γράμμα
Ancient Greek
Alternative forms
- γράθμα (gráthma) – Doric
Etymology
From γράφω (gráphō, “I write”) + -μα (-ma, result noun suffix).
About its weight meaning there are two theories:
- It was taken from Latin scrūpulus, which in its meaning, "smallest division of weight", was more frequently written scrūpulum, scrīpulum, and by some fancied derivation from scrīptum was written scrīptulum, scrīptlum. Hence it was later translated in Ancient Greek as γράμμα from γράφω (gráphō, “to write”), as scrīptulum from scrībō (“to write”).[1][2]
- It was a Semitic borrowing, with the measure tallied to the stones or pits of small fruits, Jewish Palestinian Aramaic גרוֹם (grūm, “kernel”), Classical Syriac ܓܪܽܘܡܳܐ (grūmā, “bone; kernel, stone, pit”), Arabic جَرَام (jarām, “date-stone”), related to the common גַּרְמָא / ܓܰܪܡܳܐ (garmā, “bone; kernel, stone, pit”).
Pronunciation
- (5th BCE Attic) IPA(key): /ɡrám.ma/
- (1st CE Egyptian) IPA(key): /ˈɡram.ma/
- (4th CE Koine) IPA(key): /ˈɣram.ma/
- (10th CE Byzantine) IPA(key): /ˈɣram.ma/
- (15th CE Constantinopolitan) IPA(key): /ˈɣra.ma/
Noun
γράμμα • (grámma) n (genitive γράμματος); third declension
- that which is written, that which is drawn, picture
- letter
- (in the plural) alphabet
- writing, book
- a kind of small weight, 1/24 of an ounce, scruple
Inflection
Third declension of τὸ γρᾰ́μμᾰ; τοῦ γρᾰ́μμᾰτος (Attic)
| Case / # | Singular | Dual | Plural | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nominative | τὸ γρᾰ́μμᾰ tò grámma | τὼ γρᾰ́μμᾰτε tṑ grámmate | τᾰ̀ γρᾰ́μμᾰτᾰ tà grámmata | ||||||||||
| Genitive | τοῦ γρᾰ́μμᾰτος toû grámmatos | τοῖν γρᾰμμᾰ́τοιν toîn grammátoin | τῶν γρᾰμμᾰ́των tôn grammátōn | ||||||||||
| Dative | τῷ γρᾰ́μμᾰτῐ tôi grámmati | τοῖν γρᾰμμᾰ́τοιν toîn grammátoin | τοῖς γρᾰ́μμᾰσῐ / γρᾰ́μμᾰσῐν toîs grámmasi(n) | ||||||||||
| Accusative | τὸ γρᾰ́μμᾰ tò grámma | τὼ γρᾰ́μμᾰτε tṑ grámmate | τᾰ̀ γρᾰ́μμᾰτᾰ tà grámmata | ||||||||||
| Vocative | γρᾰ́μμᾰ grámma | γρᾰ́μμᾰτε grámmate | γρᾰ́μμᾰτᾰ grámmata | ||||||||||
| Notes: |
| ||||||||||||
Derived terms
- γραμματείδιον (grammateídion)
- γρᾰμμᾰτῐκός (grammatikós)
- γραμματιστής (grammatistḗs)
Descendants
- → Albanian: gërmë[3]
- >? Albanian: gërmoj
- → Belarusian: гра́мата (hrámata)
- → Bulgarian: грамота́ (gramotá)
- → Czech: gramota
- Greek: γράμμα (grámma)
- → Polish: gramota
- → Russian: гра́мота (grámota)
- → Serbo-Croatian:
- Cyrillic: гра̀мата
- Latin: gràmata
- → Slovak: gramota
- → Ukrainian: гра́мота (hrámota)
References
- “grwm”, in The Comprehensive Aramaic Lexicon Project, Cincinnati: Hebrew Union College, 1986–
- “grm”, in The Comprehensive Aramaic Lexicon Project, Cincinnati: Hebrew Union College, 1986–
- Fraenkel, Siegmund (1886) Die aramäischen Fremdwörter im Arabischen (in German), Leiden: E. J. Brill, page 147
- “γράμμα”, in Liddell & Scott (1940) A Greek–English Lexicon, Oxford: Clarendon Press
- “γράμμα”, in Liddell & Scott (1889) An Intermediate Greek–English Lexicon, New York: Harper & Brothers
- γράμμα 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
- γράμμα in the Diccionario Griego–Español en línea (2006–2023)
- G1121 in Strong, James (1979) Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance to the Bible
- γράμμα in Trapp, Erich, et al. (1994–2007) Lexikon zur byzantinischen Gräzität besonders des 9.-12. Jahrhunderts [the Lexicon of Byzantine Hellenism, Particularly the 9th–12th Centuries], Verlag der Österreichischen Akademie der Wissenschaften
- Woodhouse, S. C. (1910) English–Greek Dictionary: A Vocabulary of the Attic Language, London: Routledge & Kegan Paul Limited.
