ἄγγελος

See also: άγγελος and Άγγελος

Ancient Greek

Etymology

Cognate with Mycenaean Greek 𐀀𐀐𐀫 (a-ke-ro), but origin uncertain. Probably a loan word, and probably related to ἄγγαρος (ángaros, “Persian mounted courier”) (whence Latin angarius), which is probably from an East Asian language (see also Sanskrit अजिरा (ajirā, “agile, swift”)). Klein suggests Semitic; but it could also be from .

Pronunciation

 

• IPA^(key): /áŋ.ɡe.los/ → /ˈaɲ.ɟe.los/ → /ˈaɲ.ɟe.los/

• (5^th BCE Attic) IPA^(key): /áŋ.ɡe.los/
• (1^st CE Egyptian) IPA^(key): /ˈaŋ.ɡe.los/
• (4^th CE Koine) IPA^(key): /ˈaɲ.ɟe.los/
• (10^th CE Byzantine) IPA^(key): /ˈaɲ.ɟe.los/
• (15^th CE Constantinopolitan) IPA^(key): /ˈaɲ.ɟe.los/

Noun

ἄγγελος • (ángelos) m (genitive ᾰ̓γγέλου); second declension (Epic, Attic, Ionic, Doric, Koine)

1. a messenger
2. one that announces
3. (later) angel, heavenly spirit

Inflection

Second declension of ὁ ἄγγελος; τοῦ ἀγγέλου (Attic)

Case / #	Singular	Dual	Plural
Nominative	ὁ ἄγγελος ho ángelos	τὼ ἀγγέλω tṑ angélō	οἱ ἄγγελοι hoi ángeloi
Genitive	τοῦ ἀγγέλου toû angélou	τοῖν ἀγγέλοιν toîn angéloin	τῶν ἀγγέλων tôn angélōn
Dative	τῷ ἀγγέλῳ tôi angélōi	τοῖν ἀγγέλοιν toîn angéloin	τοῖς ἀγγέλοις toîs angélois
Accusative	τὸν ἄγγελον tòn ángelon	τὼ ἀγγέλω tṑ angélō	τοὺς ἀγγέλους toùs angélous
Vocative	ἄγγελε ángele	ἀγγέλω angélō	ἄγγελοι ángeloi
Notes:	This table gives Attic inflectional endings. For declension in other dialects, see Appendix:Ancient Greek dialectal declension.

Second declension of ὁ ἄγγελος; τοῦ ἀγγέλου (Ionic)

Case / #	Singular	Dual	Plural
Nominative	ὁ ἄγγελος ho ángelos	τὼ ἀγγέλω tṑ angélō	οἱ ἄγγελοι hoi ángeloi
Genitive	τοῦ ἀγγέλου toû angélou	τοῖν ἀγγέλοιν toîn angéloin	τῶν ἀγγέλων tôn angélōn
Dative	τῷ ἀγγέλῳ tôi angélōi	τοῖν ἀγγέλοιν toîn angéloin	τοῖσῐ / τοῖσῐν ἀγγέλοισῐ / ἀγγέλοισῐν / ἀγγέλοις toîsi(n) angéloisi(n) / angélois
Accusative	τὸν ἄγγελον tòn ángelon	τὼ ἀγγέλω tṑ angélō	τοὺς ἀγγέλους toùs angélous
Vocative	ἄγγελε ángele	ἀγγέλω angélō	ἄγγελοι ángeloi
Notes:	Dialects other than Attic are not well attested. Some forms may be based on conjecture. Use with caution.

