ἔθνος

See also: έθνος

Ancient Greek

Etymology

PIE word
*swé

Probably from Ancient Greek ἔθω (éthō, “I am accustomed, wont (to something)”) + -νος (-nos), equivalent to Proto-Indo-European *swedʰ-no-, expanded from the reflexive pronoun Proto-Indo-European *swé (“self”) + *dʰeh₁- (“to put, place, set”).^[1] For semantic development of senses 3 and 4, compare Hebrew גּוֹי (goi).

Pronunciation

(5^th BCE Attic) IPA^(key): /é.tʰnos/
(1^st CE Egyptian) IPA^(key): /ˈe.tʰnos/
(4^th CE Koine) IPA^(key): /ˈe.θnos/
(10^th CE Byzantine) IPA^(key): /ˈe.θnos/
(15^th CE Constantinopolitan) IPA^(key): /ˈe.θnos/

Noun

ἔθνος • (éthnos) n (genitive ἔθνεος or ἔθνους); third declension

group of people: band, tribe, kin, nation
group of animals: flock, herd
(later usage) In the plural (τὰ) ἔθνη functions as an idiomatic collective term for peoples regarded as foreign to a reference group; see ἔθνος (éthnos).

(Early Greek and Greco-Roman usage: foreign or subject peoples, often contrasted with Greeks)
- 384 BCE – 322 BCE, Aristotle, Politics 1324b10:
  ἔτι δ’ ἐν τοῖς ἔθνεσι πᾶσι τοῖς δυναμένοις πλεονεκτεῖν ἡ τοιαύτη τετίμηται δύναμις, οἷον ἐν Σκύθαις καὶ Πέρσαις καὶ Θρᾳξὶ καὶ Κελτοῖς.
  éti d’ en toîs éthnesi pâsi toîs dunaménois pleonekteîn hē toiaútē tetímētai dúnamis, hoîon en Skúthais kaì Pérsais kaì Thrāixì kaì Keltoîs.
  Moreover, among all the foreign peoples who are able to dominate others, such power is held in honor—for example among the Scythians, Persians, Thracians, and Celts.
- 95 CE – 165 CE, Appian, Civil Wars 2.26:
  εἰσηγεῖτο δὲ ἤδη καὶ διαδόχους αὐτῷ πέμπειν ἐπὶ τὰ ἔθνη.
  eisēgeîto dè ḗdē kaì diadókhous autōî pémpein epì tà éthnē.
  He was already proposing to send successors to him to govern the provinces (foreign peoples).
- 155 CE – 235 CE, Cassius Dio, Roman History 36.41:
  μισήσας τὸ πρᾶγμα διὰ τοὺς πολλοὺς τοὺς οὐδὲν ὑγιὲς ἐν τοῖς ἔθνεσι δρῶτας.
  misḗsas tò prâgma dià toùs polloùs toùs oudèn hugiès en toîs éthnesi drôtas.
  He detested the post because of the many who conducted nothing soundly in the administration of the subject peoples.
(Septuagint and late Second Temple Jewish usage: non-Israelite peoples collectively)
- 1 Maccabees, 1 11–15:
  Πορευθῶμεν καὶ διαθώμεθα διαθήκην μετὰ τῶν ἐθνῶν τῶν κύκλῳ ἡμῶν … καὶ ἔδωκεν αὐτοῖς ἐξουσίαν ποιῆσαι τὰ δικαιώματα τῶν ἐθνῶν … καὶ ἐζευγίσθησαν τοῖς ἔθνεσιν.
  Poreuthômen kaì diathṓmetha diathḗkēn metà tôn ethnôn tôn kúklōi hēmôn … kaì édōken autoîs exousían poiêsai tà dikaiṓmata tôn ethnôn … kaì ezeugísthēsan toîs éthnesin.
  “Let us go and make a covenant with the nations around us … and he authorized them to observe the ordinances of the nations … and they joined themselves to the nations.”
- 300 BCE – 200 BCE, Septuagint, Psalms 2.1:
  ἵνα τί ἐφρύαξαν τὰ ἔθνη, καὶ λαοὶ ἐμελέτησαν κενά;
  hína tí ephrúaxan tà éthnē, kaì laoì emelétēsan kená?
  Why did the nations rage, and the peoples devise vain things?
- 300 BCE – 200 BCE, Septuagint, Deuteronomy 7.1:
  ὅταν δὲ εἰσαγάγῃ σε Κύριος ὁ Θεός σου εἰς τὴν γῆν… καὶ ἐξαρῇ ἔθνη πολλὰ ἀπὸ προσώπου σου.
  hótan dè eisagágēi se Kúrios ho Theós sou eis tḕn gên… kaì exarēî éthnē pollà apò prosṓpou sou.
  When the Lord your God brings you into the land… and removes many nations before you.
- Acts, 7 45:
  ἣν εἰσενέγκαντες οἱ πατέρες ἡμῶν… ἐν τῇ κατασχέσει τῶν ἐθνῶν ὧν ἐξῶσεν ὁ Θεὸς ἀπὸ προσώπου τῶν πατέρων ἡμῶν.
  hḕn eisenénkantes hoi patéres hēmôn… en tēî kataskhései tôn ethnôn hôn exôsen ho Theòs apò prosṓpou tôn patérōn hēmôn.
  Which our fathers brought in… when they took possession of the land of the nations that God drove out before our fathers.
(Early Christian usage, esp. Paul: the same collective category used exhaustively in contrast with Jews/Israel, and applied to specific persons)
- Romans, 3 29:
  ἢ Ἰουδαίων ὁ Θεὸς μόνον; οὐχὶ καὶ ἐθνῶν;
  ḕ Ioudaíōn ho Theòs mónon? oukhì kaì ethnôn?
  Or is God the God of Jews only? Is he not also the God of the nations?
- Romans, 9 24:
  οὐ μόνον ἐξ Ἰουδαίων ἀλλὰ καὶ ἐξ ἐθνῶν.
  ou mónon ex Ioudaíōn allà kaì ex ethnôn.
  Not only from Jews but also from the nations.
- Galatians, 2 14:
  πῶς τὰ ἔθνη ἀναγκάζεις Ἰουδαΐζειν;
  pôs tà éthnē anankázeis Ioudaḯzein?
  How can you compel the nations to live like Jews?
class, order; a group of persons defined by a shared role, activity, or social function
- 375 BCE, Plato, The Republic 351c:
  δοκεῖς ἂν ἢ πόλιν ἢ στρατόπεδον ἢ λῃστὰς ἢ κλέπτας ἢ ἄλλο τι ἔθνος, ὅσα κοινῇ ἐπί τι ἔρχεται ἀδίκως, πρᾶξαι ἄν τι δύνασθαι, εἰ ἀδικοῖεν ἀλλήλους;
  dokeîs àn ḕ pólin ḕ stratópedon ḕ lēistàs ḕ kléptas ḕ állo ti éthnos, hósa koinēî epí ti érkhetai adíkōs, prâxai án ti dúnasthai, ei adikoîen allḗlous?
  Do you think that a city or an army or bandits or thieves or any other group that undertakes something unjust in common would be able to accomplish anything, if they wronged one another?

