αἰσχρότης

Ancient Greek

Etymology

From αἰσχρός (aiskhrós, “shameful, ugly”) +‎ -της (-tēs, abstract noun suffix)

Pronunciation

 

• IPA^(key): /ai̯s.kʰró.tɛːs/ → /ɛsˈxro.tis/ → /esˈxro.tis/

• (5^th BCE Attic) IPA^(key): /ai̯s.kʰró.tɛːs/
• (1^st CE Egyptian) IPA^(key): /ɛsˈkʰro.te̝s/
• (4^th CE Koine) IPA^(key): /ɛsˈxro.tis/
• (10^th CE Byzantine) IPA^(key): /esˈxro.tis/
• (15^th CE Constantinopolitan) IPA^(key): /esˈxro.tis/

Noun

αἰσχρότης • (aiskhrótēs) f (genitive αἰσχρότητος); third declension

1. ugliness' deformity
2. (ethics, metaphysics) the disordered and misshapen condition of a soul
   • 380 BCE, Plato, Gorgias 525a:

     […] ἀσυμμετρίας τε καὶ αἰσχρότητος γέμουσαν τὴν ψυχὴν […]

     […] asummetrías te kaì aiskhrótētos gémousan tḕn psukhḕn […]

     […] and he saw the soul filled with disproportion and ugliness.

3. (Koine, Byzantine) obscene or socially offensive conduct
   • Sch., Ar. Ra..1308:

     ὁ Κλεισθένης οὗτος ἦν... ἐπ’ αἰσχρότητι καὶ πασχητίᾳ κωμῳδούμενος […]
     τὸ δὲ κρυπτόμενον, τῷ σχήματι δὲ δηλούμενον, νοεῖν ἐστιν αἰσχρῶς τὸ «ἐπιβατεύειν», ὃ λέγεται μεταφορικῶς ἀπὸ τῶν ἀλόγων, ἃ συνουσιάζει ἐπαναβαίνοντα.

     ho Kleisthénēs hoûtos ên... ep’ aiskhrótēti kaì paskhētíāi kōmōidoúmenos […]
     tò dè kruptómenon, tōî skhḗmati dè dēloúmenon, noeîn estin aiskhrôs tò «epibateúein», hò légetai metaphorikôs apò tôn alógōn, hà sunousiázei epanabaínonta.

     This Cleisthenes was... made the butt of comedy for his shameful conduct and effeminacy...
     But the hidden meaning, conveyed through the figure of speech, is to understand “mounting” in an obscene way, a term used metaphorically from animals that copulate by mounting.

   1. shameful behavior
      • Epiph., Pan. 1.242.20:

        Μυστήρια δὲ ὑπέθετο αἰσχρότητος ῥύσεώς τε σωμάτων […]

        Mustḗria dè hupétheto aiskhrótētos rhúseṓs te sōmátōn […]

        And he instituted mysteries of obscene conduct and bodily emissions […]

   2. obscene speech
      • c. 62 CE, Epistle to the Ephesians 5:4:

        καὶ αἰσχρότης καὶ μωρολογία ἢ εὐτραπελία, ἃ οὐκ ἀνῆκεν.

        kaì aiskhrótēs kaì mōrología ḕ eutrapelía, hà ouk anêken.

        And there must be no obscene talk or foolish talk or coarse joking, which are not fitting.

   3. (euphemistic) bodily fluids from sex
      • Epiph., Pan. 1.281.10:

        καὶ οὕτως αὐτὸ ἐσθίουσι μεταλαμβάνοντες τὴν ἑαυτῶν αἰσχρότητα καὶ φασι·

        kaì hoútōs autò esthíousi metalambánontes tḕn heautôn aiskhrótēta kaì phasi;

        And thus they eat it, partaking of their own shameful matter, and they say:

      • Epiph., Pan. 1.282.15:

        φύραντες ἑαυτῶν τὰς χεῖρας τῇ ἑαυτῶν αἰσχρότητι τῆς ἀπορροίας […]

        phúrantes heautôn tàs kheîras tēî heautôn aiskhrótēti tês aporrhoías […]

        Having soiled their own hands with the shameful matter of their own discharge […]

Declension

Third declension of ἡ αἰσχρότης; τῆς αἰσχρότητος (Attic)

Case / #	Singular	Dual	Plural
Nominative	ἡ αἰσχρότης hē aiskhrótēs	τὼ αἰσχρότητε tṑ aiskhrótēte	αἱ αἰσχρότητες hai aiskhrótētes
Genitive	τῆς αἰσχρότητος tês aiskhrótētos	τοῖν αἰσχροτήτοιν toîn aiskhrotḗtoin	τῶν αἰσχροτήτων tôn aiskhrotḗtōn
Dative	τῇ αἰσχρότητῐ tēî aiskhrótētĭ	τοῖν αἰσχροτήτοιν toîn aiskhrotḗtoin	ταῖς αἰσχρότησῐ / αἰσχρότησῐν taîs aiskhrótēsĭ(n)
Accusative	τὴν αἰσχρότητᾰ tḕn aiskhrótētă	τὼ αἰσχρότητε tṑ aiskhrótēte	τᾱ̀ς αἰσχρότητᾰς tā̀s aiskhrótētăs
Vocative	αἰσχρότης aiskhrótēs	αἰσχρότητε aiskhrótēte	αἰσχρότητες aiskhrótētes
Notes:	This table gives Attic inflectional endings. For declension in other dialects, see Appendix:Ancient Greek dialectal declension. Nominative singular -ς (-s) arose by reduction of the original cluster *-τς (*-ts).

Derived terms

• αἰσχροσῠ́νη (aiskhrosŭ́nē)

Related terms

• αἶσχος (aîskhos)
• αἰσχρός (aiskhrós)
• αἰσχρουργέω (aiskhrourgéō)
• αἰσχρούργημᾰ (aiskhroúrgēmă)
• αἰσχρουργῐ́ᾱ (aiskhrourgĭ́ā)
• αἰσχῡ́νη (aiskhū́nē)
• αἰσχῡ́νω (aiskhū́nō)

Descendants

• Greek: αισχρότητα (aischrótita)

References

• “αἰσχρότης”, in Liddell & Scott (1940), A Greek–English Lexicon, Oxford: Clarendon Press
• “αἰσχρότης”, in Liddell & Scott (1889), An Intermediate Greek–English Lexicon, New York: Harper & Brothers
• αἰσχρότης in Bailly, Anatole (1935), Le Grand Bailly: Dictionnaire grec-français, Paris: Hachette
• αἰσχρότης in the Diccionario Griego–Español en línea (2006–2026)