μονογενής

Ancient Greek

Alternative forms

• μουνογενής (mounogenḗs) — Epic, Ionic

Etymology

μόνος (mónos, “only”) +‎ -γενής (-genḗs, “of a kind”)

Pronunciation

 

• IPA^(key): /mo.no.ɡe.nɛ̌ːs/ → /mo.no.ʝeˈnis/ → /mo.no.ʝeˈnis/

• (5^th BCE Attic) IPA^(key): /mo.no.ɡe.nɛ̌ːs/
• (1^st CE Egyptian) IPA^(key): /mo.no.ɡeˈne̝s/
• (4^th CE Koine) IPA^(key): /mo.no.ʝeˈnis/
• (10^th CE Byzantine) IPA^(key): /mo.no.ʝeˈnis/
• (15^th CE Constantinopolitan) IPA^(key): /mo.no.ʝeˈnis/

Adjective

μονογενής • (monogenḗs) m or f (neuter μονογενές); third declension

1. being the only member of a kin or kind
   1. (Christianity, of Christ) only-begotten of the Father
      • 90 CE – 100 CE, The Gospel of John 1:18
2. only, single
   • Ant., Lib. 32.1
3. unique
   • 360 BCE, Plato, Timaeus 31b
   • 412 CE – 485 CE, Proclus, Elements of Theology 22
4. (grammar) having one form for all genders
   • 50 CE – 250 CE, Apollonius Dyscolus, On Adverbs 145.18
5. (poetry, substantive) a metrical foot of four syllables (— — — ⏑), fourth epitrite (Can we clean up⁽⁺⁾ this sense? ("substantive" lacks gender))
   • 2nd century AD, Hephaestion, Ἐγχειρίδιον περὶ μέτρων 3.3

; (as adverb) (Can we clean up⁽⁺⁾ this sense? (according to the sources the adverb is μονογενῶς (cp. -ῶς)))

1. only
   • Peripl.M.Rubr. 56
2. in a unique manner
   • 400 CE – 600 CE, Aëtius, Sixteen Books on Medicine 15.13
     15.14

Declension

Third declension of μονογενής; μονογενές (contracted, Attic)

Number		Singular				Dual				Plural
Case/Gender		Masculine	Feminine	Neuter		Masculine	Feminine	Neuter		Masculine	Feminine	Neuter
Nominative		μονογενής monogenḗs		μονογενές monogenés		μονογενεῖ monogeneî		μονογενεῖ monogeneî		μονογενεῖς monogeneîs		μονογενῆ monogenê
Genitive		μονογενοῦς monogenoûs		μονογενοῦς monogenoûs		μονογενοῖν monogenoîn		μονογενοῖν monogenoîn		μονογενῶν monogenôn		μονογενῶν monogenôn
Dative		μονογενεῖ monogeneî		μονογενεῖ monogeneî		μονογενοῖν monogenoîn		μονογενοῖν monogenoîn		μονογενέσῐ μονογενέσῐν monogenésĭ(n)		μονογενέσῐ μονογενέσῐν monogenésĭ(n)
Accusative		μονογενῆ monogenê		μονογενές monogenés		μονογενεῖ monogeneî		μονογενεῖ monogeneî		μονογενεῖς monogeneîs		μονογενῆ monogenê
Vocative		μονογενές monogenés		μονογενές monogenés		μονογενεῖ monogeneî		μονογενεῖ monogeneî		μονογενεῖς monogeneîs		μονογενῆ monogenê
Derived forms		Adverb				Comparative				Superlative
		μονογενῶς monogenôs				μονογενέστερος monogenésteros				μονογενέστᾰτος monogenéstătos
Notes:		This table gives Attic inflectional endings. For declension in other dialects, see Appendix:Ancient Greek dialectal declension.

Synonyms

• (foot): ἐπίτριτος τέταρτος (epítritos tétartos, “fourth epitrite”)

Derived terms

• μονογένειᾰ (monogéneiă)
• μονογένειον (monogéneion) (Byzantine)
• μονογενητής (monogenētḗs) (Byzantine)
• μονογενητῐκός (monogenētĭkós) (Byzantine)
• μονογεννητός (monogennētós) (Byzantine)
• μονογεννήτριᾰ (monogennḗtriă) (Byzantine)
• μονογεννήτωρ (monogennḗtōr) (Byzantine)
• μονογενῶς (monogenôs) (Byzantine)

Descendants

• → German: Monogenes m
• → Gothic: 𐌰𐌹𐌽𐌰𐌱𐌰𐌿𐍂 (ainabaur) (calque)
• → Latin: Monogenēs
• → Latin: unigenitus (calque)
  • → English: only-begotten (calque)
  • → German: eingeboren (calque)
  • → Italian: unigenito
  • → Portuguese: unigénito, unigênito
  • → Spanish: unigénito

References

• “μονογενής”, in Liddell & Scott (1940), A Greek–English Lexicon, Oxford: Clarendon Press
• “μονογενής”, in Liddell & Scott (1889), An Intermediate Greek–English Lexicon, New York: Harper & Brothers
• μονογενής in Bailly, Anatole (1935), Le Grand Bailly: Dictionnaire grec-français, Paris: Hachette
• G3439 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.
  • only-begotten idem, page 574.