θεός

See also: Θεός

Ancient Greek

Alternative forms

• θέος (théos) — Lesbian
• θεύς (theús) — Doric
• θιός (thiós) — Boeotian, Arcadocypriot
• θιός, σιός (thiós, siós) — Laconian

Etymology

From Proto-Hellenic *tʰehós (whence also Mycenaean Greek 𐀳𐀃 (te-o)), a thematicization of amphikinetic Proto-Indo-European *dʰéh₁-s-(s) ~ *dʰh₁-s-és, from *dʰeh₁- (“to do, to put, to place”) + *-s (s-stem forming suffix). Cognate with Phrygian δεως (deōs, “to the gods”), Old Armenian դիք (dikʿ, “gods”) and Latin fēriae (“festival days”), fānum (“temple”) and fēstus (“festive”).

Despite its similarity in form and meaning, the word is not related to Latin deus; the two come from different roots. A true cognate of deus is Ζεύς (Zeús).

Pronunciation

 

• IPA^(key): /tʰe.ós/ → /θeˈos/ → /θeˈos/

• (5^th BCE Attic) IPA^(key): /tʰe.ós/
• (1^st CE Egyptian) IPA^(key): /tʰeˈos/
• (4^th CE Koine) IPA^(key): /θeˈos/
• (10^th CE Byzantine) IPA^(key): /θeˈos/
• (15^th CE Constantinopolitan) IPA^(key): /θeˈos/

Adjective

θεός • (theós)

1. divine (used only in comparative: θεώτερος (theṓteros))

Noun

θεός • (theós) m or f (genitive θεοῦ); second declension (Epic, Attic, Ionic, Doric, Koine)

1. a deity, a god, God
2. title of a ruler
3. sometimes feminine (ἡ θεός): a goddess

Declension

Second declension of ὁ θεός; τοῦ θεοῦ (Attic)

Case / #	Singular	Dual	Plural
Nominative	ὁ θεός ho theós	τὼ θεώ tṑ theṓ	οἱ θεοί hoi theoí
Genitive	τοῦ θεοῦ toû theoû	τοῖν θεοῖν toîn theoîn	τῶν θεῶν tôn theôn
Dative	τῷ θεῷ tôi theôi	τοῖν θεοῖν toîn theoîn	τοῖς θεοῖς toîs theoîs
Accusative	τὸν θεόν tòn theón	τὼ θεώ tṑ theṓ	τοὺς θεούς toùs theoús
Vocative	θεέ theé	θεώ theṓ	θεοί theoí
Notes:	This table gives Attic inflectional endings. For declension in other dialects, see Appendix:Ancient Greek dialectal declension. Classical Greek used no vocative singular, while later Greek allowed for both θεός (theós) and θεέ (theé).

Second declension of θεός; θεοῦ (Epic)

Case / #	Singular	Dual	Plural
Nominative	θεός theós	θεώ theṓ	θεοί theoí
Genitive	θεοῦ / θεοῖο / θεόο / θεόφῐ / θεόφῐν theoû / theoîo / theóo / theóphi(n)	θεοῖῐν theoîin	θεῶν / θεόφῐ / θεόφῐν theôn / theóphi(n)
Dative	θεῷ / θεόφῐ / θεόφῐν theôi / theóphi(n)	θεοῖῐν theoîin	θεοῖσῐ / θεοῖσῐν / θεοῖς / θεόφῐ / θεόφῐν theoîsi(n) / theoîs / theóphi(n)
Accusative	θεόν theón	θεώ theṓ	θεούς theoús
Vocative	θεέ theé	θεώ theṓ	θεοί theoí
Notes:	Dialects other than Attic are not well attested. Some forms may be based on conjecture. Use with caution.

Second declension of ὁ θιός; τοῦ θιῶ (Laconian)

Case / #	Singular	Dual	Plural
Nominative	ὁ θιός ho thiós	τὼ θιώ tṑ thiṓ	τοὶ θιοί toì thioí
Genitive	τοῦ θιῶ toû thiô	τοῖν θιοῖν toîn thioîn	τῶν θιῶν tôn thiôn
Dative	τῷ θιῷ tôi thiôi	τοῖν θιοῖν toîn thioîn	τοῖς θιοῖς toîs thioîs
Accusative	τὸν θιόν tòn thión	τὼ θιώ tṑ thiṓ	τὼς θιώς tṑs thiṓs
Vocative	θιέ thié	θιώ thiṓ	θιοί thioí
Notes:	Dialects other than Attic are not well attested. Some forms may be based on conjecture. Use with caution.

