αὐτός

See also: αυτος, αυτός, and αὑτός

Ancient Greek

Alternative forms

• αὑτός (hautós) — crasis with ὁ (ho)
• ωὐτός (ōutós), ωὑτός (hōutós) — Ionic
• αὐτοσῐ́ (autosĭ́), αὐτοσῐ́ν (autosĭ́n), αὑτοσῐ́ (hautosĭ́), αὑτοσῐ́ν (hautosĭ́n) — emphatic
• ἀϝτός (awtós) — Cretan

Etymology

According to Beekes, from Proto-Indo-European *h₂ew (“again, away from”) + *to- (“that”); compare Proto-Germanic *auþijaz (“barren, empty”). Risch derives it from the Ancient Greek reflexes of those words, αὖ (aû, “back, again, other”) +‎ τόν (tón, “the”). Exact cognate with Phrygian αυτος (autos), which could be closely related under the Graeco-Phrygian hypothesis.

Pronunciation

 

• IPA^(key): /au̯.tós/ → /aɸˈtos/ → /afˈtos/

• (5^th BCE Attic) IPA^(key): /au̯.tós/
• (1^st CE Egyptian) IPA^(key): /aʍˈtos/
• (4^th CE Koine) IPA^(key): /aɸˈtos/
• (10^th CE Medieval) IPA^(key): /afˈtos/
• (15^th CE Constantinopolitan) IPA^(key): /afˈtos/

Pronoun

αὐτός • (autós) (feminine αὐτή, neuter αὐτό); first/second declension

1. (emphatic) -self
   1. (as a predicate (with or without article)) himself, herself, itself, themselves
   2. (alone) (I) myself, (you) yourself, (he) himself, (she) herself, (it) itself, (they) themselves
   3. (in philosophy, of an abstract idea) by or in itself
2. (without article, in oblique cases, 3rd person personal pronoun) he, she, it, they
   • c. 800 BCE – 600 BCE, Homer, Odyssey 5.260–261 (wherein αὐτῇ refers to σχεδίην in line 251):^[1]

     ἐν δ’ ὑπέρας τε κάλους τε πόδας τ’ ἐνέδησεν ἐν αὐτῇ,
     μοχλοῖσιν δ’ ἄρα τήν γε κατείρυσεν εἰς ἅλα δῖαν.

     en d’ hupéras te kálous te pódas t’ enédēsen en autēî,
     mokhloîsin d’ ára tḗn ge kateírusen eis hála dîan.

     • 1919 translation by Augustus Taber Murray^[2]

       And he made fast in the raft braces and halyards and sheets,
       and then with levers forced it down into the bright sea.

3. (attributive with a definite article) same

Usage notes

The intended sense of αὐτός is generally defined by its grammatical context. When used as a lone nominal without an article, it is generally the third person personal pronoun. When appended to a nominal and not possessing the definite article it is "self". When combined with the definite article, either appended to a nominal or on its own, it is "same".

The neuter plural ταὐτά (tautá, “the same things”) (derived from τὰ αὐτά by crasis) is distinguished from ταῦτα (taûta) "these things" by the accent placement. The two sometimes occur together:

c. 385 BCE, Plato, Meno 85e:

οὗτος γὰρ ποιήσει περὶ πάσης γεωμετρίας ταὐτὰ ταῦτα, καὶ τῶν ἄλλων μαθημάτων ἁπάντων

hoûtos gàr poiḗsei perì pásēs geōmetrías tautà taûta, kaì tôn állōn mathēmátōn hapántōn

For he will do the same as this with all geometry and every other branch of knowledge.

Declension

• The neuter nominative, accusative and vocative usually take the irregular form αὐτό (autó), but the regularly-expected form αὐτόν (autón) also occurs. This is not an instance of movable nu, so either may be used in any phonetic context.
• The vocative is rare, but is occasionally used when the name of the addressee is not known or relevant, or as part of a lengthy address.
• The comparative and superlative are sometimes used as emphatic forms, and serve a similar purpose to constructions like one's very self and the very same in English.