Second declension of ἄγγελος; ἀγγέλου (Epic)

Case / #	Singular	Dual	Plural
Nominative	ἄγγελος ángelos	ἀγγέλω angélō	ἄγγελοι ángeloi
Genitive	ἀγγέλου / ἀγγελοῖο / ἀγγέλοιο / ἀγγελόο / ἀγγέλοο angélou / angeloîo / angéloio / angelóo / angéloo	ἀγγέλοιῐν angéloiin	ἀγγέλων angélōn
Dative	ἀγγέλῳ angélōi	ἀγγέλοιῐν angéloiin	ἀγγέλοισῐ / ἀγγέλοισῐν / ἀγγέλοις angéloisi(n) / angélois
Accusative	ἄγγελον ángelon	ἀγγέλω angélō	ἀγγέλους angélous
Vocative	ἄγγελε ángele	ἀγγέλω angélō	ἄγγελοι ángeloi
Notes:	Dialects other than Attic are not well attested. Some forms may be based on conjecture. Use with caution.

Derived terms

• ἀγγέλλω (angéllō)
• ἀγγελία (angelía)
• εὐαγγελίζω (euangelízō)
• εὐαγγέλιον (euangélion)
• ψευδάγγελος (pseudángelos)

Descendants

• Greek: άγγελος (ángelos)
• → Coptic: ⲁⲅⲅⲉⲗⲟⲥ (aggelos)
• → Gothic: 𐌰𐌲𐌲𐌹𐌻𐌿𐍃 (aggilus)
• → Georgian: ანგელოზი (angelozi)
• → Kashubian: ãniół, janiół
• → Latin: angelus (see there for further descendants)
• → Latvian: eņģelis
• → Lithuanian: angelas
• → Old Church Slavonic: аггелъ (aggelŭ), анъгелъ (anŭgelŭ)
  • Bulgarian: ангел (angel)
  • → Czech: anděl
  • Macedonian: ангел (angel)
  • → Russian: ангел (angel), а́нгелъ (ángel) — Pre-reform orthography (1918)
    • → Ingrian: ängeli
    • → Moksha: анголь (angoľ)
    • → Lithuanian: ángelas
    • → Skolt Sami: aʹŋǧǧel
    • → Votic: angeli
  • → Serbo-Croatian:

    Cyrillic script: ангел

    Latin script: angel

  • → Slovak: anjel

Further reading

• “ἄγγελος”, in Liddell & Scott (1940) A Greek–English Lexicon, Oxford: Clarendon Press
• “ἄγγελος”, in Liddell & Scott (1889) An Intermediate Greek–English Lexicon, New York: Harper & Brothers
• “ἄγγελος”, in Autenrieth, Georg (1891) A Homeric Dictionary for Schools and Colleges, New York: Harper and Brothers
• ἄγγελος in Bailly, Anatole (1935) Le Grand Bailly: Dictionnaire grec-français, Paris: Hachette
• ἄγγελος in Cunliffe, Richard J. (1924) A Lexicon of the Homeric Dialect: Expanded Edition, Norman: University of Oklahoma Press, published 1963
• ἄγγελος in the Diccionario Griego–Español en línea (2006–2024)
• “ἄγγελος”, in Slater, William J. (1969) Lexicon to Pindar, Berlin: Walter de Gruyter
• G32 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.
  • announcer idem, page 30.
  • apostle idem, page 34.
  • bearer idem, page 67.
  • courier idem, page 178.
  • emissary idem, page 268.
  • envoy idem, page 279.
  • forerunner idem, page 337.
  • harbinger idem, page 385.
  • herald idem, page 397.
  • messenger idem, page 527.
  • reporter idem, page 697.
• Beekes, Robert S. P. (2010) Etymological Dictionary of Greek (Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series; 10), volume I, with the assistance of Lucien van Beek, Leiden, Boston: Brill, →ISBN, page 9
• Frisk, Hjalmar (1960–1972) “ἄγγελος”, in Griechisches etymologisches Wörterbuch (in German), Heidelberg: Carl Winter
• Klein, Dr. Ernest, A Comprehensive Etymological Dictionary of the English Language, Amsterdam: Elsevier Scientific Publishing Co., 1971.
• John A. Simpson and Edmund S. C. Weiner, editors (1989), “ἄγγελος”, in The Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd edition, Oxford: Clarendon Press, →ISBN.