ἀδελφός

See also: αδελφός

Ancient Greek

Alternative forms

• ᾰ̓δελφειός (ădelpheiós) — Epic
• ᾰ̓δελφεός (ădelpheós) — Epic, Ionic
• ᾰ̓δελφιός (ădelphiós) — Boeotian
• ᾰ̓δελφιός (ădelphiós), ᾰ̓δευφιός (ădeuphiós) — Cretan

Etymology

From Proto-Hellenic *əgʷelpʰós, from Proto-Indo-European *sm̥-gʷelbʰ-ós (“one/same womb”).

Pronunciation

 

• IPA^(key): /a.del.pʰós/ → /a.ðelˈɸos/ → /a.ðelˈfos/

• (5^th BCE Attic) IPA^(key): /a.del.pʰós/
• (1^st CE Egyptian) IPA^(key): /a.delˈpʰos/
• (4^th CE Koine) IPA^(key): /a.ðelˈɸos/
• (10^th CE Byzantine) IPA^(key): /a.ðelˈfos/
• (15^th CE Constantinopolitan) IPA^(key): /a.ðelˈfos/

Adjective

ᾰ̓δελφός • (ădelphós) m (feminine ᾰ̓δελφή, neuter ᾰ̓δελφόν); first/second declension (Attic)

1. brotherly or sisterly
   • 467 BCE, Aeschylus, Seven Against Thebes 811:

     οὕτως ἀδελφαῖς χερσὶν ἠναίρονθ’ ἅμα;

     hoútōs adelphaîs khersìn ēnaíronth’ háma?

     • 1926 translation by Herbert Weir Smyth

       Then with hands so fraternal did they each kill the other together?

2. double

Declension

First and second declension of ᾰ̓δελφός; ᾰ̓δελφή; ᾰ̓δελφόν (Attic)

Number		Singular				Dual				Plural
Case/Gender		Masculine	Feminine	Neuter		Masculine	Feminine	Neuter		Masculine	Feminine	Neuter
Nominative		ᾰ̓δελφός ădelphós	ᾰ̓δελφή ădelphḗ	ᾰ̓δελφόν ădelphón		ᾰ̓δελφώ ădelphṓ	ᾰ̓δελφᾱ́ ădelphā́	ᾰ̓δελφώ ădelphṓ		ᾰ̓δελφοί ădelphoí	ᾰ̓δελφαί ădelphaí	ᾰ̓δελφᾰ́ ădelphắ
Genitive		ᾰ̓δελφοῦ ădelphoû	ᾰ̓δελφῆς ădelphês	ᾰ̓δελφοῦ ădelphoû		ᾰ̓δελφοῖν ădelphoîn	ᾰ̓δελφαῖν ădelphaîn	ᾰ̓δελφοῖν ădelphoîn		ᾰ̓δελφῶν ădelphôn	ᾰ̓δελφῶν ădelphôn	ᾰ̓δελφῶν ădelphôn
Dative		ᾰ̓δελφῷ ădelphōî	ᾰ̓δελφῇ ădelphēî	ᾰ̓δελφῷ ădelphōî		ᾰ̓δελφοῖν ădelphoîn	ᾰ̓δελφαῖν ădelphaîn	ᾰ̓δελφοῖν ădelphoîn		ᾰ̓δελφοῖς ădelphoîs	ᾰ̓δελφαῖς ădelphaîs	ᾰ̓δελφοῖς ădelphoîs
Accusative		ᾰ̓δελφόν ădelphón	ᾰ̓δελφήν ădelphḗn	ᾰ̓δελφόν ădelphón		ᾰ̓δελφώ ădelphṓ	ᾰ̓δελφᾱ́ ădelphā́	ᾰ̓δελφώ ădelphṓ		ᾰ̓δελφούς ădelphoús	ᾰ̓δελφᾱ́ς ădelphā́s	ᾰ̓δελφᾰ́ ădelphắ
Vocative		ᾰ̓δελφέ ădelphé	ᾰ̓δελφή ădelphḗ	ᾰ̓δελφόν ădelphón		ᾰ̓δελφώ ădelphṓ	ᾰ̓δελφᾱ́ ădelphā́	ᾰ̓δελφώ ădelphṓ		ᾰ̓δελφοί ădelphoí	ᾰ̓δελφαί ădelphaí	ᾰ̓δελφᾰ́ ădelphắ
Derived forms		Adverb				Comparative				Superlative
		ᾰ̓δελφῶς ădelphôs				ᾰ̓δελφότερος ădelphóteros				ᾰ̓δελφότᾰτος ădelphótătos
Notes:		This table gives Attic inflectional endings. For declension in other dialects, see Appendix:Ancient Greek dialectal declension.