Usage notes

In Ancient Greek, especially in the plural (τὰ ἔθνη (éthnē)), ἔθνος (éthnos) denotes a collective category of peoples rather than a fixed personal identity. This plural usage has a conventional meaning that is not always predictable from the singular form.
English glosses such as Gentile may suggest a stable personal or religious identity, but this reflects later interpretive traditions rather than a distinct lexical meaning in Greek.
The referent of τὰ ἔθνη is context-dependent: in secular Greek it may contrast with Greeks, in Jewish texts with Israel, and in early Christian texts with Jews, while retaining the same underlying collective sense.

Inflection

Third declension of τὸ ἔθνος; τοῦ ἔθνους (Attic)

Case / #	Singular	Dual	Plural
Nominative	τὸ ἔθνος tò éthnos	τὼ ἔθνει tṑ éthnei	τᾰ̀ ἔθνη tằ éthnē
Genitive	τοῦ ἔθνους toû éthnous	τοῖν ἐθνοῖν toîn ethnoîn	τῶν ἐθνῶν tôn ethnôn
Dative	τῷ ἔθνει tōî éthnei	τοῖν ἐθνοῖν toîn ethnoîn	τοῖς ἔθνεσῐ / ἔθνεσῐν toîs éthnesĭ(n)
Accusative	τὸ ἔθνος tò éthnos	τὼ ἔθνει tṑ éthnei	τᾰ̀ ἔθνη tằ éthnē
Vocative	ἔθνος éthnos	ἔθνει éthnei	ἔθνη éthnē
Notes:	This table gives Attic inflectional endings. For declension in other dialects, see Appendix:Ancient Greek dialectal declension.

Third declension of τὸ ἔθνος; τοῦ ἔθνεος / ἔθνευς (Ionic)

Case / #	Singular	Dual	Plural
Nominative	τὸ ἔθνος tò éthnos	τὼ ἔθνεε / ἔθνει tṑ éthnee / éthnei	τᾰ̀ ἔθνεᾰ tằ éthneă
Genitive	τοῦ ἔθνεος / ἔθνευς toû éthneos / éthneus	τοῖν ἐθνέοιν toîn ethnéoin	τῶν ἐθνέων tôn ethnéōn
Dative	τῷ ἔθνεῐ̈ / ἔθνει tōî éthneĭ̈ / éthnei	τοῖν ἐθνέοιν toîn ethnéoin	τοῖσῐ / τοῖσῐν ἔθνεσῐ / ἔθνεσῐν toîsĭ(n) éthnesĭ(n)
Accusative	τὸ ἔθνος tò éthnos	τὼ ἔθνεε / ἔθνει tṑ éthnee / éthnei	τᾰ̀ ἔθνεᾰ tằ éthneă
Vocative	ἔθνος éthnos	ἔθνεε / ἔθνει éthnee / éthnei	ἔθνεᾰ éthneă
Notes:	Dialects other than Attic are not well attested. Some forms may be based on conjecture. Use with caution.

Derived terms

ἐθνάρχης (ethnárkhēs)
ἐθναρχία (ethnarkhía)
ἐθνηδόν (ethnēdón)
ἐθνικός (ethnikós)
ἐθνίτης (ethnítēs)
ἐθνοφύλαξ (ethnophúlax)

Descendants

→ Coptic: ⲉⲑⲛⲟⲥ (ethnos)
→ English: ethnos
→ Greek: έθνος (éthnos) (learned)
→ Macedonian: етнос (etnos)
→ Russian: э́тнос (étnos)
→ Ukrainian: е́тнос (étnos)

from the spoken alternative form ἕθνος (héthnos):

Aramaic:
- Classical Syriac: ܗܬܢܘܣ (haṯnōs)
→ Coptic: ϩⲉⲑⲛⲟⲥ (hethnos)
→ Old Armenian: հեթանոս (hetʻanos)
- Armenian: հեթանոս (hetʻanos)

References

^ Beekes, Robert S. P. (2010), “ἔθνος”, in Etymological Dictionary of Greek (Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series; 10), volume I, with the assistance of Lucien van Beek, Leiden, Boston: Brill, →ISBN, pages 377–378