ἄλγος

See also: άλγος

Ancient Greek

Etymology

Disputed. Perhaps from Proto-Indo-European *h₂leg- (“to care”), and related to ἀλέγω (alégō, “to take care”).

Pronunciation

 

• IPA^(key): /ál.ɡos/ → /ˈal.ɣos/ → /ˈal.ɣos/

• (5^th BCE Attic) IPA^(key): /ál.ɡos/
• (1^st CE Egyptian) IPA^(key): /ˈal.ɡos/
• (4^th CE Koine) IPA^(key): /ˈal.ɣos/
• (10^th CE Byzantine) IPA^(key): /ˈal.ɣos/
• (15^th CE Constantinopolitan) IPA^(key): /ˈal.ɣos/

Noun

ᾰ̓́λγος • (ắlgos) n (genitive ἄλγους); third declension

1. pain (of either mind or body), sorrow, trouble, grief, distress, woe
   • c. 800 BCE – 600 BCE, Homer, Iliad 1.1–2:

     Μῆνιν ἄειδε, θεά, Πηληιάδεω Ἀχιλῆος οὐλομένην, ἣ μυρί’ Ἀχαιοῖς ἄλγε’ ἔθηκε.

     Mênin áeide, theá, Pēlēiádeō Akhilêos ouloménēn, hḕ murí’ Akhaioîs álge’ éthēke.

     • Translation by Samuel Butler

       Sing, O goddess, the rage of Achilles son of Peleus, that brought countless ills upon the Achaeans.

2. that which causes pain or suffering

Declension

Third declension of τὸ ᾰ̓́λγος; τοῦ ᾰ̓́λγους (Attic)

Case / #	Singular	Dual	Plural
Nominative	τὸ ᾰ̓́λγος tò ắlgos	τὼ ᾰ̓́λγει tṑ ắlgei	τᾰ̀ ᾰ̓́λγη tằ ắlgē
Genitive	τοῦ ᾰ̓́λγους toû ắlgous	τοῖν ᾰ̓λγοῖν toîn ălgoîn	τῶν ᾰ̓λγῶν tôn ălgôn
Dative	τῷ ᾰ̓́λγει tōî ắlgei	τοῖν ᾰ̓λγοῖν toîn ălgoîn	τοῖς ᾰ̓́λγεσῐ / ᾰ̓́λγεσῐν toîs ắlgesĭ(n)
Accusative	τὸ ᾰ̓́λγος tò ắlgos	τὼ ᾰ̓́λγει tṑ ắlgei	τᾰ̀ ᾰ̓́λγη tằ ắlgē
Vocative	ᾰ̓́λγος ắlgos	ᾰ̓́λγει ắlgei	ᾰ̓́λγη ắlgē
Notes:	This table gives Attic inflectional endings. For declension in other dialects, see Appendix:Ancient Greek dialectal declension.

Third declension of ᾰ̓́λγος; ᾰ̓́λγεος / ᾰ̓́λγευς (Epic)

Case / #	Singular	Dual	Plural
Nominative	ᾰ̓́λγος ắlgos	ᾰ̓́λγεε / ᾰ̓́λγει ắlgee / ắlgei	ᾰ̓́λγεᾰ ắlgeă
Genitive	ᾰ̓́λγεος / ᾰ̓́λγευς ắlgeos / ắlgeus	ᾰ̓λγέοιῐ̈ν ălgéoiĭ̈n	ᾰ̓λγέων ălgéōn
Dative	ᾰ̓́λγεῐ̈ / ᾰ̓́λγει ắlgeĭ̈ / ắlgei	ᾰ̓λγέοιῐ̈ν ălgéoiĭ̈n	ᾰ̓́λγεσῐ / ᾰ̓́λγεσῐν / ᾰ̓́λγεσσῐ / ᾰ̓́λγεσσῐν / ᾰ̓λγέεσσῐ / ᾰ̓λγέεσσῐν ắlgesĭ(n) / ắlgessĭ(n) / ălgéessĭ(n)
Accusative	ᾰ̓́λγος ắlgos	ᾰ̓́λγεε / ᾰ̓́λγει ắlgee / ắlgei	ᾰ̓́λγεᾰ ắlgeă
Vocative	ᾰ̓́λγος ắlgos	ᾰ̓́λγεε / ᾰ̓́λγει ắlgee / ắlgei	ᾰ̓́λγεᾰ ắlgeă
Notes:	Dialects other than Attic are not well attested. Some forms may be based on conjecture. Use with caution.

Synonyms

• πόνος (pónos)

Derived terms

• ἀλγεινός (algeinós)
• ἀλγέω (algéō)
• ἀλγηδών (algēdṓn)
• ἄλγημα (álgēma)
• ἄλγησις (álgēsis)
• ἀλγινόεις (alginóeis)
• ἀλγύνω (algúnō)
• ἀναλγής (analgḗs)
• ἀναλγησίᾱ (analgēsíā)
• ἀνάλγητος (análgētos)
• ἀπαλγέω (apalgéō)
• γλωσσαλγῐ́ᾱ (glōssalgĭ́ā)
• διαλγέω (dialgéō)
• διαλγής (dialgḗs)
• δυσαλγής (dusalgḗs)
• ἐπαλγέω (epalgéō)
• θῡμαλγής (thūmalgḗs)
• καρδιαλγία (kardialgía)
• καταλγέω (katalgéō)
• κεφαλαλγέω (kephalalgéō)
• κεφαλαλγής (kephalalgḗs)
• κεφαλαλγία (kephalalgía)
• ὀσφῠᾰλγῐ́ᾱ (osphŭălgĭ́ā)
• περιαλγέω (perialgéō)
• περιαλγής (perialgḗs)
• ποδαλγίᾱ (podalgíā)
• συναλγέω (sunalgéō)
• ὑπεραλγέω (huperalgéō)
• ὑπεραλγής (huperalgḗs)

Descendants

• Greek: άλγος n (álgos, “pain”)
• → English: -algia, -algy

Further reading

• “ἄλγος”, in Liddell & Scott (1940), A Greek–English Lexicon, Oxford: Clarendon Press
• “ἄλγος”, in Liddell & Scott (1889), An Intermediate Greek–English Lexicon, New York: Harper & Brothers
• “ἄλγος”, in Autenrieth, Georg (1891), A Homeric Dictionary for Schools and Colleges, New York: Harper and Brothers
• ἄλγος in Bailly, Anatole (1935), Le Grand Bailly: Dictionnaire grec-français, Paris: Hachette
• ἄλγος in Cunliffe, Richard J. (1924), A Lexicon of the Homeric Dialect: Expanded Edition, Norman: University of Oklahoma Press, published 1963
• ἄλγος in the Diccionario Griego–Español en línea (2006–2026)
• “ἄλγος”, 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.
  • ache idem, page 8.
  • anguish idem, page 29.
  • grief idem, page 373.
  • heaviness idem, page 393.
  • lamentation idem, page 474.
  • melancholy idem, page 524.
  • misery idem, page 534.
  • pain idem, page 588.
  • sadness idem, page 730.
  • smart idem, page 786.
  • sorrow idem, page 795.
  • torment idem, page 881.
  • unhappiness idem, page 920.
• ἄλγος, in ΛΟΓΕΙΟΝ [Logeion] Dictionaries for Ancient Greek and Latin (in English, French, Spanish, German, Dutch and Chinese), University of Chicago, since 2011