Ancient Greek words first recorded in the 5th century BC

It is an agent noun in -της (-tēs), formed on μυέω (muéō, “to initiate”), itself from Ancient Greek μύω (múō, “to close (the eyes or lips)”). The name probably meant “one who closes his eyes”, as…

It is formed from Ancient Greek μύστης (mústēs, “initiate”) + -ικός (-ikós, “adjective suffix”). The noun belongs with μυέω (muéō, “to initiate”), which Beekes explains as an innovation beside μύω…

Beekes considers it Pre-Greek: the old analysis as a stem “bone” with a suffix fails because no Indo-European stem *ostr- “bone” is attested, and a name for shellfish is likely to come from the…

It is a compound from Ancient Greek παρα- (para-, “beside, away”) + λύω (lū́ō, “to loosen”), first “to loosen and detach”. The same verb with other prefixes gives διαλύω (dialū́ō) and καταλύω…

It is a derivative from Ancient Greek πατήρ (patḗr, “father”) with the adjective suffix -ιος (-ios). The NIL places it with Sanskrit पित्र्य (pítrya-, “paternal”) under a formation…

It is a compound from Ancient Greek περί (perí, “around”) + ὁδός (hodós, “way, road”), literally “a going round”. Babiniotis compares the other compounds of ὁδός (hodós) such as δίοδος (díodos) and…

It is a noun from Ancient Greek περιφερής (peripherḗs, “circular, revolving”) with the suffix -ια (-ia). The adjective comes from περιφέρω (periphérō, “to carry round, revolve”), made of περί (perí…

It is a verb with the suffix -εύω (-eúō), from Ancient Greek πίστις (pístis, “trust, faith”) or πιστός (pistós, “faithful, trustworthy”). These belong to the zero grade of πείθω (peíthō), middle “to…

It is formed from Ancient Greek πλοῦτος (ploûtos, “wealth”) + -ων (-ōn), with the suffix of names such as Χάρων (Khárōn). Beekes explains it as the god of riches in the sense of the stores of grain…

It is formed from Ancient Greek ποιέω (poiéō, “to make”) + -τικός (-tikós). Etymonline derives it from the verbal adjective ποιητός (poiētós, “made”).

It is a verb from Ancient Greek πόρος (póros, “passage, ford, way”), with the suffix -εύω (-eúō). Beekes lists the verb, “to carry, provide”, among the derivatives of the o-grade noun, which belongs…

It is inherited from Proto-Indo-European *kʷóti (“how many”), made into an adjective in Greek, with /ti̯/ becoming /s/. The Indo-European adverb survives in Sanskrit कति (káti) and Latin quot “how…

It is formed from Ancient Greek προβάλλω (probállō, “to throw before”) + -μα (-ma), a noun of result: “something thrown or put forward”. The verb is from Ancient Greek πρό (pró) + βάλλω (bállō).

It is a noun made from a phrase meaning “before the song”, from Ancient Greek πρό (pró, “before”) + οἴμη (oímē, “song, lay”). Its first meaning is the start of a song, the introductory chant. The…

It is formed from Ancient Greek πρό (pró) + φημί (phēmí, “to say”) + -της (-tēs), an agent noun. Babiniotis compares the agent suffix of λήπτης (lḗptēs).

It is from Ancient Greek ῥαψῳδός (rhapsōidós, “rhapsode”) with the suffix -ία (-íā). The rhapsode, the performer of epic poems, takes his name from a phrase meaning “to stitch a song together”, from…

It is inherited from Proto-Hellenic *hréumə, from *sréwmn̥, a noun in *-mn̥ from the root Proto-Indo-European *srew- (“to flow”). Within Greek it is the action noun of ῥέω (rhéō, “to flow”). Cognate…

It is a derivative from Ancient Greek σάττω (sáttō) (Ionic σάσσω (sássō)) “to stuff, pack, load, equip”, with the suffix -μα (-ma) that forms nouns of result. Its ⟨γ⟩ is analogical, as in σαγή…

It is borrowed from Old Median *xšaθrapāvā (“protector of the realm”), the Median counterpart of Old Persian xšaçapāvan-. Beekes, Frisk and Chantraine give the Old Iranian compound as “protecting…

Frisk explains it as a formation like ποινή (poinḗ), εὐνή (eunḗ) and φερνή (phernḗ), but otherwise isolated. Chantraine suggests it is perhaps related to σκιά (skiá, “shadow”), and Pokorny puts it…

