Ἀχιλλεύς

Ancient Greek

Alternative forms

Ᾰ̓χῐλεύς (Ăkhĭleús) — Epic, sometimes for meter

Etymology

Of uncertain origin. In Mycenaean Greek Linear B texts, the name 𐀀𐀑𐀩𐀄 (a-ki-re-u, nominative singular)^[1] / 𐀀𐀑𐀩𐀸 (a-ki-re-we, dative singular)^[2] is attested and generally taken to be the same name.^[3]

Since ancient times and in the present day, some have speculated that the name is connected to ᾰ̓́χος (ắkhos, “distress; grief”) and λᾱός (lāós, “people”), as the grief Achilles causes people is a central theme of the Iliad.^[4]^[5]^[6]

Pronunciation

(5^th BCE Attic) IPA^(key): /a.kʰil.lěu̯s/
(1^st CE Egyptian) IPA^(key): /a.kʰilˈleʍs/
(4^th CE Koine) IPA^(key): /a.çilˈleɸs/
(10^th CE Byzantine) IPA^(key): /a.çilˈlefs/
(15^th CE Constantinopolitan) IPA^(key): /a.çiˈlefs/

Proper noun

Ᾰ̓χῐλλεύς • (Ăkhĭlleús) m (genitive Ᾰ̓χῐλλέως or Ᾰ̓χῐλλῆος or Ᾰ̓χῐλλέος); third declension

a male given name, Achilles

Declension

Third declension of ὁ Ᾰ̓χῐλλεύς; τοῦ Ᾰ̓χῐλλέως (Attic)

Case / #	Singular
Nominative	ὁ Ᾰ̓χῐλλεύς ho Ăkhĭlleús
Genitive	τοῦ Ᾰ̓χῐλλέως toû Ăkhĭlléōs
Dative	τῷ Ᾰ̓χῐλλεῖ tōî Ăkhĭlleî
Accusative	τὸν Ᾰ̓χῐλλέᾱ tòn Ăkhĭlléā
Vocative	Ᾰ̓χῐλλεῦ Ăkhĭlleû
Notes:	This table gives Attic inflectional endings. For declension in other dialects, see Appendix:Ancient Greek dialectal declension.

Third declension of Ᾰ̓χῐλλεύς; Ᾰ̓χῐλλῆος / Ᾰ̓χῐλλέος (Epic)

Case / #	Singular
Nominative	Ᾰ̓χῐλλεύς Ăkhĭlleús
Genitive	Ᾰ̓χῐλλῆος / Ᾰ̓χῐλλέος Ăkhĭllêos / Ăkhĭlléos
Dative	Ᾰ̓χῐλλῆῐ̈ / Ᾰ̓χῐλλέῐ̈ Ăkhĭllêĭ̈ / Ăkhĭlléĭ̈
Accusative	Ᾰ̓χῐλλῆᾰ / Ᾰ̓χῐλλέᾰ Ăkhĭllêă / Ăkhĭlléă
Vocative	Ᾰ̓χῐλλεῦ Ăkhĭlleû
Notes:	Dialects other than Attic are not well attested. Some forms may be based on conjecture. Use with caution.

Derived terms

Ᾰ̓χῐ́λλειος (Ăkhĭ́lleios)

Descendants

Greek: Αχιλλέας (Achilléas), Αχιλλεύς (Achilléfs)
→ Old Armenian: Աքիլլէս (Akʻillēs), Աքիլլեւս (Akʻillews)
- Armenian: Աքիլլես (Akʻilles)
→ Etruscan: 𐌀𐌗𐌋𐌄 (axle)
→ Latin: Achillēs, Achille͡us
- → English: Achilles
- → French: Achille
- → German: Achill
- → Italian: Achille

References

^ Harvard Studies in Classical Philology, volume 76 (1972), →ISBN
^ Linear B, a 1984 Survey: Proceedings of the Mycenaean Colloquium (1985), →ISBN
^ Glotta: Zeitschrift für griechische und lateinische Sprache (1993), The Name of Achilles: a revised etymology, page 19: a-ki-re-u (nominative) and a-ki-re-we (dative) at Knosses (Vc 106) and Pylos (Fn 06) respectively
^ Leonard Palmer (1963), The Interpretation of Mycenaean Greek Texts, Oxford: Clarendon Press, page 79
^ Gregory Nagy (19 March 2015 (last accessed)), “The Name of Achilles: Questions of Etymology and “Folk-Etymology””, in Homer’s Text and Language‎^[1], The Center for Hellenic Studies, Harvard University
^ Glotta: Zeitschrift für griechische und lateinische Sprache (1993), The Name of Achilles: a revised etymology, pages 19 through 21, summarizes Nagy's, Palmer's, and also Kretschmer's theories in this regard.