Ἀλέξανδρος

See also: Αλέξανδρος

Ancient Greek

Etymology

From ᾰ̓λέξω (ăléxō, “to repel”) +‎ ᾰ̓νδρ- (ăndr-, stem of ᾰ̓νήρ (ănḗr, “man”)) +‎ -ος (-os), literally “man who repels [enemies]”. Cognate with Hittite 𒀀𒆷𒀝𒊭𒀭𒁺𒍑 (/⁠Alakšānduš⁠/, “Alaksandu”), attested in the 13th century BCE, apparently borrowed from an earlier Hellenic language, though the precise origin is unclear. Mycenaean Greek 𐀀𐀩𐀏𐀭𐀅𐀨 (a-re-ka-sa-da-ra), corresponding to feminine Ancient Greek Ᾰ̓λεξᾰ́νδρᾱ (Ălexắndrā), is the earliest attested form in Hellenic.

Pronunciation

 

• IPA^(key): /a.lék.san.dros/ → /aˈlek.san.dros/ → /aˈlek.san.dros/

• (5^th BCE Attic) IPA^(key): /a.lék.san.dros/
• (1^st CE Egyptian) IPA^(key): /aˈlek.san.dros/
• (4^th CE Koine) IPA^(key): /aˈlek.san.dros/
• (10^th CE Byzantine) IPA^(key): /aˈlek.san.dros/
• (15^th CE Constantinopolitan) IPA^(key): /aˈlek.san.dros/

Proper noun

Ᾰ̓λέξᾰνδρος • (Ăléxăndros) m (genitive Ᾰ̓λεξᾰ́νδρου, feminine Ᾰ̓λεξᾰ́νδρᾱ); second declension

1. a title held by Hera and Paris, among others
2. a male given name, equivalent to English Alexander, most famously held by Alexander the Great
   • 46 CE – 120 CE, Plutarch, Alexander the Great 14:

     καὶ μικρὸν μὲν ἀνεκάθισεν, ἀνθρώπων τοσούτων ἐπερχομένων, καὶ διέβλεψεν εἰς τὸν Ἀλέξανδρον. ὡς δὲ ἐκεῖνος ἀσπασάμενος καὶ προσειπὼν αὐτὸν ἠρώτησεν εἴ τινος τυγχάνει δεόμενος, “Μικρόν,” εἶπεν, “ἀπὸ τοῦ ἡλίου μετάστηθι.”

     kaì mikròn mèn anekáthisen, anthrṓpōn tosoútōn eperkhoménōn, kaì diéblepsen eis tòn Aléxandron. hōs dè ekeînos aspasámenos kaì proseipṑn autòn ērṓtēsen eí tinos tunkhánei deómenos, “Mikrón,” eîpen, “apò toû hēlíou metástēthi.”

     Diogenes raised himself up a little when he saw so many persons coming towards him, and fixed his eyes upon Alexander. And when that monarch addressed him with greetings, and asked if by chance he wanted anything, “Yes,” said Diogenes, “stand a little out of my sun.”

Declension

Second declension of ὁ Ᾰ̓λέξᾰνδρος; τοῦ Ᾰ̓λεξᾰ́νδρου (Attic)

Case / #	Singular	Dual	Plural
Nominative	ὁ Ᾰ̓λέξᾰνδρος ho Ăléxăndros	τὼ Ᾰ̓λεξᾰ́νδρω tṑ Ălexắndrō	οἱ Ᾰ̓λέξᾰνδροι hoi Ăléxăndroi
Genitive	τοῦ Ᾰ̓λεξᾰ́νδρου toû Ălexắndrou	τοῖν Ᾰ̓λεξᾰ́νδροιν toîn Ălexắndroin	τῶν Ᾰ̓λεξᾰ́νδρων tôn Ălexắndrōn
Dative	τῷ Ᾰ̓λεξᾰ́νδρῳ tōî Ălexắndrōi	τοῖν Ᾰ̓λεξᾰ́νδροιν toîn Ălexắndroin	τοῖς Ᾰ̓λεξᾰ́νδροις toîs Ălexắndrois
Accusative	τὸν Ᾰ̓λέξᾰνδρον tòn Ăléxăndron	τὼ Ᾰ̓λεξᾰ́νδρω tṑ Ălexắndrō	τοὺς Ᾰ̓λεξᾰ́νδρους toùs Ălexắndrous
Vocative	Ᾰ̓λέξᾰνδρε Ăléxăndre	Ᾰ̓λεξᾰ́νδρω Ălexắndrō	Ᾰ̓λέξᾰνδροι Ăléxăndroi
Notes:	This table gives Attic inflectional endings. For declension in other dialects, see Appendix:Ancient Greek dialectal declension.