- article idem, page 42.
- clause idem, page 136.
- condition idem, page 157.
- epitaph idem, page 279.
- label idem, page 472.
- picture idem, page 611.
- proviso idem, page 655.
- scene idem, page 738.
- sketch idem, page 780.
- γράμμα in Bailly, Anatole (1935) Le Grand Bailly: Dictionnaire grec-français, Paris: Hachette
- https://www.cnrtl.fr/definition/gramme
- Orel, Vladimir (1998), “gërmoj”, in Albanian Etymological Dictionary, Leiden, Boston, Cologne: Brill, →ISBN, page 115
Greek
Etymology
From Ancient Greek γράμμα (grámma). Morphologically γράφω (gráfo, “to write”) + -μα (-ma, result noun suffix).
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /ˈɣra.ma/
- Hyphenation: γράμ‧μα
Noun
γράμμα • (grámma) n (plural γράμματα)
- letter (written or printed symbol)
- (computing) character
- (in the plural) literature, letters
- Tα γράμματα και οι τέχνες.
- Ta grámmata kai oi téchnes.
- Literature and the arts
- (in the plural, informal) education, literacy
- Ξέρεις γράμματα;
- Xéreis grámmata;
- Can you read?
- (literally, “Do you know letters?”)
- letter (correspondence)
- Στο ’πα και στο ξαναλέω
μη μου γράφεις γράμματα
γιατί γράμματα δεν ξέρω
και με πιάνουν κλάματα.- Sto ’pa kai sto xanaléo
mi mou gráfeis grámmata
giatí grámmata den xéro
kai me piánoun klámata. - I've told you and I'm telling you again
don't write me letters
because I can't read (letters)
and tears overcome me - (traditional Greek song)
- Sto ’pa kai sto xanaléo
- (in the plural) tails (of a coin; mainly used in κορώνα ή γράμματα (koróna í grámmata, “heads or tails”))
Declension
declension of γράμμα
| case \\ number | singular | plural |
|---|---|---|
| nominative | γράμμα • | γράμματα • |
| genitive | γράμματος • | γραμμάτων • |
| accusative | γράμμα • | γράμματα • |
| vocative | γράμμα • | γράμματα • |
Synonyms
- (character): χαρακτήρας m (charaktíras)
- (literature): λογοτεχνία f (logotechnía)
- (communication): επιστολή f (epistolí)
Related terms
- γραμματική f (grammatikí, “grammar”)
- γραμμένος (gramménos, “written”)
- γραμματέας m or f (grammatéas, “secretary”)
- κορώνα ή γράμματα (koróna í grámmata, “heads or tails”)
- and see: γραμματεία f (grammateía, “secretariat”)
Descendants
- → Albanian: gramë[1]
References
- Orel, Vladimir (1998), “gërmoj”, in Albanian Etymological Dictionary, Leiden, Boston, Cologne: Brill, →ISBN, page 115