ἅγιος

See also: άγιος

Ancient Greek

FWOTD – 3 August 2017

Etymology

From Proto-Hellenic *hágijos, from Proto-Indo-European *h₁yáǵ-yo-s, from *h₁yaǵ- (“to sacrifice, worship”).

Pronunciation

 

• IPA^(key): /há.ɡi.os/ → /ˈa.ʝi.os/ → /ˈa.ʝi.os/

• (5^th BCE Attic) IPA^(key): /há.ɡi.os/
• (1^st CE Egyptian) IPA^(key): /ˈ(h)a.ɡi.os/
• (4^th CE Koine) IPA^(key): /ˈa.ʝi.os/
• (10^th CE Byzantine) IPA^(key): /ˈa.ʝi.os/
• (15^th CE Constantinopolitan) IPA^(key): /ˈa.ʝi.os/

Adjective

ἅγιος • (hágios) m (feminine ἁγίᾱ, neuter ἅγῐον); first/second declension

1. devoted to the gods
2. of things: sacred, holy
   • 460 BCE – 420 BCE, Herodotus, Histories 2.41.5:

     ἐν ταύτῃ ὦ τῇ Προσωπίτιδι νήσῳ ἔνεισι μὲν καὶ ἄλλαι πόλιες συχναί, ἐκ τῆς δὲ αἱ βάριες παραγίνονται ἀναιρησόμεναι τὰ ὀστέα τῶν βοῶν, οὔνομα τῇ πόλι Ἀτάρβηχις, ἐν δ’ αὐτῇ Ἀφροδίτης ἱρὸν ἅγιον ἵδρυται.

     en taútēi ô têi Prosōpítidi nḗsōi éneisi mèn kaì állai pólies sukhnaí, ek tês dè hai báries paragínontai anairēsómenai tà ostéa tôn boôn, oúnoma têi póli Atárbēkhis, en d’ autêi Aphrodítēs hiròn hágion hídrutai.

     • 1920 translation by A. D. Godley

       There are many other towns on Prosopitis; the one from which the boats come to gather the bones of the bulls is called Atarbekhis; a temple of Aphrodite stands in it of great sanctity.

3. of people: holy, pious, pure
4. accursed

Declension

First and second declension of ἅγῐος; ἁγῐ́ᾱ; ἅγῐον (Attic)

Number		Singular				Dual				Plural
Case/Gender		Masculine	Feminine	Neuter		Masculine	Feminine	Neuter		Masculine	Feminine	Neuter
Nominative		ἅγῐος hágios	ἁγῐ́ᾱ hagíā	ἅγῐον hágion		ἁγῐ́ω hagíō	ἁγῐ́ᾱ hagíā	ἁγῐ́ω hagíō		ἅγῐοι hágioi	ἅγῐαι hágiai	ἅγῐᾰ hágia
Genitive		ἁγῐ́ου hagíou	ἁγῐ́ᾱς hagíās	ἁγῐ́ου hagíou		ἁγῐ́οιν hagíoin	ἁγῐ́αιν hagíain	ἁγῐ́οιν hagíoin		ἁγῐ́ων hagíōn	ἁγῐ́ων hagíōn	ἁγῐ́ων hagíōn
Dative		ἁγῐ́ῳ hagíōi	ἁγῐ́ᾳ hagíāi	ἁγῐ́ῳ hagíōi		ἁγῐ́οιν hagíoin	ἁγῐ́αιν hagíain	ἁγῐ́οιν hagíoin		ἁγῐ́οις hagíois	ἁγῐ́αις hagíais	ἁγῐ́οις hagíois
Accusative		ἅγῐον hágion	ἁγῐ́ᾱν hagíān	ἅγῐον hágion		ἁγῐ́ω hagíō	ἁγῐ́ᾱ hagíā	ἁγῐ́ω hagíō		ἁγῐ́ους hagíous	ἁγῐ́ᾱς hagíās	ἅγῐᾰ hágia
Vocative		ἅγῐε hágie	ἁγῐ́ᾱ hagíā	ἅγῐον hágion		ἁγῐ́ω hagíō	ἁγῐ́ᾱ hagíā	ἁγῐ́ω hagíō		ἅγῐοι hágioi	ἅγῐαι hágiai	ἅγῐᾰ hágia
Derived forms		Adverb				Comparative				Superlative
		ἁγῐ́ως hagíōs				ἁγῐώτερος hagiṓteros				ἁγῐώτᾰτος hagiṓtatos
Notes:		This table gives Attic inflectional endings. For declension in other dialects, see Appendix:Ancient Greek dialectal declension.

