ἀγάπη

See also: αγάπη

Ancient Greek

Etymology

From the verb ἀγαπάω (agapáō, “to love”).

Pronunciation

 

• IPA^(key): /a.ɡá.pɛː/ → /aˈɣa.pi/ → /aˈɣa.pi/

• (5^th BCE Attic) IPA^(key): /a.ɡá.pɛː/
• (1^st CE Egyptian) IPA^(key): /aˈɡa.pe̝/
• (4^th CE Koine) IPA^(key): /aˈɣa.pi/
• (10^th CE Byzantine) IPA^(key): /aˈɣa.pi/
• (15^th CE Constantinopolitan) IPA^(key): /aˈɣa.pi/

Noun

ᾰ̓γᾰ́πη • (agápē) f (genitive ᾰ̓γᾰ́πης); first declension

1. love, affection, esteem
2. (Christianity) specifically, the love between God and humanity, good will, benevolence
3. (Christianity, in the plural) Christian love feasts

Inflection

First declension of ἡ ᾰ̓γᾰ́πη; τῆς ᾰ̓γᾰ́πης (Attic)

Case / #	Singular	Dual	Plural
Nominative	ἡ ᾰ̓γᾰ́πη hē agápē	τὼ ᾰ̓γᾰ́πᾱ tṑ agápā	αἱ ᾰ̓γᾰ́παι hai agápai
Genitive	τῆς ᾰ̓γᾰ́πης tês agápēs	τοῖν ᾰ̓γᾰ́παιν toîn agápain	τῶν ᾰ̓γᾰπῶν tôn agapôn
Dative	τῇ ᾰ̓γᾰ́πῃ têi agápēi	τοῖν ᾰ̓γᾰ́παιν toîn agápain	ταῖς ᾰ̓γᾰ́παις taîs agápais
Accusative	τὴν ᾰ̓γᾰ́πην tḕn agápēn	τὼ ᾰ̓γᾰ́πᾱ tṑ agápā	τᾱ̀ς ᾰ̓γᾰ́πᾱς tā̀s agápās
Vocative	ᾰ̓γᾰ́πη agápē	ᾰ̓γᾰ́πᾱ agápā	ᾰ̓γᾰ́παι agápai
Notes:	This table gives Attic inflectional endings. For declension in other dialects, see Appendix:Ancient Greek dialectal declension.

Descendants

• Greek: αγάπη (agápi)
• Mariupol Greek: ага́п (aháp)
• → Coptic: ⲁⲅⲁⲡⲏ (agapē)
• → English: agape
• → Latin: agapē
  • → German: Agape
  • → Polish: agape
  • Portuguese: ágape
  • Spanish: ágape
• → Old Georgian: აღაპი (aɣaṗi)
• → Armenian: Ագապի (Agapi)

Further reading

• “ἀγάπη”, in Liddell & Scott (1940) A Greek–English Lexicon, Oxford: Clarendon Press
• “ἀγάπη”, in Liddell & Scott (1889) An Intermediate Greek–English Lexicon, New York: Harper & Brothers
• ἀγάπη 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
• ἀγάπη in the Diccionario Griego–Español en línea (2006–2024)
• G26 in Strong, James (1979) Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance to the Bible
• ἀγάπη in Trapp, Erich, et al. (1994–2007) Lexikon zur byzantinischen Gräzität besonders des 9.-12. Jahrhunderts [the Lexicon of Byzantine Hellenism, Particularly the 9th–12th Centuries], Verlag der Österreichischen Akademie der Wissenschaften