ἀδελφός

See also: αδελφός

Ancient Greek

Alternative forms

• ἀδελφεός (adelpheós), ἀδελφειός (adelpheiós) — Epic, Ionic, Lyric
• ἀδελφιός (adelphiós) — Boeotian
• ἀδελφιός (adelphiós), ἀδευφιός (adeuphiós) — Cretan

Etymology

From Proto-Hellenic *əgʷelpʰós, from Proto-Indo-European *sm̥-gʷelbʰ-ó-s (“one/same womb”), from *gʷelbʰ- (“womb”), equivalent to ἁ- (ha-, copulative prefix) +‎ δελφύς (delphús, “womb”). The initial /h/ is lost due to Grassmann's Law. Cognate to Sanskrit सगर्भ्य (ságarbhya, “brother”).

Pronunciation

 

• IPA^(key): /a.del.pʰós/ → /a.ðelˈɸos/ → /a.ðelˈfos/

• (5^th BCE Attic) IPA^(key): /a.del.pʰós/
• (1^st CE Egyptian) IPA^(key): /a.delˈpʰos/
• (4^th CE Koine) IPA^(key): /a.ðelˈɸos/
• (10^th CE Byzantine) IPA^(key): /a.ðelˈfos/
• (15^th CE Constantinopolitan) IPA^(key): /a.ðelˈfos/

Noun

ἀδελφός • (adelphós) m (genitive ἀδελφοῦ); second declension

1. brother, male sibling
   • 470 BCE, Aeschylus, The Suppliants 321:

     Δαναός, ἀδελφὸς δ' ἐστὶ πεντηκοντάπαις.

     Danaós, adelphòs d' estì pentēkontápais.

     Danaus, and he has a brother with fifty sons.

Declension

Second declension of ὁ ᾰ̓δελφός; τοῦ ᾰ̓δελφοῦ (Attic)

Case / #	Singular	Dual	Plural
Nominative	ὁ ᾰ̓δελφός ho adelphós	τὼ ᾰ̓δελφώ tṑ adelphṓ	οἱ ᾰ̓δελφοί hoi adelphoí
Genitive	τοῦ ᾰ̓δελφοῦ toû adelphoû	τοῖν ᾰ̓δελφοῖν toîn adelphoîn	τῶν ᾰ̓δελφῶν tôn adelphôn
Dative	τῷ ᾰ̓δελφῷ tôi adelphôi	τοῖν ᾰ̓δελφοῖν toîn adelphoîn	τοῖς ᾰ̓δελφοῖς toîs adelphoîs
Accusative	τὸν ᾰ̓δελφόν tòn adelphón	τὼ ᾰ̓δελφώ tṑ adelphṓ	τοὺς ᾰ̓δελφούς toùs adelphoús
Vocative	ᾰ̓δελφέ / ᾰ̓́δελφε adelphé / ádelphe	ᾰ̓δελφώ adelphṓ	ᾰ̓δελφοί adelphoí
Notes:	This table gives Attic inflectional endings. For declension in other dialects, see Appendix:Ancient Greek dialectal declension.

Coordinate terms

• ἀδελφή (adelphḗ, “sister”)

Adjective

ᾰ̓δελφός • (adelphós) m (feminine ᾰ̓δελφή, neuter ᾰ̓δελφόν); first/second declension (Attic)

1. brotherly or sisterly
   • 467 BCE, Aeschylus, Seven Against Thebes 811:

     οὕτως ἀδελφαῖς χερσὶν ἠναίρονθ’ ἅμα;

     hoútōs adelphaîs khersìn ēnaíronth’ háma?

     • 1926 translation by Herbert Weir Smyth

       Then with hands so fraternal did they each kill the other together?

