δεσμός

Ancient Greek

Etymology

From δέω (déō, “I bind”) +‎ -μός (-mós).

Pronunciation

 

• IPA^(key): /dez.mós/ → /ðezˈmos/ → /ðezˈmos/

• (5^th BCE Attic) IPA^(key): /dez.mós/
• (1^st CE Egyptian) IPA^(key): /dezˈmos/
• (4^th CE Koine) IPA^(key): /ðezˈmos/
• (10^th CE Byzantine) IPA^(key): /ðezˈmos/
• (15^th CE Constantinopolitan) IPA^(key): /ðezˈmos/

Noun

δεσμός • (desmós) m (genitive δεσμοῦ); second declension (Epic, Attic, Ionic, Koine)

1. bond, fetter
2. collar, halter
3. bondage, imprisonment
4. spell, charm

Inflection

Second declension of ὁ δεσμός; τοῦ δεσμοῦ (Attic)

Case / #	Singular	Dual	Plural
Nominative	ὁ δεσμός ho desmós	τὼ δεσμώ tṑ desmṓ	οἱ δεσμοί hoi desmoí
Genitive	τοῦ δεσμοῦ toû desmoû	τοῖν δεσμοῖν toîn desmoîn	τῶν δεσμῶν tôn desmôn
Dative	τῷ δεσμῷ tôi desmôi	τοῖν δεσμοῖν toîn desmoîn	τοῖς δεσμοῖς toîs desmoîs
Accusative	τὸν δεσμόν tòn desmón	τὼ δεσμώ tṑ desmṓ	τοὺς δεσμούς toùs desmoús
Vocative	δεσμέ desmé	δεσμώ desmṓ	δεσμοί desmoí
Notes:	This table gives Attic inflectional endings. For declension in other dialects, see Appendix:Ancient Greek dialectal declension.

• δεσμά (desmá) is often used as the plural form.

Derived terms

• δεσμοφῠ́λᾰξ (desmophŭ́lăx)
• ἐπίδεσμος (epídesmos)
• ζυγόδεσμον (zugódesmon)
• ἱμᾰντόδεσμος (himăntódesmos)

Descendants

• Greek: δεσμός m (desmós, “relationship”)

  δεσμά n pl (desmá, “imprisonment, chains”)

• → Translingual: Desmos
• English: desmosome

Further reading

• “δεσμός”, in Liddell & Scott (1940) A Greek–English Lexicon, Oxford: Clarendon Press
• “δεσμός”, in Liddell & Scott (1889) An Intermediate Greek–English Lexicon, New York: Harper & Brothers
• “δεσμός”, in Autenrieth, Georg (1891) A Homeric Dictionary for Schools and Colleges, New York: Harper and Brothers
• δεσμός 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
• δεσμός in Cunliffe, Richard J. (1924) A Lexicon of the Homeric Dialect: Expanded Edition, Norman: University of Oklahoma Press, published 1963
• δεσμός in the Diccionario Griego–Español en línea (2006–2025)
• “δεσμός”, in Slater, William J. (1969) Lexicon to Pindar, Berlin: Walter de Gruyter
• G1199 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.
  • attachment idem, page 49.
  • band idem, page 60.
  • bond idem, page 89.
  • brace idem, page 92.
  • cable idem, page 108.
  • chain idem, page 122.
  • cord idem, page 174.
  • durance idem, page 256.
  • fastening idem, page 308.
  • fetter idem, page 317.
  • imprisonment idem, page 424.
  • knot idem, page 471.
  • link idem, page 493.
  • manacle idem, page 511.
  • prison idem, page 642.
  • rope idem, page 721.
  • tie idem, page 874.
  • trammel idem, page 887.
  • union idem, page 922.

Greek

Etymology

From Ancient Greek δεσμός (desmós).

Noun

δεσμός • (desmós) m (plural δεσμοί)

1. bond, tie (emotional, social)
2. (chemistry) bond
3. relationship, affair
4. (in the plural) imprisonment, chains

Declension

Declension of δεσμός

	singular	plural
nominative	δεσμός (desmós)	δεσμοί (desmoí)
genitive	δεσμού (desmoú)	δεσμών (desmón)
accusative	δεσμό (desmó)	δεσμούς (desmoús)
vocative	δεσμέ (desmé)	δεσμοί (desmoí)

Related terms

• δεσμά n or pl (desmá, “imprisonment, chains”)