phaínō, “to show”), and Babiniotis notes…

It is formed from Ancient Greek ἐνεργής (energḗs) + -ια (-ia), the adjective being a later form of ἐνεργός (energós, “active, working”). The CGL relates it to the verb ἐνεργέω (energéō, “to be…

It is a later form of ἐνεργός (energós), formed from Ancient Greek ἐνεργός (energós) + -ης (-ēs). BDAG groups it with ἐνέργεια (enérgeia) and ἐνεργέω (energéō).

It is formed from Ancient Greek ἐνεργέω (energéō, “to be active, effect”) + -τικός (-tikós).

It is the neuter of an adjective used as a noun, from Ancient Greek ἐπίθετος (epíthetos, “added, additional”), a verbal adjective of ἐπιτίθημι (epitíthēmi, “to put on, add”). The grammatical term…

It is formed from Ancient Greek ἐπιτέμνω (epitémnō, “to cut on the surface; to cut short”) + -ή (-ḗ). The verb is formed from ἐπί (epí, “upon”) and τέμνω (témnō, “to cut”), from Proto-Indo-European…

It is formed from Ancient Greek ἦθος (êthos, “character, moral nature”) + -ικός (-ikós). The noun differs from ἔθος (éthos, “custom, habit”) only in its long vowel, and both may go back to…

It is formed from Ancient Greek θεωρέω (theōréō, “to watch, contemplate”) + -τικός (-tikós, “adjective suffix”). The verb comes from θεωρός (theōrós), properly “one who watches a show”, which Beekes…

It is formed from Ancient Greek ἰδιόω (idióō, “to make one's own”) + -μα (-ma), the suffix of result nouns; the verb is from ἴδιος (ídios, “one's own, peculiar”).

It is the spelling usual in literary texts, from Ancient Greek καταπάλτης (katapáltēs), which Athenian inscriptions have. That word is formed from κατά (katá, “down, against”), πάλλω (pállō, “to…