Ἀφροδίτη

See also: Αφροδίτη

Ancient Greek

Alternative forms

• Ἀφοροδίτα (Aphorodíta) — Cypriot
• Ἀφορδίτα (Aphordíta) — Crete
• Ἀφροδίτα (Aphrodíta) — Aeolic, Doric

Etymology

The theonym is found in Homer and Hesiod (ca. 8th century B.C.E.). Apparently it is a compound, ἀφρο (aphro) +‎ δίτη (dítē), and the traditional explanation connects the first part with ἀφρός (aphrós, “foam”).
There is no etymology generally accepted in scholarship. Some propose that the name in its entirety is a loan from a non-Greek language. Older as well as some newer studies propose a Greek etymology, connecting -δίτη (-dítē) with the verb δέατο (déato, “to shine, to appear, seem”) (Homeric δῆλος (dêlos, “visible, conspicuous, clear”)) and interpret the name as originating from a epithet of the dawn goddess Ἠώς (Ēṓs).

Pronunciation

 

• IPA^(key): /a.pʰro.dǐː.tɛː/ → /a.ɸroˈði.ti/ → /a.froˈði.ti/

• (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 Byzantine) IPA^(key): /a.froˈði.ti/
• (15^th CE Constantinopolitan) IPA^(key): /a.froˈði.ti/

Proper noun

Ἀφροδῑ́τη • (Aphrodī́tē) f (genitive Ἀφροδίτης); first declension

1. Aphrodite
2. the planet Venus

Inflection

First declension of ἡ Ἀφροδῑ́τη; τῆς Ἀφροδῑ́της (Attic)

Case / #	Singular
Nominative	ἡ Ἀφροδῑ́τη hē Aphrodī́tē
Genitive	τῆς Ἀφροδῑ́της tês Aphrodī́tēs
Dative	τῇ Ἀφροδῑ́τῃ têi Aphrodī́tēi
Accusative	τὴν Ἀφροδῑ́την tḕn Aphrodī́tēn
Vocative	Ἀφροδῑ́τη Aphrodī́tē
Notes:	This table gives Attic inflectional endings. For declension in other dialects, see Appendix:Ancient Greek dialectal declension.

Derived terms

• ἀφροδίσιος (aphrodísios)
  • ἀφροδίσια (aphrodísia)
  • ἀφροδισιάς (aphrodisiás)
  • ἀφροδισιακός (aphrodisiakós)
  • ἀφροδισιάζω (aphrodisiázō)
    • ἀφροδισιασμός (aphrodisiasmós)
    • ἀφροδισιαστής (aphrodisiastḗs)
    • ἀφροδισιαστικός (aphrodisiastikós)

Descendants

• Greek: Αφροδίτη (Afrodíti)
• Latin: Aphrodite
• Russian: Афродита (Afrodíta)
• Albanian: Afërditë
• Translingual:

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 (2006–2024)
• Woodhouse, S. C. (1910) English–Greek Dictionary: A Vocabulary of the Attic Language‎^[1], London: Routledge & Kegan Paul Limited, page 1,001