ἀπάτωρ

Ancient Greek

Alternative forms

• ἀπάτωρος (apátōros) — regularly declined adjective

Etymology

From Proto-Hellenic *əpatōr. Equivalent to ἀ- (a-, “-less”) +‎ -πάτωρ (-pátōr, “father”, stem used in compounds). Compare πατήρ (patḗr, “father”).

Pronunciation

 

• IPA^(key): /a.pá.tɔːr/ → /aˈpa.tor/ → /aˈpa.tor/

• (5^th BCE Attic) IPA^(key): /a.pá.tɔːr/
• (1^st CE Egyptian) IPA^(key): /aˈpa.tor/
• (4^th CE Koine) IPA^(key): /aˈpa.tor/
• (10^th CE Byzantine) IPA^(key): /aˈpa.tor/
• (15^th CE Constantinopolitan) IPA^(key): /aˈpa.tor/

Adjective

ἀπάτωρ • (apátōr) m or f (neuter —); third declension

1. (of deities) Not having a father, without father
   • Orphic Hymns, 10 10
   • 350 CE – 450 CE, Nonnus, Dionysiaca 41.53
   • New Testament, Epistle to the Hebrews 7:3
2. (of people) Fatherless, orphan
   • 497 BCE – 405 BCE, Sophocles, Women of Trachis 300
   • 413 BCE, Euripides, Ion 109
   • 413 BCE, Euripides, Iphigenia in Tauris 864
3. Disowned or disinherited by one's father
   • 428 BCE – 347 BCE, Plato, Laws 929a
4. (with genitive) Without someone as father
   • 406 BCE, Sophocles, Oedipus at Colonus 1383
5. Having an unknown father, bastard
   • 46 CE – 120 CE, Plutarch, 2 288e

Usage notes

Often paired with ἀμήτωρ (amḗtōr, “motherless”). Neuter plural occurs once in the phrase ἀπάτορα τέκεα (apátora tékea, “fatherless children”).

Inflection

Third declension of ὁ, ἡ ᾰ̓πᾰ́τωρ; τοῦ, τῆς ᾰ̓πᾰ́τορος (Attic)

Case / #	Singular	Dual	Plural
Nominative	ὁ, ἡ ᾰ̓πᾰ́τωρ ho, hē apátōr	τὼ ᾰ̓πᾰ́τορε tṑ apátore	οἱ, αἱ ᾰ̓πᾰ́τορες hoi, hai apátores
Genitive	τοῦ, τῆς ᾰ̓πᾰ́τορος toû, tês apátoros	τοῖν ᾰ̓πᾰτόροιν toîn apatóroin	τῶν ᾰ̓πᾰτόρων tôn apatórōn
Dative	τῷ, τῇ ᾰ̓πᾰ́τορῐ tôi, têi apátori	τοῖν ᾰ̓πᾰτόροιν toîn apatóroin	τοῖς, ταῖς ᾰ̓πᾰ́τορσῐ / ᾰ̓πᾰ́τορσῐν toîs, taîs apátorsi(n)
Accusative	τὸν, τὴν ᾰ̓πᾰ́τορᾰ tòn, tḕn apátora	τὼ ᾰ̓πᾰ́τορε tṑ apátore	τοὺς, τᾱ̀ς ᾰ̓πᾰ́τορᾰς toùs, tā̀s apátoras
Vocative	ᾰ̓πᾰ́τορ apátor	ᾰ̓πᾰ́τορε apátore	ᾰ̓πᾰ́τορες apátores
Notes:	This table gives Attic inflectional endings. For declension in other dialects, see Appendix:Ancient Greek dialectal declension.

Synonyms

• (bastard): σκότιος (skótios)

References

• “ἀπάτωρ”, in Liddell & Scott (1940) A Greek–English Lexicon, Oxford: Clarendon Press
• “ἀπάτωρ”, in Liddell & Scott (1889) An Intermediate Greek–English Lexicon, New York: Harper & Brothers
• G540 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.
  • fatherless idem, page 310.
  • orphaned idem, page 580.