βασιλεύς

Ancient Greek

Alternative forms

• βᾰσῐλῆος (basilêos) — Homeric, genitive
• βᾰσῐλῆϝος (basilêwos) — Arcadocypriot, genitive
• 𐠞𐠪𐠐𐠵𐠩 (pa-si-le-wo-se) — Cypriot, Cypriot syllabary
• βᾰσῐλῆϝς (basilêws) — Arcadocypriot
• βαἱλεύς (bhaileús) — Laconian

Etymology

From Proto-Hellenic *gʷatiléus, with σ (s) developing by assibilation. Cognate with Mycenaean Greek 𐀣𐀯𐀩𐀄 (qa-si-re-u), that is, *gʷasileus. Further etymology uncertain. Multiple Indo-European etymologies have been advanced. Beekes considers it Pre-Greek in origin. Possibly from an Anatolian language (see Lydian 𐤡𐤠𐤯𐤯𐤬𐤳 (pattoš, “king”)), although the Mycenaean (Linear B) evidence points to an original form with initial gʷ.

Case-forms show Attic shortening of the original stem βασιληϝ- (basilēw-); see quantitative metathesis.

Pronunciation

 

• IPA^(key): /ba.si.lěu̯s/ → /βa.siˈleɸs/ → /va.siˈlefs/

• (5^th BCE Attic) IPA^(key): /ba.si.lěu̯s/
• (1^st CE Egyptian) IPA^(key): /ba.siˈlews/
• (4^th CE Koine) IPA^(key): /βa.siˈleɸs/
• (10^th CE Byzantine) IPA^(key): /va.siˈlefs/
• (15^th CE Constantinopolitan) IPA^(key): /va.siˈlefs/

• Hyphenation: βα‧σι‧λεύς

Noun

βᾰσῐλεύς • (basileús) m (genitive βᾰσῐλέως); third declension

1. chief, master
2. king, lord, patron

Usage notes

Greek leaders ruling in distant lands, such as those of Ptolemaic Egypt, often use the word βασιλεύς to convey authority, an example of this is exemplified in the use of the phrase ΠΤΟΛΕΜΑΙΟΥ ΒΑΣΙΛΕΩΣ (Ptolemaiou Basileos) on Ptolemaic coinage minted for use in Egypt. During specific periods of Greek history, βασιλεύς (basileús) was used to describe certain foreign leaders of comparable authority, such as the Persian kings and Roman Caesars. In this usage, it often took on certain modifications, such as a lack of definite article or the use of the adjective μέγας (mégas).

Declension

Third declension of ὁ βᾰσῐλεύς; τοῦ βᾰσῐλέως (Attic)

Case / #	Singular	Dual	Plural
Nominative	ὁ βᾰσῐλεύς ho basileús	τὼ βᾰσῐλῆ tṑ basilê	οἱ βᾰσῐλῆς / βᾰσῐλεῖς hoi basilês / basileîs
Genitive	τοῦ βᾰσῐλέως toû basiléōs	τοῖν βᾰσῐλέοιν toîn basiléoin	τῶν βᾰσῐλέων tôn basiléōn
Dative	τῷ βᾰσῐλεῖ tôi basileî	τοῖν βᾰσῐλέοιν toîn basiléoin	τοῖς βᾰσῐλεῦσῐ / βᾰσῐλεῦσῐν toîs basileûsi(n)
Accusative	τὸν βᾰσῐλέᾱ tòn basiléā	τὼ βᾰσῐλῆ tṑ basilê	τοὺς βᾰσῐλέᾱς toùs basiléās
Vocative	βᾰσῐλεῦ basileû	βᾰσῐλῆ basilê	βᾰσῐλῆς / βᾰσῐλεῖς basilês / basileîs
Notes:	This table gives Attic inflectional endings. For declension in other dialects, see Appendix:Ancient Greek dialectal declension.