First and second declension of αὐτός; αὐτή; αὐτό / αὐτόν (Attic)

Number		Singular				Dual				Plural
Case/Gender		Masculine	Feminine	Neuter		Masculine	Feminine	Neuter		Masculine	Feminine	Neuter
Nominative		αὐτός autós	αὐτή autḗ	αὐτό αὐτόν autó autón		αὐτώ autṓ	αὐτᾱ́ autā́	αὐτώ autṓ		αὐτοί autoí	αὐταί autaí	αὐτᾰ́ autắ
Genitive		αὐτοῦ autoû	αὐτῆς autês	αὐτοῦ autoû		αὐτοῖν autoîn	αὐταῖν autaîn	αὐτοῖν autoîn		αὐτῶν autôn	αὐτῶν autôn	αὐτῶν autôn
Dative		αὐτῷ autōî	αὐτῇ autēî	αὐτῷ autōî		αὐτοῖν autoîn	αὐταῖν autaîn	αὐτοῖν autoîn		αὐτοῖς autoîs	αὐταῖς autaîs	αὐτοῖς autoîs
Accusative		αὐτόν autón	αὐτήν autḗn	αὐτό αὐτόν autó autón		αὐτώ autṓ	αὐτᾱ́ autā́	αὐτώ autṓ		αὐτούς autoús	αὐτᾱ́ς autā́s	αὐτᾰ́ autắ
Vocative		αὐτέ auté	αὐτή autḗ	αὐτό αὐτόν autó autón		αὐτώ autṓ	αὐτᾱ́ autā́	αὐτώ autṓ		αὐτοί autoí	αὐταί autaí	αὐτᾰ́ autắ
Derived forms		Adverb				Comparative				Superlative
		αὐτό αὐτόν αὔτως αὐτοῦ autó autón aútōs autoû				αὐτότερος autóteros				αὐτότᾰτος autótătos
Notes:		This table gives Attic inflectional endings. For declension in other dialects, see Appendix:Ancient Greek dialectal declension.

First and second declension of αὐτός; αὐτή; αὐτό (Epic)

Number		Singular				Dual				Plural
Case/Gender		Masculine	Feminine	Neuter		Masculine	Feminine	Neuter		Masculine	Feminine	Neuter
Nominative		αὐτός autós	αὐτή autḗ	αὐτό autó		αὐτώ autṓ	αὐτᾱ́ autā́	αὐτώ autṓ		αὐτοί autoí	αὐταί autaí	αὐτᾰ́ autắ
Genitive		αὐτοῖο αὐτοῦ autoîo autoû	αὐτῆς autês	αὐτοῖο αὐτοῦ autoîo autoû		αὐτοῖῐ̈ν autoîĭ̈n	αὐταῖῐ̈ν autaîĭ̈n	αὐτοῖῐ̈ν autoîĭ̈n		αὐτέ͜ων αὐτῶν auté͜ōn autôn	αὐτᾱ́ων αὐτέων αὐτῶν autā́ōn autéōn autôn	αὐτέ͜ων αὐτῶν auté͜ōn autôn
Dative		αὐτῷ autōî	αὐτῇ autēî	αὐτῷ autōî		αὐτοῖῐ̈ν autoîĭ̈n	αὐταῖῐ̈ν autaîĭ̈n	αὐτοῖῐ̈ν autoîĭ̈n		αὐτοῖσῐ αὐτοῖσῐν αὐτοῖς autoîsĭ(n) autoîs	αὐτῇσῐ αὐτῇσῐν αὐτῇς αὐταῖς autēîsĭ(n) autēîs autaîs	αὐτοῖσῐ αὐτοῖσῐν αὐτοῖς autoîsĭ(n) autoîs
Accusative		αὐτόν autón	αὐτήν autḗn	αὐτό autó		αὐτώ autṓ	αὐτᾱ́ autā́	αὐτώ autṓ		αὐτούς autoús	αὐτᾱ́ς autā́s	αὐτᾰ́ autắ
Vocative		αὐτέ auté	αὐτή autḗ	αὐτό autó		αὐτώ autṓ	αὐτᾱ́ autā́	αὐτώ autṓ		αὐτοί autoí	αὐταί autaí	αὐτᾰ́ autắ
Derived forms		Adverb				Comparative				Superlative
		αὔτως αὐτοῦ aútōs autoû				αὐτότερος autóteros				αὐτότᾰτος autótătos
Notes:		Dialects other than Attic are not well attested. Some forms may be based on conjecture. Use with caution.