Derived terms

• ᾰ̓δελφοκτονῐ́ᾱ (ădelphoktonĭ́ā)
• ᾰ̓δελφοκτόνος (ădelphoktónos)
• ψευδᾰ́δελφος (pseudắdelphos, “false brother”)

Descendants

• Greek: αδελφός (adelfós), αδερφός (aderfós)
• Mariupol Greek: адъэрфо́с (aðerfós)
• → French: adelphe

Noun

ᾰ̓δελφός • (ădelphós) m (genitive ᾰ̓δελφοῦ, feminine ᾰ̓δελφή); second declension

1. brother; male sibling
   • 470 BCE, Aeschylus, The Suppliants 321:

     Δαναός, ἀδελφὸς δ' ἐστὶ πεντηκοντάπαις.

     Danaós, adelphòs d’ estì pentēkontápais.

     Danaus, and he has a brother with fifty sons.

Declension

Second declension of ὁ ᾰ̓δελφός; τοῦ ᾰ̓δελφοῦ (Attic)

Case / #	Singular	Dual	Plural
Nominative	ὁ ᾰ̓δελφός ho ădelphós	τὼ ᾰ̓δελφώ tṑ ădelphṓ	οἱ ᾰ̓δελφοί hoi ădelphoí
Genitive	τοῦ ᾰ̓δελφοῦ toû ădelphoû	τοῖν ᾰ̓δελφοῖν toîn ădelphoîn	τῶν ᾰ̓δελφῶν tôn ădelphôn
Dative	τῷ ᾰ̓δελφῷ tōî ădelphōî	τοῖν ᾰ̓δελφοῖν toîn ădelphoîn	τοῖς ᾰ̓δελφοῖς toîs ădelphoîs
Accusative	τὸν ᾰ̓δελφόν tòn ădelphón	τὼ ᾰ̓δελφώ tṑ ădelphṓ	τοὺς ᾰ̓δελφούς toùs ădelphoús
Vocative	ᾰ̓δελφέ / ᾰ̓́δελφε ădelphé / ắdelphe	ᾰ̓δελφώ ădelphṓ	ᾰ̓δελφοί ădelphoí
Notes:	This table gives Attic inflectional endings. For declension in other dialects, see Appendix:Ancient Greek dialectal declension.

Further reading

• “ἀδελφός”, in Liddell & Scott (1940), A Greek–English Lexicon, Oxford: Clarendon Press
• “ἀδελφός”, in Liddell & Scott (1889), An Intermediate Greek–English Lexicon, New York: Harper & Brothers
• ἀδελφός in the Diccionario Griego–Español en línea (2006–2026)
• G80 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.
  • akin idem, page 21.
  • brother idem, page 101.
  • brotherly idem, page 101.
  • cognate idem, page 142.
  • fraternal idem, page 343.
  • german, germane idem, page 357.
  • kindred idem, page 469.
  • like idem, page 491.
  • sister idem, page 779.
• 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
• Etymologicum Magnum (ΜΕΓΑ ΕΤΥΜΟΛΟΓΙΚΟΝ online)
• ἀδελφός, in ΛΟΓΕΙΟΝ [Logeion] Dictionaries for Ancient Greek and Latin (in English, French, Spanish, German, Dutch and Chinese), University of Chicago, since 2011