Third declension of βᾰσῐλεύς; βᾰσῐλῆος (Epic)

Case / #	Singular	Dual	Plural
Nominative	βᾰσῐλεύς basileús	βᾰσῐλῆε basilêe	βᾰσῐλῆες basilêes
Genitive	βᾰσῐλῆος / βᾰσῐλέος basilêos / basiléos	βᾰσῐλήοιῐν basilḗoiin	βᾰσῐλήων basilḗōn
Dative	βᾰσῐλῆῐ̈ / βᾰσῐλέῐ̈ basilêï / basiléï	βᾰσῐλήοιῐν basilḗoiin	βᾰσῐλήεσσῐ / βᾰσῐλήεσσῐν / βᾰσῐλεῦσῐ / βᾰσῐλεῦσῐν basilḗessi(n) / basileûsi(n)
Accusative	βᾰσῐλῆᾰ / βᾰσῐλέᾰ basilêa / basiléa	βᾰσῐλῆε basilêe	βᾰσῐλῆᾰς basilêas
Vocative	βᾰσῐλεῦ basileû	βᾰσῐλῆε basilêe	βᾰσῐλῆες basilêes
Notes:	Dialects other than Attic are not well attested. Some forms may be based on conjecture. Use with caution.

Derived terms

• βᾰσῐλεία (basileía)
• βᾰσῐ́λεια (basíleia)
• βᾰσῐλειάω (basileiáō)
• βᾰσῐλείδης (basileídēs)
• βᾰσῐλείδιον (basileídion)
• βᾰσῐ́λειον (basíleion)
• βᾰσῐ́λειος (basíleios)
• βᾰσῐλευτός (basileutós)
• βᾰσῐλεύτωρ (basileútōr)
• βᾰσῐλεύω (basileúō)
• βᾰσῐ́λη (basílē)
• βᾰσῐληΐη (basilēḯē)
• βᾰσῐλήιος (basilḗios)
• βᾰσῐληίς (basilēís)
• βᾰσῐληΐς (basilēḯs)
• βᾰσῐλικός (basilikós)
• βᾰσῐλιναῦ (basilinaû)
• βᾰσῐλίνδα (basilínda)
• βᾰσῐ́λιννα (basílinna)
• βᾰσῐλίς (basilís)
• βᾰσῐ́λισσα (basílissa)
• βᾰσῐλισταί (basilistaí)
• βᾰσῐλῐ́ζω (basilízō)
• βᾰσῐλῐ́σκος (basilískos)
• πᾰμβᾰσῐλεύς (pambasileús)
• ᾰ̓ποβᾰσῐλεύς (apobasileús)

 

Descendants

• → Arabic: باسل
• → Coptic: ⲃⲁⲥⲓⲗⲉⲩⲥ (basileus)
• → English: basileus, basilean, basileolatry, basilolatry
• Greek: βασιλεύς (vasiléfs), βασιλέας (vasiléas), βασιλιάς (vasiliás)
• Mariupol Greek: васлэ́яс (vasléjas)
• → Medieval Latin: basileus

Further reading

• Beekes, Robert S. P. (2010) “βασιλεύς”, in Etymological Dictionary of Greek (Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series; 10), with the assistance of Lucien van Beek, Leiden, Boston: Brill, →ISBN, page 203
• “βασιλεύς”, in Liddell & Scott (1940) A Greek–English Lexicon, Oxford: Clarendon Press
• “βασιλεύς”, in Liddell & Scott (1889) An Intermediate Greek–English Lexicon, New York: Harper & Brothers
• “βασιλεύς”, in Autenrieth, Georg (1891) A Homeric Dictionary for Schools and Colleges, New York: Harper and Brothers
• βασιλεύς 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
• βασιλεύς in Cunliffe, Richard J. (1924) A Lexicon of the Homeric Dialect: Expanded Edition, Norman: University of Oklahoma Press, published 1963
• βασιλεύς in the Diccionario Griego–Español en línea (2006–2024)
• “βασιλεύς”, in Slater, William J. (1969) Lexicon to Pindar, Berlin: Walter de Gruyter
• G935 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.
  • king idem, page 469.
  • lord idem, page 500.
  • royalty idem, page 724.
  • ruler idem, page 726.
  • sovereign idem, page 797.
• Sihler, Andrew L. (1995) New Comparative Grammar of Greek and Latin, Oxford, New York: Oxford University Press, →ISBN, § 319-320

Greek

Etymology

From Ancient Greek βασιλεύς.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /vasiˈlefs/

• Audio

  (file)

• Hyphenation: βα‧σι‧λεύς

Noun

βασιλεύς • (vasiléfs) m (plural βασιλείς)

1. Katharevousa form of βασιλιάς (vasiliás, “king”)