First and second declension of αὐτός; αὐτή; αὐτό (Ionic)

Number		Singular				Dual				Plural
Case/Gender		Masculine	Feminine	Neuter		Masculine	Feminine	Neuter		Masculine	Feminine	Neuter
Nominative		αὐτός autós	αὐτή autḗ	αὐτό autó		αὐτώ autṓ	αὐτᾱ́ autā́	αὐτώ autṓ		αὐτοί autoí	αὐταί autaí	αὐτᾰ́ autắ
Genitive		αὐτέου αὐτοῦ autéou autoû	αὐτέης αὐτῆς autéēs autês	αὐτέου αὐτοῦ autéou autoû		αὐτέοιν αὐτοῖν autéoin autoîn	αὐτέαιν αὐταῖν autéain autaîn	αὐτέοιν αὐτοῖν autéoin autoîn		αὐτέων αὐτῶν autéōn autôn	αὐτέων αὐτῶν autéōn autôn	αὐτέων αὐτῶν autéōn autôn
Dative		αὐτέῳ αὐτῷ autéōi autōî	αὐτέῃ αὐτῇ autéēi autēî	αὐτέῳ αὐτῷ autéōi autōî		αὐτέοιν αὐτοῖν autéoin autoîn	αὐτέαιν αὐταῖν autéain autaîn	αὐτέοιν αὐτοῖν autéoin autoîn		αὐτέοις αὐτέοισῐ αὐτέοισῐν αὐτοῖς αὐτοῖσῐ αὐτοῖσῐν autéois autéoisĭ(n) autoîs autoîsĭ(n)	αὐτέῃσῐ αὐτέῃσῐν αὐτῇσῐ αὐτῇσῐν autéēisĭ(n) autēîsĭ(n)	αὐτέοις αὐτέοισῐ αὐτέοισῐν αὐτοῖς αὐτοῖσῐ αὐτοῖσῐν autéois autéoisĭ(n) autoîs autoîsĭ(n)
Accusative		αὐτόν autón	αὐτέην αὐτήν autéēn autḗn	αὐτό autó		αὐτώ autṓ	αὐτᾱ́ autā́	αὐτώ autṓ		αὐτέους αὐτούς autéous autoús	αὐτᾱ́ς autā́s	αὐτᾰ́ autắ
Vocative		αὐτέ auté	αὐτή autḗ	αὐτό autó		αὐτώ autṓ	αὐτᾱ́ autā́	αὐτώ autṓ		αὐτοί autoí	αὐταί autaí	αὐτᾰ́ autắ
Derived forms		Adverb				Comparative				Superlative
		αὔτως αὐτοῦ aútōs autoû				αὐτότερος autóteros				αὐτότᾰτος autótătos
Notes:		Dialects other than Attic are not well attested. Some forms may be based on conjecture. Use with caution.