First and second declension of ἅγῐος; ἁγῐ́ᾱ; ἅγῐον (Laconian)

Number		Singular				Dual				Plural
Case/Gender		Masculine	Feminine	Neuter		Masculine	Feminine	Neuter		Masculine	Feminine	Neuter
Nominative		ἅγῐος hágios	ἁγῐ́ᾱ hagíā	ἅγῐον hágion		ἁγῐ́ω hagíō	ἁγῐ́ᾱ hagíā	ἁγῐ́ω hagíō		ἅγῐοι hágioi	ἅγῐαι hágiai	ἅγῐᾰ hágia
Genitive		ἁγῐ́ω hagíō	ἁγῐ́ᾱς hagíās	ἁγῐ́ω hagíō		ἁγῐ́οιν hagíoin	ἁγῐ́αιν hagíain	ἁγῐ́οιν hagíoin		ἁγῐ́ων hagíōn	ἁγῐᾶν hagiân	ἁγῐ́ων hagíōn
Dative		ἁγῐ́ῳ hagíōi	ἁγῐ́ᾳ hagíāi	ἁγῐ́ῳ hagíōi		ἁγῐ́οιν hagíoin	ἁγῐ́αιν hagíain	ἁγῐ́οιν hagíoin		ἁγῐ́οις hagíois	ἁγῐ́αις hagíais	ἁγῐ́οις hagíois
Accusative		ἅγῐον hágion	ἁγῐ́ᾱν hagíān	ἅγῐον hágion		ἁγῐ́ω hagíō	ἁγῐ́ᾱ hagíā	ἁγῐ́ω hagíō		ἁγῐ́ως hagíōs	ἁγῐ́ᾱς hagíās	ἁγῐ́ως hagíōs
Vocative		ἅγῐε hágie	ἁγῐ́ᾱ hagíā	ἅγῐον hágion		ἁγῐ́ω hagíō	ἁγῐ́ᾱ hagíā	ἁγῐ́ω hagíō		ἅγῐοι hágioi	ἅγῐαι hágiai	ἅγῐᾰ hágia
Derived forms		Adverb				Comparative				Superlative
		ἁγῐ́ως hagíōs				ἁγῐώτερος hagiṓteros				ἁγῐώτᾰτος hagiṓtatos
Notes:		Dialects other than Attic are not well attested. Some forms may be based on conjecture. Use with caution.

First and second declension of ἅγῐος; ἁγῐ́η; ἅγῐον (Ionic)