Derived terms

• ἄθεος (átheos)
• ἀθεότης (atheótēs)
• ἀντίθεος (antítheos)
• ἀποθεόω (apotheóō)
• δύσθεος (dústheos)
• Δωρόθεος (Dōrótheos)
• Δωροθέᾱ (Dōrothéā)
• ἐκθεόω (ektheóō)
• ἐνθεόομαι (entheóomai)
• ἔνθεος (éntheos)
• ζάθεος (zátheos)
• ἠγάθεος (ēgátheos)
• ἡμίθεος (hēmítheos)
• Θεαίτητος (Theaítētos)
• θεοβλάβειᾰ (theoblábeia)
• θεοβλαβέω (theoblabéō)
• θεοβλαβής (theoblabḗs)
• θεογεννής (theogennḗs)
• θεογνωσίᾱ (theognōsíā)
• θεογονίᾱ (theogoníā)
• θεόγονος (theógonos)
• θεοδέγμων (theodégmōn)
• θεοδίδᾰκτος (theodídaktos)
• θεόδμητος (theódmētos)
• θεοδοσίᾱ (theodosíā)
• θεόδοτος (theódotos)
• Θεόδοτος (Theódotos)
• Θεόδουλος (Theódoulos)
• Θεοδώρα (Theodṓra)
• Θεόδωρος (Theódōros)
• θεοειδής (theoeidḗs)
• θεοείκελος (theoeíkelos)
• θεοεχθρίᾱ (theoekhthríā)
• θεοίνιᾰ (theoínia)
• θεοισεχθρίᾱ (theoisekhthríā)
• θεοκλυτέω (theoklutéō)
• θεοκλύτησις (theoklútēsis)
• θεόκλυτος (theóklutos)
• θεόκριτος (theókritos)
• θεόκρᾰντος (theókrantos)
• θεοκρᾰτίᾱ (theokratíā)
• θεόκτιτος (theóktitos)
• θεόληπτος (theólēptos)
• θεολογέω (theologéō)
• θεολογικός (theologikós)
• θεολόγιᾰ (theológia)
• θεόλογος (theólogos)
• Θεόμβροτος (Theómbrotos)
• θεομήστωρ (theomḗstōr)
• θεόμορος (theómoros)
• θεομᾰνέω (theomanéō)
• θεομᾰνής (theomanḗs)
• θεόμᾰντις (theómantis)
• θεομᾰχέω (theomakhéō)
• θεομᾰχίᾱ (theomakhíā)
• θεόμᾰχος (theómakhos)
• θεομῑσής (theomīsḗs)
• θεόπεμπτος (theópemptos)
• θεόπνευστος (theópneustos)
• θεοποιέω (theopoiéō)
• Θεόπομπος (Theópompos)
• θεοπρεπής (theoprepḗs)
• θεοπροπέω (theopropéō)
• θεοπρόπιον (theoprópion)
• θεοπροπίᾱ (theopropíā)
• θεοπρόπος (theoprópos)
• θεοσέβειᾰ (theosébeia)
• θεοσεβέω (theosebéō)
• θεοσεβής (theosebḗs)
• θεοστυγής (theostugḗs)
• θεότης (theótēs)
• Θεοτόκος (Theotókos)
• θεουδής (theoudḗs)
• θεοφάνειᾰ (theopháneia)
• θεοφάνιᾰ (theophánia)
• θεοφιλής (theophilḗs)
• Θεόφιλος (Theóphilos)
• θεοφορέω (theophoréō)
• θεοφόρησις (theophórēsis)
• θεοφόρητος (theophórētos)
• θεοφορίᾱ (theophoríā)
• θεόφορος (theóphoros)
• θεόφρων (theóphrōn)
• Θεόφρᾰστος (Theóphrastos)
• θεόφᾰντος (theóphantos)
• θεοφῠ́λᾰξ (theophúlax)
• θεόω (theóō)
• θεᾱ́ (theā́)
• Θουκυδίδης (Thoukudídēs)
• Ἱερόθεος (Hierótheos)
• ἰσόθεος (isótheos)
• ἰσοθεόω (isotheóō)
• κατάθεος (katátheos)
• Μνησίθεος (Mnēsítheos)
• μῑσόθεος (mīsótheos)
• Τῑμόθεος (Tīmótheos)
• Φιλόθεος (Philótheos)