Coordinate terms

Ancient Greek personal pronouns

	first	second	third
singular	ἐγώ (egṓ)	σῠ́ (sŭ́)	αὐτός (autós), οὗ (hoû), ὅς (hós), ὁ (ho), ὅ (hó), οὗτος (hoûtos), ὅδε (hóde), ἐκεῖνος (ekeînos)
dual	νώ (nṓ)	σφώ (sphṓ)	αὐτώ (autṓ), σφωέ (sphōé), ὥ (hṓ), τώ (tṓ), τούτω (toútō), τώδε (tṓde), ἐκείνω (ekeínō)
plural	ἡμεῖς (hēmeîs)	ῡ̔μεῖς (hūmeîs)	αὐτοί (autoí), σφεῖς (spheîs), οἵ (hoí), οἱ (hoi), οὗτοι (hoûtoi), οἵδε (hoíde), ἐκεῖνοι (ekeînoi)

Derived terms

• αὐτερέτης (auterétēs)
• αὐτοβοεί (autoboeí)
• αὐτογενής (autogenḗs)
• αὐτοδέσποτος (autodéspotos)
• αὐτοδίδακτος (autodídaktos)
• αὐτόδικος (autódikos)
• αὐτόδιον (autódion)
• αὐτόθεν (autóthen)
• αὐτόθι (autóthi)
• αὐτοκάβδαλος (autokábdalos)
• αὐτοκράτειρα (autokráteira)
• αὐτοκρατής (autokratḗs)
• αὐτοκρατορικός (autokratorikós)
• αὐτοκρατορίς (autokratorís)
• αὐτοκράτωρ (autokrátōr)
• αὐτολεξεί (autolexeí)
• αὐτομολέω (automoléō)
• αὐτομολῶ (automolô)
• αὐτόνομος (autónomos)
• αὐτοπᾰγής (autopăgḗs)
• αὑτός (hautós)
• αὐτόσε (autóse)
• αὐτοσχεδόν (autoskhedón)
• αὑτοῦ (hautoû)
• αὔτως (aútōs)
• ἑᾱτοῦ (heātoû)
• ἑαυτοῦ (heautoû)
• ἐμαυτοῦ (emautoû)
• ἐμεωυτοῦ (emeōutoû)
• ἐμωυτοῦ (emōutoû)
• ἑωυτοῦ (heōutoû)
• οὗτος (hoûtos)
• σαυτοῦ (sautoû)
• σεαυτοῦ (seautoû)
• ταὐτός (tautós)
• ταὐτότης (tautótēs)
• τηλικοῦτος (tēlikoûtos)
• τοιοῦτος (toioûtos)
• τοσοῦτος (tosoûtos)

Descendants

• Greek: αυτός (aftós)
  • → Turkish: aftos
• Mariupol Greek: тос (tos), ато́с (atós)

Further reading

• “αὐτός”, in Liddell & Scott (1940), A Greek–English Lexicon, Oxford: Clarendon Press
• “αὐτός”, in Liddell & Scott (1889), An Intermediate Greek–English Lexicon, New York: Harper & Brothers
• “αὐτός”, in Autenrieth, Georg (1891), A Homeric Dictionary for Schools and Colleges, New York: Harper and Brothers
• “αὐτός” in Bailly, Anatole (1935), Le Grand Bailly: Dictionnaire grec-français, Paris: Hachette
• αὐτός in Cunliffe, Richard J. (1924), A Lexicon of the Homeric Dialect: Expanded Edition, Norman: University of Oklahoma Press, published 1963
• “αὐτός” in the Diccionario Griego–Español en línea (2006–2026)
• “αὐτός”, in Slater, William J. (1969), Lexicon to Pindar, Berlin: Walter de Gruyter
• Strong, James (1979), “G846”, in Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance to the Bible
• αὐτός 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
• Woodhouse, S. C. (1910), English–Greek Dictionary: A Vocabulary of the Attic Language‎^[3], London: Routledge & Kegan Paul Limited.
  • abstract idem, page 4.
  • himself idem, page 400.
  • myself idem, page 549.
  • oneself idem, page 574.
  • person idem, page 608.
  • personally idem, page 608.
  • self idem, page 750.
  • singly idem, page 779.
  • thyself idem, page 873.
  • yourself idem, page 997.
• Herbert Weir Smyth (1920) A Greek grammar for colleges. American Book Company.
• Ernst Risch (1937) Wortbildung der homerischen Sprache. Berlin. 314.