2. double

Declension

First and second declension of ᾰ̓δελφός; ᾰ̓δελφή; ᾰ̓δελφόν (Attic)

Number		Singular				Dual				Plural
Case/Gender		Masculine	Feminine	Neuter		Masculine	Feminine	Neuter		Masculine	Feminine	Neuter
Nominative		ᾰ̓δελφός adelphós	ᾰ̓δελφή adelphḗ	ᾰ̓δελφόν adelphón		ᾰ̓δελφώ adelphṓ	ᾰ̓δελφᾱ́ adelphā́	ᾰ̓δελφώ adelphṓ		ᾰ̓δελφοί adelphoí	ᾰ̓δελφαί adelphaí	ᾰ̓δελφᾰ́ adelphá
Genitive		ᾰ̓δελφοῦ adelphoû	ᾰ̓δελφῆς adelphês	ᾰ̓δελφοῦ adelphoû		ᾰ̓δελφοῖν adelphoîn	ᾰ̓δελφαῖν adelphaîn	ᾰ̓δελφοῖν adelphoîn		ᾰ̓δελφῶν adelphôn	ᾰ̓δελφῶν adelphôn	ᾰ̓δελφῶν adelphôn
Dative		ᾰ̓δελφῷ adelphôi	ᾰ̓δελφῇ adelphêi	ᾰ̓δελφῷ adelphôi		ᾰ̓δελφοῖν adelphoîn	ᾰ̓δελφαῖν adelphaîn	ᾰ̓δελφοῖν adelphoîn		ᾰ̓δελφοῖς adelphoîs	ᾰ̓δελφαῖς adelphaîs	ᾰ̓δελφοῖς adelphoîs
Accusative		ᾰ̓δελφόν adelphón	ᾰ̓δελφήν adelphḗn	ᾰ̓δελφόν adelphón		ᾰ̓δελφώ adelphṓ	ᾰ̓δελφᾱ́ adelphā́	ᾰ̓δελφώ adelphṓ		ᾰ̓δελφούς adelphoús	ᾰ̓δελφᾱ́ς adelphā́s	ᾰ̓δελφᾰ́ adelphá
Vocative		ᾰ̓δελφέ adelphé	ᾰ̓δελφή adelphḗ	ᾰ̓δελφόν adelphón		ᾰ̓δελφώ adelphṓ	ᾰ̓δελφᾱ́ adelphā́	ᾰ̓δελφώ adelphṓ		ᾰ̓δελφοί adelphoí	ᾰ̓δελφαί adelphaí	ᾰ̓δελφᾰ́ adelphá
Derived forms		Adverb				Comparative				Superlative
		ᾰ̓δελφῶς adelphôs				ᾰ̓δελφότερος adelphóteros				ᾰ̓δελφότᾰτος adelphótatos
Notes:		This table gives Attic inflectional endings. For declension in other dialects, see Appendix:Ancient Greek dialectal declension.

Derived terms

• ψευδάδελφος (pseudádelphos, “false brother”)

Descendants

• Greek: αδελφός (adelfós), αδερφός (aderfós)
• Mariupol Greek: адъерфос (aðjerfos)
• → French: adelphe

Further reading

• “ἀδελφός”, in Liddell & Scott (1940) A Greek–English Lexicon, Oxford: Clarendon Press
• “ἀδελφός”, in Liddell & Scott (1889) An Intermediate Greek–English Lexicon, New York: Harper & Brothers
• ἀδελφός in the Diccionario Griego–Español en línea (2006–2024)
• G80 in Strong, James (1979) Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance to the Bible
• Woodhouse, S. C. (1910) English–Greek Dictionary: A Vocabulary of the Attic Language‎^[1], London: Routledge & Kegan Paul Limited.
  • akin idem, page 21.
  • brother idem, page 101.
  • brotherly idem, page 101.
  • cognate idem, page 142.
  • fraternal idem, page 343.
  • german, germane idem, page 357.
  • kindred idem, page 469.
  • like idem, page 491.
  • sister idem, page 779.
• Bauer, Walter et al. (2001) A Greek–English Lexicon of the New Testament and Other Early Christian Literature, Third edition, Chicago: University of Chicago Press
• Etymologicum Magnum (ΜΕΓΑ ΕΤΥΜΟΛΟΓΙΚΟΝ online)