Number		Singular				Dual				Plural
Case/Gender		Masculine	Feminine	Neuter		Masculine	Feminine	Neuter		Masculine	Feminine	Neuter
Nominative		ἅγῐος hágios	ἁγῐ́η hagíē	ἅγῐον hágion		ἁγῐ́ω hagíō	ἁγῐ́ᾱ hagíā	ἁγῐ́ω hagíō		ἅγῐοι hágioi	ἅγῐαι hágiai	ἅγῐᾰ hágia
Genitive		ἁγῐ́ου hagíou	ἁγῐ́ης hagíēs	ἁγῐ́ου hagíou		ἁγῐ́οιν hagíoin	ἁγῐ́αιν hagíain	ἁγῐ́οιν hagíoin		ἁγῐ́ων hagíōn	ἁγῐέων / ἁγῐῶν hagiéōn / hagiôn	ἁγῐ́ων hagíōn
Dative		ἁγῐ́ῳ hagíōi	ἁγῐ́ῃ hagíēi	ἁγῐ́ῳ hagíōi		ἁγῐ́οιν hagíoin	ἁγῐ́αιν hagíain	ἁγῐ́οιν hagíoin		ἁγῐ́οισῐ / ἁγῐ́οισῐν / ἁγῐ́οις hagíoisi(n) / hagíois	ἁγῐ́ῃσῐ / ἁγῐ́ῃσῐν hagíēisi(n)	ἁγῐ́οισῐ / ἁγῐ́οισῐν / ἁγῐ́οις hagíoisi(n) / hagíois
Accusative		ἅγῐον hágion	ἁγῐ́ην hagíēn	ἅγῐον hágion		ἁγῐ́ω hagíō	ἁγῐ́ᾱ hagíā	ἁγῐ́ω hagíō		ἁγῐ́ους hagíous	ἁγῐ́ᾱς hagíās	ἅγῐᾰ hágia
Vocative		ἅγῐε hágie	ἁγῐ́η hagíē	ἅγῐον hágion		ἁγῐ́ω hagíō	ἁγῐ́ᾱ hagíā	ἁγῐ́ω hagíō		ἅγῐοι hágioi	ἅγῐαι hágiai	ἅγῐᾰ hágia
Derived forms		Adverb				Comparative				Superlative
		ἁγῐ́ως hagíōs				ἁγῐώτερος hagiṓteros				ἁγῐώτᾰτος hagiṓtatos
Notes:		Dialects other than Attic are not well attested. Some forms may be based on conjecture. Use with caution.

Related terms

• ἁγνός (hagnós)
• ἅγος (hágos)
• ἅζομαι (házomai)
• τρισάγιον (triságion)

Descendants

• Greek: άγιος (ágios)
• → Coptic: ϩⲁⲅⲓⲟⲥ (hagios)
• →⇒ English: hagio-
• →⇒ French: hagio-

Noun

ἅγιος • (hágios) m (genitive ἁγίου); second declension

1. (Koine, biblical) A Christian
   • 53 CE – 55 CE, Paul the Apostle, First Epistle to the Corinthians 6:1:

     Τολμᾷ τις ὑμῶν, πρᾶγμα ἔχων πρὸς τὸν ἕτερον, κρίνεσθαι ἐπὶ τῶν ἀδίκων καὶ οὐχὶ ἐπὶ τῶν ἁγίων;

     Tolmâi tis humôn, prâgma ékhōn pròs tòn héteron, krínesthai epì tôn adíkōn kaì oukhì epì tôn hagíōn;

     • Translation by King James Version

       Dare any of you, having a matter against another, go to law before the unjust, and not before the saints?

2. (Koine, Byzantine) a saint

Declension

Second declension of ὁ ἅγιος; τοῦ ἁγίου (Attic)

Case / #	Singular	Plural
Nominative	ὁ ἅγιος ho hágios	οἱ ἅγιοι hoi hágioi
Genitive	τοῦ ἁγίου toû hagíou	τῶν ἁγίων tôn hagíōn
Dative	τῷ ἁγίῳ tôi hagíōi	τοῖς ἁγίοις toîs hagíois
Accusative	τὸν ἅγιον tòn hágion	τοὺς ἁγίους toùs hagíous
Vocative	ἅγιε hágie	ἅγιοι hágioi
Notes:	This table gives Attic inflectional endings. For declension in other dialects, see Appendix:Ancient Greek dialectal declension.

Further reading

• “ἅγιος”, in Liddell & Scott (1940) A Greek–English Lexicon, Oxford: Clarendon Press
• “ἅγιος”, in Liddell & Scott (1889) An Intermediate Greek–English Lexicon, New York: Harper & Brothers
• ἅγιος in Bailly, Anatole (1935) Le Grand Bailly: Dictionnaire grec-français, Paris: Hachette
• 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
• ἅγιος in the Diccionario Griego–Español en línea (2006–2024)
• G40 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.
  • blessed idem, page 83.
  • hallowed idem, page 381.
  • holy idem, page 403.
  • sacred idem, page 728.
• Beekes, Robert S. P. (2010) Etymological Dictionary of Greek (Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series; 10), with the assistance of Lucien van Beek, Leiden, Boston: Brill, →ISBN