θυγάτηρ

Ancient Greek

Etymology

From earlier *θύγατηρ (*thúgatēr) (compare with the Homeric accusative form θύγατρα (thúgatra) created to avoid the four syllables of θυγατέρα (thugatéra) and fit the hexameter) via Limitation Law which required the accent to be placed on the last two syllables, due to the long final syllable. Further via Proto-Hellenic *tʰúgatēr (compare Mycenaean Greek 𐀶𐀏𐀳 (tu-ka-te /⁠tʰúgatēr⁠/)), from Proto-Indo-European *dʰugh₂tḗr. Cognate with Sanskrit दुहितृ (dúhitṛ), Gothic 𐌳𐌰𐌿𐌷𐍄𐌰𐍂 (dauhtar), Old Church Slavonic дъщи (dŭšti), Old English dohtor (whence English daughter) and Old High German tohter (cp. German Tochter).

Pronunciation

 

• IPA^(key): /tʰy.ɡá.tɛːr/ → /θyˈɣa.tir/ → /θiˈɣa.tir/

• (5^th BCE Attic) IPA^(key): /tʰy.ɡá.tɛːr/
• (1^st CE Egyptian) IPA^(key): /tʰyˈɡa.te̝r/
• (4^th CE Koine) IPA^(key): /θyˈɣa.tir/
• (10^th CE Byzantine) IPA^(key): /θyˈɣa.tir/
• (15^th CE Constantinopolitan) IPA^(key): /θiˈɣa.tir/

Noun

θυγάτηρ • (thugátēr) f (genitive θῠγᾰτέρος or θῠγᾰτρός); third declension

1. daughter
2. female slave, maid-servant

Usage notes

The forms with three or more syllables do not fit the meter of Homer and other Epic poets, so in these forms the ῠ (u) of the stem is usually lengthened to ῡ (ū). In the following example, the σ (s) of the dative plural ending has also been doubled to σσ (ss) to make it fit the meter.

• 800 BCE – 600 BCE, Homer, Iliad 15.197–198:

  θῡγατέρεσσιν γάρ τε καὶ υἱάσι βέλτερον εἴη
  ἐκπάγλοις ἐπέεσσιν ἐνισσέμεν οὓς τέκεν αὐτός

  thūgatéressin gár te kaì huiási bélteron eíē
  ekpáglois epéessin enissémen hoùs téken autós

  since it would be better for him to use his violent words to attack the daughters and sons whom he himself beget

In the following example, the accusative singular ending -ᾰ (-a) appears to be lengthened to ᾱ (ā), because its syllable is heavy (long), but the actual reason that the syllable is heavy is because in Homer's time the possessive pronoun ἥν (hḗn) began with a doubled voiceless /ʍʍ/ (continuing PIE *sw) that was changed to an initial ῾ (rough breathing) in the Attic version of the text.

• 800 BCE – 600 BCE, Homer, Iliad 13.374–376:

  Ὀθρυονεῦ περὶ δή σε βροτῶν αἰνίζομ’ ἁπάντων / εἰ ἐτεὸν δὴ πάντα τελευτήσεις ὅσ’ ὑπέστης / Δαρδανίδῃ Πριάμῳ· ὃ δ' ὑπέσχετο θῡγατέρᾱ ἥν [= *-ᾰ ϝ̔ήν].

  Othruoneû perì dḗ se brotôn ainízom’ hapántōn / ei eteòn dḕ pánta teleutḗseis hós’ hupéstēs / Dardanídēi Priámōi; hò d' hupéskheto thūgatérā hḗn [= *-a hwḗn].

  Othryoneus, I congratulate you beyond all mortals / if you will truly bring to pass what you promised / to Priam son of Dardanus: he has promised [you] his daughter.

Inflection

Third declension of ἡ θῠγᾰ́τηρ; τῆς θῠγᾰτέρος (Attic)

Case / #	Singular	Dual	Plural
Nominative	ἡ θῠγᾰ́τηρ hē thugátēr	τὼ θῠγᾰ́τερε tṑ thugátere	αἱ θῠγᾰτέρες / θῠ́γᾰτρες hai thugatéres / thúgatres
Genitive	τῆς θῠγᾰτέρος / θῠγᾰτρός tês thugatéros / thugatrós	τοῖν θῠγᾰτέροιν toîn thugatéroin	τῶν θῠγᾰτέρων / θῠγᾰτρῶν tôn thugatérōn / thugatrôn
Dative	τῇ θῠγᾰτέρῐ / θῠγᾰτρί têi thugatéri / thugatrí	τοῖν θῠγᾰτέροιν toîn thugatéroin	ταῖς θῠγᾰτέρσῐ / θῠγᾰτέρσῐν / θῠγᾰτρᾰ́σῐ / θῠγᾰτρᾰ́σῐν taîs thugatérsi(n) / thugatrási(n)
Accusative	τὴν θῠγᾰ́τερᾰ / θῠγᾰτέρᾰ / θῠ́γᾰτρᾰ tḕn thugátera / thugatéra / thúgatra	τὼ θῠγᾰ́τερε tṑ thugátere	τᾱ̀ς θῠγᾰτέρᾰς tā̀s thugatéras
Vocative	θῠγᾰ́τερ / θῠ́γᾰτερ thugáter / thúgater	θῠγᾰ́τερε thugátere	θῠγᾰτέρες / θῠ́γᾰτρες thugatéres / thúgatres
Notes:	This table gives Attic inflectional endings. For declension in other dialects, see Appendix:Ancient Greek dialectal declension.

Derived terms

• θυγατριδή (thugatridḗ)
• θυγατριδοῦς (thugatridoûs)
• θυγάτριον (thugátrion)
• θυγατρίς (thugatrís)
• θυγατρόγαμος (thugatrógamos)
• θυγατρογόνος (thugatrogónos)
• θυγατρόπαις (thugatrópais)
• θυγατροποιός (thugatropoiós)

 

Descendants

• Greek: θυγατέρα (thygatéra), δυχατέρα (dychatéra)
• Doric Greek: συγάτηρ (sugátēr)
  • Tsakonian: σάτη (sáti)

Further reading

• “θυγάτηρ”, in Liddell & Scott (1940) A Greek–English Lexicon, Oxford: Clarendon Press
• “θυγάτηρ”, in Liddell & Scott (1889) An Intermediate Greek–English Lexicon, New York: Harper & Brothers
• “θυγάτηρ”, in Autenrieth, Georg (1891) A Homeric Dictionary for Schools and Colleges, New York: Harper and Brothers
• θυγάτηρ in Bailly, Anatole (1935) Le Grand Bailly: Dictionnaire grec-français, Paris: Hachette
• θυγάτηρ in Cunliffe, Richard J. (1924) A Lexicon of the Homeric Dialect: Expanded Edition, Norman: University of Oklahoma Press, published 1963
• θυγάτηρ in the Diccionario Griego–Español en línea (2006–2024)
• “θυγάτηρ”, in Slater, William J. (1969) Lexicon to Pindar, Berlin: Walter de Gruyter
• G2364 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.
  • daughter idem, page 196.