 

Descendants

• Boeotian: θῐός (thiós)
• Cypriot, Cretan: θιός (thiós)
• Doric: θεύς (theús)
• → English: theo-
• → French: théo-
• Glosa: teo
• Greek: θεός (theós)
• → Italian: teo-
• Laconic: σῐός (siós)
• → Spanish: teo-
• → Portuguese: teo-
• Mariupol Greek: тъео́с (θjeós), тъего́с (θjehós)

See also

• deus

Further reading

• “θεός”, in Liddell & Scott (1940) A Greek–English Lexicon, Oxford: Clarendon Press
• “θεός”, in Liddell & Scott (1889) An Intermediate Greek–English Lexicon, New York: Harper & Brothers
• “θεός”, in Autenrieth, Georg (1891) A Homeric Dictionary for Schools and Colleges, New York: Harper and Brothers
• θεός in Bailly, Anatole (1935) Le Grand Bailly: Dictionnaire grec-français, Paris: Hachette
• 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
• θεός in Cunliffe, Richard J. (1924) A Lexicon of the Homeric Dialect: Expanded Edition, Norman: University of Oklahoma Press, published 1963
• “θεός”, in Slater, William J. (1969) Lexicon to Pindar, Berlin: Walter de Gruyter
• G2316 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.
  • deity idem, page 206.
  • divinity idem, page 244.
  • god idem, page 365.
  • goddess idem, page 365.
• Beekes, Robert S. P. (2010) Etymological Dictionary of Greek (Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series; 10), volume I, with the assistance of Lucien van Beek, Leiden, Boston: Brill, →ISBN, page 540f

Greek

Etymology

From Ancient Greek θεός (theós).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /θeˈos/
• Hyphenation: θε‧ός

Noun

θεός • (theós) m (plural θεοί, feminine θεά)

1. (religion) god (supreme being or a supernatural, typically immortal, being with superior powers)

   Ο θεός των Αράβων είναι ο Αλλάχ.

   O theós ton Arávon eínai o Allách.

   The god of the Arabs is Allah.

   Στην αρχαία Ελλάδα, ο Διόνυσος ήταν ο θεός του κρασιού.

   Stin archaía Elláda, o Diónysos ítan o theós tou krasioú.

   In Ancient Greece, Dionysus was the god of wine.

2. Alternative letter-case form of Θεός (Theós).
3. (figuratively) god, idol (something or someone particularly revered, worshipped, idealized, admired and/or followed)

   Όσον αφορά μουσική, ο Μότσαρτ ήταν ο θεός του.

   Óson aforá mousikí, o Mótsart ítan o theós tou.

   With regard to music, Mozart was his god.

   Σε αυτόν τον κόσμο, δυστυχώς, τα λεφτά είναι ο θεός τους.

   Se aftón ton kósmo, dystychós, ta leftá eínai o theós tous.

   In this world, unfortunately, money is their god.

4. (figuratively, colloquial) god, Greek god (exceedingly handsome man)

   Στην παραλία ήταν διάφοροι θεοί.

   Stin paralía ítan diáforoi theoí.

   There were several Greek gods on the beach.

Declension

declension of θεός

case     \     number	singular	plural
nominative	θεός •	θεοί •
genitive	θεού •	θεών •
accusative	θεό •	θεούς •
vocative	θεέ •	θεοί •

Synonyms

• (idol): ίνδαλμα n (índalma), πρότυπο n (prótypo)
• (Greek god, good-looking): πανέμορφος m (panémorfos)

Related terms

• αθεϊσμός m (atheïsmós, “atheism”)
• θεϊσμός m (theïsmós, “theism”)
• θεότητα f (theótita, “divinity, deity”)
• ημίθεος m (imítheos, “demigod”)
• θεϊκός (theïkós, “divine”, adjective)