φόνος

Ancient Greek

Etymology

From Proto-Hellenic *kʷʰónos (“murder”), from Proto-Indo-European *gʷʰónos (“killing, slaughter”). Equal to θείνω (theínō, “to strike”) +‎ -ος (-os). The root of the former is also found in the aorist verb πεφνεῖν (pephneîn, “to slay”).

Pronunciation

 

• IPA^(key): /pʰó.nos/ → /ˈɸo.nos/ → /ˈfo.nos/

• (5^th BCE Attic) IPA^(key): /pʰó.nos/
• (1^st CE Egyptian) IPA^(key): /ˈpʰo.nos/
• (4^th CE Koine) IPA^(key): /ˈɸo.nos/
• (10^th CE Medieval) IPA^(key): /ˈfo.nos/
• (15^th CE Constantinopolitan) IPA^(key): /ˈfo.nos/

Noun

φόνος • (phónos) m (genitive φόνου); second declension

1. murder, slaughter
   • c. 800 BCE – 600 BCE, Homer, Odyssey 11.430
2. (law) murder(er), homicide
   • 384 BCE – 322 BCE, Demosthenes, Against Conon 25

Declension

Second declension of ὁ φόνος; τοῦ φόνου (Attic)

Case / #	Singular	Dual	Plural
Nominative	ὁ φόνος ho phónos	τὼ φόνω tṑ phónō	οἱ φόνοι hoi phónoi
Genitive	τοῦ φόνου toû phónou	τοῖν φόνοιν toîn phónoin	τῶν φόνων tôn phónōn
Dative	τῷ φόνῳ tōî phónōi	τοῖν φόνοιν toîn phónoin	τοῖς φόνοις toîs phónois
Accusative	τὸν φόνον tòn phónon	τὼ φόνω tṑ phónō	τοὺς φόνους toùs phónous
Vocative	φόνε phóne	φόνω phónō	φόνοι phónoi
Notes:	This table gives Attic inflectional endings. For declension in other dialects, see Appendix:Ancient Greek dialectal declension.

Second declension of φόνος; φόνοιο / φόνου (Epic)

Case / #	Singular	Dual	Plural
Nominative	φόνος phónos	φόνω phónō	φόνοι phónoi
Genitive	φόνοιο / φόνου phónoio / phónou	φόνοιῐ̈ν phónoiĭ̈n	φόνων phónōn
Dative	φόνῳ phónōi	φόνοιῐ̈ν phónoiĭ̈n	φόνοισῐ / φόνοισῐν / φόνοις phónoisĭ(n) / phónois
Accusative	φόνον phónon	φόνω phónō	φόνους phónous
Vocative	φόνε phóne	φόνω phónō	φόνοι phónoi
Notes:	Dialects other than Attic are not well attested. Some forms may be based on conjecture. Use with caution.

Second declension of ὁ φόνος; τοῦ φόνου (Ionic)

Case / #	Singular	Dual	Plural
Nominative	ὁ φόνος ho phónos	τὼ φόνω tṑ phónō	οἱ φόνοι hoi phónoi
Genitive	τοῦ φόνου toû phónou	τοῖν φόνοιν toîn phónoin	τῶν φόνων tôn phónōn
Dative	τῷ φόνῳ tōî phónōi	τοῖν φόνοιν toîn phónoin	τοῖσῐ / τοῖσῐν φόνοισῐ / φόνοισῐν toîsĭ(n) phónoisĭ(n)
Accusative	τὸν φόνον tòn phónon	τὼ φόνω tṑ phónō	τοὺς φόνους toùs phónous
Vocative	φόνε phóne	φόνω phónō	φόνοι phónoi
Notes:	Dialects other than Attic are not well attested. Some forms may be based on conjecture. Use with caution.

Derived terms

• ἀνδροφόνος (androphónos)
• ἀπόφονος (apóphonos)
• βουφόνος (bouphónos)
• δολοφονία (dolophonía)
• δολοφόνος (dolophónos)
• ἐπιφονεύω (epiphoneúō)
• καταφονεύω (kataphoneúō)
• κενταυροφόνος (kentaurophónos)
• νηττοφόνος (nēttophónos)
• Περσεφόνη (Persephónē)
• Τισιφόνη (Tisiphónē)
• φονά (phoná)
• φόναξ (phónax)
• φονάω (phonáō)
• φονεύς (phoneús)
• φονεύσιμος (phoneúsimos)
• φονευτής (phoneutḗs)
• φονευτικός (phoneutikós)
• φονεύτρια (phoneútria)
• φονεύω (phoneúō)
• φονικός (phonikós)
• φόνιος (phónios)
• φονοειδής (phonoeidḗs)
• φονολιβής (phonolibḗs)
• φονώδης (phonṓdēs)

Descendants

• → Greek: φόνος (fónos) (learned)

Further reading

• “φόνος”, in Liddell & Scott (1940), A Greek–English Lexicon, Oxford: Clarendon Press
• “φόνος” in Bailly, Anatole (1935), Le Grand Bailly: Dictionnaire grec-français, Paris: Hachette
• φόνος in Pape, Wilhelm (1914), Max Sengebusch, editor, Handwörterbuch der griechischen Sprache‎^[1] (in German), 3rd edition, Braunschweig: Friedrich Vieweg und Sohn
• φόνος in Cunliffe, Richard J. (1924), A Lexicon of the Homeric Dialect: Expanded Edition, Norman: University of Oklahoma Press, published 1963
• “φόνος”, in Slater, William J. (1969), Lexicon to Pindar, Berlin: Walter de Gruyter
• “φόνος”, in Autenrieth, Georg (1891), A Homeric Dictionary for Schools and Colleges, New York: Harper and Brothers
• “φόνος”, in Liddell & Scott (1889), An Intermediate Greek–English Lexicon, New York: Harper & Brothers
• φόνος, in ΛΟΓΕΙΟΝ [Logeion] Dictionaries for Ancient Greek and Latin (in English, French, Spanish, German, Dutch and Chinese), University of Chicago, since 2011

Greek

Etymology

Learnedly, from Ancient Greek φόνος (phónos), which is cognate to Ancient Greek θείνω (theínō). See there for further cognates.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈfo.nos/
• Hyphenation: φό‧νος

Noun

φόνος • (fónos) m (plural φόνοι)

1. murder

Declension

Declension of φόνος

	singular	plural
nominative	φόνος (fónos)	φόνοι (fónoi)
genitive	φόνου (fónou)	φόνων (fónon)
accusative	φόνο (fóno)	φόνους (fónous)
vocative	φόνε (fóne)	φόνοι (fónoi)

Synonyms

• ανθρωποκτονία f (anthropoktonía, “homicide”) (legal term)
• δολοφονία f (dolofonía)

Related terms

• δολοφόνος m (dolofónos, “murderer”) & related words
• φονέας m (fonéas, “murderer”) & φονεύς (phoneús) (Κatharevousa)
• φονεύω (fonévo, “to murder”)
• φονιάς m (foniás, “murderer”)
• φονικός (fonikós, “deadly, murderous”)
• φόνισσα f (fónissa, “murderer”)