μαύρος

See also: μαυρός

Greek

Etymology

Inherited from Koine Greek μαῦρος (maûros), from Ancient Greek ἀμαυρός (amaurós, “dark”). Also substantivised.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈma.vɾos/
• Hyphenation: μαύ‧ρος

Adjective

μαύρος • (mávros) m (feminine μαύρη, neuter μαύρο)

1. of black (color/colour)

   for the color/colour, see μαύρο n (mávro, noun)

2. (figurative)
   1. gloomy, dark, grim
   2. depressed, miserable
   3. grim, terrible, evil
3. (typography) bold

Usage notes

On degrees:

• Monolectic degrees of comparison of μαύρος (and adjectives for colour) are rare and spurious. The following obsolete forms, mostly dialectal, are found in proverbs and books of the 19th century:

μαυρότερος (more black), μαυρότατος (most, very black).

Comparative: μαυρύτερος (in analogy to μεγαλύτερος)

Comparative: μαυρήτερος

• Superlative is best formed with intensifiers: κατα- (kata-) (κατάμαυρος) & the rare παν- (pan-) (πάμμαυρος).
• The degrees of synonym μελανός (melanós) serve as substitutes: μελανότερος (melanóteros), μελανότατος (melanótatos).

Declension

Declension of μαύρος

number  case \ gender	singular			plural
	masculine	feminine	neuter	masculine	feminine	neuter
nominative	μαύρος •	μαύρη •	μαύρο •	μαύροι •	μαύρες •	μαύρα •
genitive	μαύρου •	μαύρης •	μαύρου •	μαύρων •	μαύρων •	μαύρων •
accusative	μαύρο •	μαύρη •	μαύρο •	μαύρους •	μαύρες •	μαύρα •
vocative	μαύρε •	μαύρη •	μαύρο •	μαύροι •	μαύρες •	μαύρα •
derivations	Comparative: πιο + positive forms (e.g. πιο μαύρος, etc.) Relative superlative: definite article + πιο + positive forms (e.g. ο πιο μαύρος, etc.)

Synonyms

• μελανός (melanós)
• εβένινος (evéninos) (especially for hair)
• κορακάτος (korakátos) (especially for hair)
• in sense "dark": σκοτεινός (skoteinós), ερεβώδης (erevódis), ασβολερός (asvolerós)

See also

• μπλάκης (blákis) (Kaliarda)
• νέρος (néros) (Kaliarda)

Derived terms

• μαύρα n pl (mávra, “black mourning clothes”)
• μαύρο δάκρυ n (mávro dákry) (figurative)
• μαύρο μάτι n (mávro máti, “blackeye”) (medicine)
• μαύρα μάτια n pl (mávra mátia) (figurative)

Related terms

• μαυρο- (mavro-) & -μαυρος (-mavros) compounds like μαυρόασπρος (mavróaspros, “black-and-white”), ασπρόμαυρος (asprómavros, “white-and-black”)

and

• αμαυρός (amavrós, “dull, opaque”, adjective) & related
• κατάμαυρος (katámavros, “jet-black, pitch-black”)
• μαυρίζω (mavrízo, “to blacken, to suntan”)
• μαυρισμένος (mavrisménos, “blackened”, participle)
• μαύρο n (mávro, “black”, noun) (the color/colour)
• μαυρώνω (mavróno, “to char”)
• ολόμαυρος (olómavros, “jet-black, pitch-black”)
• πάμμαυρος (pámmavros, “jet-black, pitch-black”)

Further reading

• μαύρος, in Λεξικό της κοινής νεοελληνικής [Dictionary of Standard Modern Greek], Triantafyllidis Foundation, 1998 at the Centre for the Greek language
• μαύρος - Charalambakis, Chistoforos et al. (2014) Χρηστικό λεξικό της νεοελληνικής γλώσσας (Christiko lexiko tis Neoellhnikis Glossas) [A Practical dictionary of Modern Greek language] (in Greek) Athens: Academy of Athens. (online since 2023 - abbreviations - symbols)