An agent noun, from Ancient Greek σοφίζω (sophízō) + -ιστής (-istḗs), “to make wise, devise cleverly”, the verb of σοφός (sophós), “skilled, wise”. Beekes leaves the adjective unexplained, and if it…

Beekes considers it Pre-Greek, an enlargement of a stem σπηλ- (spēl-) that also underlies σπῆλυγξ (spêlunx, “cave”). He points to the s- that can be present or absent, the prenasalization and the…

It is formed from Ancient Greek σύν (sún, “with, together”) + λαμβάνω (lambánō, “to take”). Beekes derives λαμβάνω (lambánō) from Proto-Indo-European *sleh₂gʷ- (“to take, grasp”), an /s/ that the…

It is formed from Ancient Greek συν- (sun-, “with”) + μέτρον (métron, “measure”), with the adjective ending -ος (-os): “having the same measure”.

It is formed from Ancient Greek σύμφωνος (súmphōnos, “agreeing in sound, harmonious”) + -ία (-íā). The adjective is from σύν (sún, “with, together”) and φωνή (phōnḗ, “voice, sound”).

It is a compound from Ancient Greek σύν (sún, “with, together”) + ἔργον (érgon, “work”), with the adjective ending -ος (-os). The second element is found in other compounds, such as εὐεργός…

It is an action noun formed from Ancient Greek συντίθημι (suntíthēmi, “to put together”) + -σις (-sis), as θέσις (thésis) is formed from τίθημι (títhēmi, “to put, place”).

It is formed from Ancient Greek συν- (sun-, “together”) + ὄψις (ópsis, “sight, appearance”), “a seeing all together”. Bailly and the DGP relate it to the future συνόψομαι (sunópsomai) of the verb…

Beekes considers it possibly Pre-Greek, because the forms without a nasal, such as ἔσφιγμαι (ésphigmai), σφίγμα (sphígma) and ἀπόσφιξις (apósphixis), may show the variation of a prenasalised…

It is perhaps inherited from Proto-Indo-European *skeh₂- (“to split”), and has been compared since Fick with Sanskrit छ्यति (chyati, “cuts, wounds”). LIV sets up the root as *sk̑ʰeh₂(i̯)- (“to cut…

It is formed from Ancient Greek σωτήρ (sōtḗr, “saviour”) + -ία (-ía, “abstract noun suffix”). The agent noun σωτήρ (sōtḗr) belongs to the verb σῴζω (sṓizō, “to save”), which is derived from the…

It is formed from Ancient Greek τέκτων (téktōn, “carpenter, builder”) + -ικός (-ikós), an adjective of belonging made from the stem ⟨τεκτον-⟩ of the noun.

The origin is uncertain. In Beekes's view it is inherited from Proto-Indo-European *tenh₂g- (“shallow water”), although he names no cognate. It is formed like its opposite πέλαγος (pélagos, “open…

It is an n-stem noun beside τέρμα (térma, “goal, end”), with the suffix of nouns such as στήμων (stḗmōn). Their n-stem corresponds to Latin termen and termō (“boundary stone”), while terminus has a…

It is a diminutive from Ancient Greek τράπεζα (trápeza, “table”) with the suffix -ιον (-ion). Etymonline explains the base noun as a compound of a form of the word for “four” and πέζα (péza, “foot…

It is formed from Ancient Greek τρύω (trū́ō, “to wear through”) + -άνη (-ánē), like πλεκτάνη (plektánē) and βοτάνη (botánē). Πάπυρος sets an unattested verbal adjective *τρυτός (*trutós) between the…

It is an action noun formed from Ancient Greek ὑποτίθημι (hupotíthēmi, “to place under; to propose, suggest”) + -σις (-sis). It is thus the noun θέσις (thésis, “a placing”) with the prefix ὑπό…

It is formed from Ancient Greek φαντάζω (phantázō, “to make visible”) + -ία (-íā), the verbal noun of the middle φαντάζομαι (phantázomai, “to appear; to imagine”), whose sense follows φαίνομαι…

It is formed from Ancient Greek φαντάζω (phantázō, “to make visible”) + -μα (-ma). φαντάζω (phantázō) is itself built on φαντός (phantós, “visible”), the verbal adjective of φαίνω (phaínō, “to show…

Its origin is uncertain. Beekes and Chantraine analyse it as an action noun with o-grade from a root *φθεν- (*phthen-), to which φθονέω (phthonéō, “to envy”) belongs, and Beekes reconstructs it…

It is a compound, from Ancient Greek φίλος (phílos, “loving, dear”) + ἄνθρωπος (ánthrōpos, “human being”), meaning "loving human beings". Debrunner treats it among the many Greek compounds whose…

It is a noun in -μός (-mós) from Ancient Greek φλέγω (phlégō, “to burn”), with the o-grade of the root seen in φλόξ (phlóx, “flame”), from which some derive it directly. The verb is inherited from…

It is formed from Ancient Greek φύσις (phúsis, “nature”) + -ικός (-ikós), an adjective of the noun for “nature”. The noun itself comes from φύω (phúō, “to grow, bring forth”).