Second declension of Ᾰ̓λέξᾰνδρος; Ᾰ̓λεξᾰ́νδροιο / Ᾰ̓λεξᾰ́νδροο / Ᾰ̓λεξᾰ́νδρου (Epic)

Case / #	Singular	Dual	Plural
Nominative	Ᾰ̓λέξᾰνδρος Ăléxăndros	Ᾰ̓λεξᾰ́νδρω Ălexắndrō	Ᾰ̓λέξᾰνδροι Ăléxăndroi
Genitive	Ᾰ̓λεξᾰ́νδροιο / Ᾰ̓λεξᾰ́νδροο / Ᾰ̓λεξᾰ́νδρου Ălexắndroio / Ălexắndroo / Ălexắndrou	Ᾰ̓λεξᾰ́νδροιῐ̈ν Ălexắndroiĭ̈n	Ᾰ̓λεξᾰ́νδρων Ălexắndrōn
Dative	Ᾰ̓λεξᾰ́νδρῳ Ălexắndrōi	Ᾰ̓λεξᾰ́νδροιῐ̈ν Ălexắndroiĭ̈n	Ᾰ̓λεξᾰ́νδροισῐ / Ᾰ̓λεξᾰ́νδροισῐν / Ᾰ̓λεξᾰ́νδροις Ălexắndroisĭ(n) / Ălexắndrois
Accusative	Ᾰ̓λέξᾰνδρον Ăléxăndron	Ᾰ̓λεξᾰ́νδρω Ălexắndrō	Ᾰ̓λεξᾰ́νδρους Ălexắndrous
Vocative	Ᾰ̓λέξᾰνδρε Ăléxăndre	Ᾰ̓λεξᾰ́νδρω Ălexắndrō	Ᾰ̓λέξᾰνδροι Ăléxăndroi
Notes:	Dialects other than Attic are not well attested. Some forms may be based on conjecture. Use with caution.

Second declension of ὁ Ᾰ̓λέξᾰνδρος; τοῦ Ᾰ̓λεξᾰ́νδρου (Ionic)

Case / #	Singular	Dual	Plural
Nominative	ὁ Ᾰ̓λέξᾰνδρος ho Ăléxăndros	τὼ Ᾰ̓λεξᾰ́νδρω tṑ Ălexắndrō	οἱ Ᾰ̓λέξᾰνδροι hoi Ăléxăndroi
Genitive	τοῦ Ᾰ̓λεξᾰ́νδρου toû Ălexắndrou	τοῖν Ᾰ̓λεξᾰ́νδροιν toîn Ălexắndroin	τῶν Ᾰ̓λεξᾰ́νδρων tôn Ălexắndrōn
Dative	τῷ Ᾰ̓λεξᾰ́νδρῳ tōî Ălexắndrōi	τοῖν Ᾰ̓λεξᾰ́νδροιν toîn Ălexắndroin	τοῖσῐ / τοῖσῐν Ᾰ̓λεξᾰ́νδροισῐ / Ᾰ̓λεξᾰ́νδροισῐν toîsĭ(n) Ălexắndroisĭ(n)
Accusative	τὸν Ᾰ̓λέξᾰνδρον tòn Ăléxăndron	τὼ Ᾰ̓λεξᾰ́νδρω tṑ Ălexắndrō	τοὺς Ᾰ̓λεξᾰ́νδρους toùs Ălexắndrous
Vocative	Ᾰ̓λέξᾰνδρε Ăléxăndre	Ᾰ̓λεξᾰ́νδρω Ălexắndrō	Ᾰ̓λέξᾰνδροι Ăléxăndroi
Notes:	Dialects other than Attic are not well attested. Some forms may be based on conjecture. Use with caution.

