ἀοιδός

Ancient Greek

Alternative forms

• ᾠδός (ōidós) — contracted

Etymology

From ἀείδω (aeídō, “to sing”) +‎ -ός (-ós, deverbal adjective and noun suffix).

Pronunciation

 

• IPA^(key): /a.oi̯.dós/ → /a.yˈðos/ → /a.iˈðos/

• (5^th BCE Attic) IPA^(key): /a.oi̯.dós/
• (1^st CE Egyptian) IPA^(key): /a.yˈdos/
• (4^th CE Koine) IPA^(key): /a.yˈðos/
• (10^th CE Medieval) IPA^(key): /a.yˈðos/
• (15^th CE Constantinopolitan) IPA^(key): /a.iˈðos/

Adjective

ᾰ̓οιδός • (ăoidós) m (feminine ᾰ̓οιδή, neuter ᾰ̓οιδόν); first/second declension

1. musical

Declension

First and second declension of ᾰ̓οιδός; ᾰ̓οιδή; ᾰ̓οιδόν (Attic)

Number		Singular				Dual				Plural
Case/Gender		Masculine	Feminine	Neuter		Masculine	Feminine	Neuter		Masculine	Feminine	Neuter
Nominative		ᾰ̓οιδός ăoidós	ᾰ̓οιδή ăoidḗ	ᾰ̓οιδόν ăoidón		ᾰ̓οιδώ ăoidṓ	ᾰ̓οιδᾱ́ ăoidā́	ᾰ̓οιδώ ăoidṓ		ᾰ̓οιδοί ăoidoí	ᾰ̓οιδαί ăoidaí	ᾰ̓οιδᾰ́ ăoidắ
Genitive		ᾰ̓οιδοῦ ăoidoû	ᾰ̓οιδῆς ăoidês	ᾰ̓οιδοῦ ăoidoû		ᾰ̓οιδοῖν ăoidoîn	ᾰ̓οιδαῖν ăoidaîn	ᾰ̓οιδοῖν ăoidoîn		ᾰ̓οιδῶν ăoidôn	ᾰ̓οιδῶν ăoidôn	ᾰ̓οιδῶν ăoidôn
Dative		ᾰ̓οιδῷ ăoidōî	ᾰ̓οιδῇ ăoidēî	ᾰ̓οιδῷ ăoidōî		ᾰ̓οιδοῖν ăoidoîn	ᾰ̓οιδαῖν ăoidaîn	ᾰ̓οιδοῖν ăoidoîn		ᾰ̓οιδοῖς ăoidoîs	ᾰ̓οιδαῖς ăoidaîs	ᾰ̓οιδοῖς ăoidoîs
Accusative		ᾰ̓οιδόν ăoidón	ᾰ̓οιδήν ăoidḗn	ᾰ̓οιδόν ăoidón		ᾰ̓οιδώ ăoidṓ	ᾰ̓οιδᾱ́ ăoidā́	ᾰ̓οιδώ ăoidṓ		ᾰ̓οιδούς ăoidoús	ᾰ̓οιδᾱ́ς ăoidā́s	ᾰ̓οιδᾰ́ ăoidắ
Vocative		ᾰ̓οιδέ ăoidé	ᾰ̓οιδή ăoidḗ	ᾰ̓οιδόν ăoidón		ᾰ̓οιδώ ăoidṓ	ᾰ̓οιδᾱ́ ăoidā́	ᾰ̓οιδώ ăoidṓ		ᾰ̓οιδοί ăoidoí	ᾰ̓οιδαί ăoidaí	ᾰ̓οιδᾰ́ ăoidắ
Derived forms		Adverb				Comparative				Superlative
		ᾰ̓οιδῶς ăoidôs				ᾰ̓οιδότερος ăoidóteros				ᾰ̓οιδότᾰτος ăoidótătos
Notes:		This table gives Attic inflectional endings. For declension in other dialects, see Appendix:Ancient Greek dialectal declension.