It is from Ancient Greek χορεύω (khoreúō, “to dance in a chorus”), with the suffix -εία (-eíā), the verb being from Ancient Greek χορός (khorós, “dance; chorus”). Wiktionary and Πάπυρος derive it…

It is formed from Ancient Greek χρίω (khríō, “to anoint, smear”) + -μα (-ma), with the suffix of nouns of result. LSJ treats it as a later form of χρῖμα (khrîma), which has the same meanings; the…

It is formed from Ancient Greek χρίω (khrī́ō) + -τός (-tós), the verbal adjective of χρίω (khrī́ō, “to rub, anoint”): first “fit for rubbing on”, then “rubbed on, anointed”. The origin of the verb…

The origin is unclear. Like many words in ψ-, it is close in meaning to ψάω (psáō, “to rub, crumble”), but what the ⟨φ⟩ would represent is not clear. A zero grade ⟨ψαφ-⟩ has also been assumed in…

It is inherited from Proto-Indo-European *h₃reu̯H- (“to roar”), a root that LIV reconstructs from the Vedic, Avestan and Slavic verbs for roaring, and LIV tentatively explains ὠρύομαι as an…

The origin is unknown. The derivation from Biblical Hebrew אָבָק (ʾāḇāq, “dust”), through a board strewn with dust for drawing, is semantically weak and rejected by Frisk, Masson and Beekes, though…

It is a compound of the privative prefix and the noun for the depth of the sea, from Ancient Greek ἀ- (a-) + βυσσός (bussós, “depth of the sea”), literally “bottomless”. The DGE starts from a form…

It is inherited from Proto-Hellenic *hágiyos, inherited from Proto-Indo-European *h₁yáǵ-yo-s, from *h₁yaǵ- (“to sacrifice, worship”). Beekes accepts the comparison with Sanskrit यजति (yájati…

It is formed from Ancient Greek ἀγών (agṓn, “contest, gathering”) + -ίζομαι (-ízomai), “to take part in a contest”. The noun ἀγών (agṓn) first meant a gathering, especially one to watch games, and…

It is formed from Ancient Greek ἀγωνίζομαι (agōnízomai, “to contend for a prize”) + -τής (-tḗs), the suffix of agent nouns. The verb is formed from ἀγών (agṓn, “contest”).

The origin is disputed. Since de Saussure it has been traced, like Latin inguen (“swelling; groin”), to Proto-Indo-European *n̥gʷén-, and compared with Old Norse økkr (“swelling”). Beekes objects…

It is formed from Ancient Greek ἀθλητής (athlētḗs, “athlete, competitor”) + -ικός (-ikós). The noun is an agent noun from ἀθλέω (āthléō, “to contend”), derived from ἄεθλος (áethlos, “contest…

It is a compound from Ancient Greek αἱμο- (haimo-, “blood”) + ῥήγνυμι (rhḗgnūmi, “to break, burst”) with the suffix -ία (-íā). It goes with the verb αἱμορραγέω (haimorrhagéō, “to bleed violently”)…

It is formed from Ancient Greek αἱρέω (hairéō, “to take, (middle) to choose”) + -σις (-sis), the suffix of action nouns. Beekes knows no etymology for the verb, which uses ἑλεῖν (heleîn) as its…

It is commonly derived from a fusion of the phrase “tip of the ear”, from Ancient Greek ἄκρος (ákros, “topmost”) + οὖς (oûs, “ear”), whence “to prick up the ears, be keen to hear”. Beekes finds this…

It is formed from Ancient Greek ἀ- (a-, “not, without”) + λόγος (lógos, “word, speech; reason”), “without speech or reason”, and so both “speechless” and “unreasoning”.

It is a Semitic loanword: the name of the first letter of the alphabet, borrowed from Phoenician 𐤀𐤋𐤐 (ʾlp), whose ordinary meaning was “ox”. Beekes, Chantraine and Frisk start from the Hebrew name…