Derived terms

• Ᾰ̓λεξᾰ́νδρᾱ (Ălexắndrā)
• Ᾰ̓λεξᾰ́νδρειᾰ (Ălexắndreiă)
• Ᾰ̓λεξᾰνδρέττᾰ (Ălexăndréttă)
• Ᾰ̓λεξᾰνδρῐ́ζω (Ălexăndrĭ́zō)
• Ᾰ̓λεξᾰνδρῐστής (Ălexăndrĭstḗs)
• Ᾰ̓λεξᾰνδροκόλᾰξ (Ălexăndrokólăx)
• Ᾰ̓λεξᾰνδρώδης (Ălexăndrṓdēs)

Descendants

• Greek: Αλέξανδρος (Aléxandros)
• → Albanian: Lleshdër, Leshdër
• → Arabic: أَلِكْسَنْدَرُوس (ʔaliksandarūs), إِسْكَنْدَر (ʔiskandar), الْإِسْكَنْدَر (al-ʔiskandar) (see there for further descendants)
• → Ashokan Prakrit: 𑀅𑀮𑀺𑀓𑁆𑀬𑀰𑀼𑀤𑀮 (alikyaśudala)
• → Coptic: ⲁⲗⲉⲝⲁⲛⲇⲣⲟⲥ (aleksandros)
• → Egyptian: ꜣrwksjndrs
• → Etruscan: 𐌀𐌋𐌄𐌙𐌔𐌀𐌍𐌕𐌓𐌄 (Aleχsantre), 𐌀𐌋𐌉𐌙𐌔𐌀𐌍𐌕𐌓𐌄 (Aliχsantre)
• → Gagauz: Aleksandri
• → Georgian: ალექსანდრე (aleksandre)
• → Gothic: 𐌰𐌻𐌰𐌹𐌺𐍃𐌰𐌽𐌳𐍂𐌿𐍃 (alaiksandrus)
• → Japanese: アレクサンドロス (Arekusandorosu)
• → Latin: Alexander (see there for further descendants)
• → Middle Persian:

  Manichaean script: 𐫀𐫓𐫟𐫘𐫏𐫗𐫅𐫡 (ʾlxsyndr)

  Book Pahlavi script: [Book Pahlavi needed] (ʾlksndl)

• → Old Armenian: Աղեքսանդր (Ałekʻsandr)
  • ⇒ Armenian: Ալեքսանդր (Alekʻsandr)
• → Old Church Slavonic: Алеѯандръ (Aleksandrŭ) (see there for further descendants)

Further reading

• “Ἀλέξανδρος”, in Autenrieth, Georg (1891), A Homeric Dictionary for Schools and Colleges, New York: Harper and Brothers
• 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
• Ἀλέξανδρος in the Diccionario Griego–Español en línea (2006–2026)
• “Ἀλέξανδρος”, in Slater, William J. (1969), Lexicon to Pindar, Berlin: Walter de Gruyter
• G223 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, page 1,000
• Nestle, Eberhard; Aland, Kurt with et al. (2012), Novum Testamentum Graece‎^[2], 28th revised edition, 4th corrected printing edition, Stuttgart: Stuttgart Deutsche Bibelgesellschaft, →ISBN
• Alexander on Wikipedia.Wikipedia
• Beekes, Robert Stephen Paul (2010) Etymological Dictionary of Greek, Leiden-Boston: Leiden Indo-European Dictionary Series page 64 and page 103