Noun

ᾰ̓οιδός • (ăoidós) m (genitive ᾰ̓οιδοῦ); second declension

1. singer, minstrel, bard
   • c. 800 BCE – 600 BCE, Homer, Odyssey 8.539–541:

     ἐξ οὗ δορπέομέν τε καὶ ὤρορε θεῖος ἀοιδός,
     ἐκ τοῦδ’ οὔ πω παύσατ’ ὀϊζυροῖο γόοιο
     ὁ ξεῖνος· […]

     ex hoû dorpéomén te kaì ṓrore theîos aoidós,
     ek toûd’ oú pō paúsat’ oïzuroîo góoio
     ho xeînos; […]

     • Translation by William Cowper

       […] and since
       The bard divine began, continual flow
       The stranger's sorrows, […]

2. enchanter

Declension

Second declension of ὁ ᾰ̓οιδός; τοῦ ᾰ̓οιδοῦ (Attic)

Case / #	Singular	Dual	Plural
Nominative	ὁ ᾰ̓οιδός ho ăoidós	τὼ ᾰ̓οιδώ tṑ ăoidṓ	οἱ ᾰ̓οιδοί hoi ăoidoí
Genitive	τοῦ ᾰ̓οιδοῦ toû ăoidoû	τοῖν ᾰ̓οιδοῖν toîn ăoidoîn	τῶν ᾰ̓οιδῶν tôn ăoidôn
Dative	τῷ ᾰ̓οιδῷ tōî ăoidōî	τοῖν ᾰ̓οιδοῖν toîn ăoidoîn	τοῖς ᾰ̓οιδοῖς toîs ăoidoîs
Accusative	τὸν ᾰ̓οιδόν tòn ăoidón	τὼ ᾰ̓οιδώ tṑ ăoidṓ	τοὺς ᾰ̓οιδούς toùs ăoidoús
Vocative	ᾰ̓οιδέ ăoidé	ᾰ̓οιδώ ăoidṓ	ᾰ̓οιδοί ăoidoí
Notes:	This table gives Attic inflectional endings. For declension in other dialects, see Appendix:Ancient Greek dialectal declension.

Derived terms

• τρᾰγῳδός (trăgōidós)

Descendants

• Greek: αοιδός (aoidós)
• → Catalan: aede (learned)
• → English: aoidos (learned)
• → French: aède (learned)
• → Latin: aoedus
• → Italian: aedo (learned)
• → Russian: аэ́д (aéd) (learned)

Further reading

• “ἀοιδός”, in Liddell & Scott (1940), A Greek–English Lexicon, Oxford: Clarendon Press
• “ἀοιδός”, in Liddell & Scott (1889), An Intermediate Greek–English Lexicon, New York: Harper & Brothers
• “ἀοιδός”, in Autenrieth, Georg (1891), A Homeric Dictionary for Schools and Colleges, New York: Harper and Brothers
• “ἀοιδός” in Bailly, Anatole (1935), Le Grand Bailly: Dictionnaire grec-français, Paris: Hachette
• ἀοιδός in Cunliffe, Richard J. (1924), A Lexicon of the Homeric Dialect: Expanded Edition, Norman: University of Oklahoma Press, published 1963
• “ἀοιδός” in the Diccionario Griego–Español en línea (2006–2026)
• “ἀοιδός”, in Slater, William J. (1969), Lexicon to Pindar, Berlin: Walter de Gruyter
• Woodhouse, S. C. (1910), English–Greek Dictionary: A Vocabulary of the Attic Language‎^[1], London: Routledge & Kegan Paul Limited.
  • alchemist idem, page 22.
  • bard idem, page 62.
  • charmer idem, page 126.
  • enchanter idem, page 270.
  • enchantress idem, page 270.
  • magician idem, page 507.
  • minstrel idem, page 531.
  • poet idem, page 623.
  • singer idem, page 777.
  • songster idem, page 793.
  • songstress idem, page 793.
  • sorcerer idem, page 794.
  • sorceress idem, page 794.
  • troubadour idem, page 897.
  • warbler idem, page 964.
  • witch idem, page 983.
  • wizard idem, page 986.
• “citharoedic”, in Merriam-Webster.com Online Dictionary, Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster, 1996–present.
• ἀοιδός, in ΛΟΓΕΙΟΝ [Logeion] Dictionaries for Ancient Greek and Latin (in English, French, Spanish, German, Dutch and Chinese), University of Chicago, since 2011