Ἀφροδίτη

See also: Αφροδίτη

Ancient Greek

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Aphrodite

Wikipedia

Alternative forms

(ICS2 327) 𐠀𐠡𐠥𐠯𐠪𐠈 (a-po-ri-ti-si-jo), 𐠀𐠡𐠦𐠯𐠪𐠈 (a-po-ro-ti-si-jo) — Cypriot
Ἀφορδίτα (Aphordíta) — Cretan
Ἀφροδίτα (Aphrodíta) — Aeolic, Doric
Ἀφρόδιτα (Aphródita) — Lesbian Aeolic

Etymology

The theonym is found in Homer and Hesiod (c. 8th century B.C.). Traditionally it has been viewed as a compound, ᾰ̓φρός (ăphrós, “sea foam; froth”) +‎ -δῑ́τη (-dī́tē), connecting the first part with the legend of the goddess' birth.^[1] This has not been accepted by modern scholars.

There is no etymology generally accepted in scholarship. Some such as Beekes propose that the name in its entirety is a loan from a non-Greek language, of probable "oriental origin", possibly Cypriot Phoenician (such as in the Idalion bilingual). A connection to Akkadian 𒀭𒈹 (^dIštar) has been further proposed.^[2]^[3]

An older, now rejected proposal^[4]^[5] of a Greek etymology connects -δῑ́τη (-dī́tē) with the verb δέᾰτο (déăto, “to shine, to appear, seem”) (Homeric δῆλος (dêlos, “visible, conspicuous, clear”)) and interprets the name as originating from an epithet of the dawn goddess Ἠώς (Ēṓs).

Pronunciation

(5^th BCE Attic) IPA^(key): /a.pʰro.dǐː.tɛː/
(1^st CE Egyptian) IPA^(key): /a.pʰroˈdi.te̝/
(4^th CE Koine) IPA^(key): /a.ɸroˈði.ti/
(10^th CE Medieval) IPA^(key): /a.froˈði.ti/
(15^th CE Constantinopolitan) IPA^(key): /a.froˈði.ti/

Proper noun

Ᾰ̓φροδῑ́τη • (Ăphrodī́tē) f (genitive Ᾰ̓φροδῑ́της); first declension

(Greek mythology) Aphrodite
the planet Venus

Declension

First declension of ἡ Ᾰ̓φροδῑ́τη; τῆς Ᾰ̓φροδῑ́της (Attic)

Case / #	Singular
Nominative	ἡ Ᾰ̓φροδῑ́τη hē Ăphrodī́tē
Genitive	τῆς Ᾰ̓φροδῑ́της tês Ăphrodī́tēs
Dative	τῇ Ᾰ̓φροδῑ́τῃ tēî Ăphrodī́tēi
Accusative	τὴν Ᾰ̓φροδῑ́την tḕn Ăphrodī́tēn
Vocative	Ᾰ̓φροδῑ́τη Ăphrodī́tē
Notes:	This table gives Attic inflectional endings. For declension in other dialects, see Appendix:Ancient Greek dialectal declension.

Derived terms

ᾰ̓φροδῑ́σῐᾰ (ăphrodī́sĭă)
ᾰ̓φροδῑσῐᾰ́ζω (ăphrodīsĭắzō)
ᾰ̓φροδῑσῐᾰκός (ăphrodīsĭăkós)
ᾰ̓φροδῑσῐᾱ́ς (ăphrodīsĭā́s)
ᾰ̓φροδῑσῐᾰσμός (ăphrodīsĭăsmós)
ᾰ̓φροδῑσῐᾰστής (ăphrodīsĭăstḗs)
ᾰ̓φροδῑσῐᾰστῐκός (ăphrodīsĭăstĭkós)
Ᾰ̓φροδῑ́σῐος (Ăphrodī́sĭos)

Descendants

Greek: Αφροδίτη (Afrodíti)
→ Albanian: Afërditë
→ Coptic: ⲁⲫⲣⲟⲇⲓⲧⲏ (aphroditē)
→ Latin: Aphrodite
→ Messapic: απροδιτα (aprodita)
→ Russian: Афроди́та (Afrodíta)
→ Sanskrit: आस्फुजित् (āsphujit)
→ Translingual: Aphrodita

References

“Ἀφροδίτη”, in Liddell & Scott (1940), A Greek–English Lexicon, Oxford: Clarendon Press
“Ἀφροδίτη”, in Liddell & Scott (1889), An Intermediate Greek–English Lexicon, New York: Harper & Brothers
“Ἀφροδίτη”, in Autenrieth, Georg (1891), A Homeric Dictionary for Schools and Colleges, New York: Harper and Brothers
Ἀφροδίτη in Cunliffe, Richard J. (1924), A Lexicon of the Homeric Dialect: Expanded Edition, Norman: University of Oklahoma Press, published 1963
“Ἀφροδίτη” in the Diccionario Griego–Español en línea (2006–2026)
Woodhouse, S. C. (1910), English–Greek Dictionary: A Vocabulary of the Attic Language‎^[1], London: Routledge & Kegan Paul Limited, page 1,001

^ Paul Kretschmer, “Zum pamphylischen Dialekt”, Zeitschrift für vergleichende Sprachforschung auf dem Gebiet der Indogermanischen Sprachen 33 (1895): 267.
^ Robert Beekes, Etymological Dictionary of Greek, vol. 1 (Leiden-Boston: Brill, 2010), 179.
^ Martin Litchfield West, “The Name of Aphrodite”, Glotta 76 (2000): 134-8.
^ Ernst Maaß, “Aphrodite und die hl. Pelagia”, Neue Jahrbücher für das klassische Altertum 27 (1911): 457-468.
^ Vittore Pisani, “Akmon e Dieus”, Archivio glottologico italiano 24 (1930): 65-73.