Ἀπόλλων

Ἀπόλλων

See also: Απόλλων

Ancient Greek

Alternative forms

• Ἀπείλων (Apeílōn) – Arcadocypriot
• Ἀπέλλων (Apéllōn) – Doric
• Ἄπλουν (Áploun) – Thessalian
• Ἀπέλον (Apélon) – Pamphylian

Etymology

Uncertain. Possibly from Pre-Greek, or from an older, obsolete verb meaning "to drive away," as in evil (via Klein from Usener).[1] Socrates in Cratylus connects it, probably incorrectly, to ἀπόλλυμι (apóllumi, “to destroy”), ἀπολούων (apoloúōn, “washing”), ἀπολύων (apolúōn, “delivering”), ἁπλοῦν (haploûn, “simple”), and ἀειβάλλων (aeibállōn, “always shooting”). Plotinus, in Ennead V.5.6.26-30, claims that Pythagoreans derived it from ἀ- (a-) and πολῠ́ς (polús) to render Απόλλων, literally "one without parts," as a 'symbol' of the Monad.[2]

Sometimes said to derive from *Apeljōn to synchronize the Arcadocypriot and Doric variations with the Hittite deity Apaliunas, Hittite 𒀀𒀊𒉺𒇷𒌋𒈾𒀸 (A-ap-pa-li-u-na-aš).

Pronunciation

 

• IPA^(key): /a.pól.lɔːn/ → /aˈpol.lon/ → /aˈpo.lon/

• (5^th BCE Attic) IPA^(key): /a.pól.lɔːn/
• (1^st CE Egyptian) IPA^(key): /aˈpol.lon/
• (4^th CE Koine) IPA^(key): /aˈpol.lon/
• (10^th CE Byzantine) IPA^(key): /aˈpol.lon/
• (15^th CE Constantinopolitan) IPA^(key): /aˈpo.lon/

Proper noun

Ᾰ̓πόλλων • (Apóllōn) m (genitive Ᾰ̓πόλλωνος); third declension

1. (Greek mythology) Apollo

Inflection

Third declension of ὁ Ἀπόλλων; τοῦ Ἀπόλλωνος (Attic)

Case / #	Singular
Nominative	ὁ Ἀπόλλων ho Apóllōn
Genitive	τοῦ Ἀπόλλωνος toû Apóllōnos
Dative	τῷ Ἀπόλλωνῐ tôi Apóllōni
Accusative	τὸν Ἀπόλλω / Ἀπόλλωνᾰ tòn Apóllō / Apóllōna
Vocative	Ἄπολλον Ápollon
Notes:	This table gives Attic inflectional endings. For declension in other dialects, see Appendix:Ancient Greek dialectal declension.

Derived terms

• Ἀπολλόδοτος (Apollódotos)
• Ἀπολλόδωρος (Apollódōros)
• Ἀπολλωνία (Apollōnía)
• Ἀπολλώνιον (Apollṓnion)

 

Descendants

• Armenian: Ապոլլոն (Apollon), Ապոլոն (Apolon)
• → Coptic: ⲁⲡⲟⲗⲗⲱⲛ (apollōn)
• Greek: Απόλλων (Apóllon), Απόλλωνας (Apóllonas)
• → Latin: Apollō
• → Russian: Аполло́н (Apollón)

References

1. Klein, A Comprehensive Etymological Dictionary of the English Language
2. Stamatellos, Giannis. Plotinus and the presocratics: a philosophical study of presocratic influences in Plotinus' Enneads. SUNY press, 2012.

Further reading

• “Ἀπόλλων”, in Liddell & Scott (1940) A Greek–English Lexicon, Oxford: Clarendon Press
• “Ἀπόλλων”, in Liddell & Scott (1889) An Intermediate Greek–English Lexicon, New York: Harper & Brothers
• “Ἀπόλλων”, in Autenrieth, Georg (1891) A Homeric Dictionary for Schools and Colleges, New York: Harper and Brothers
• Ἀπόλλων in the Diccionario Griego–Español en línea (2006–2023)
• “Ἀπόλλων”, in Slater, William J. (1969) Lexicon to Pindar, Berlin: Walter de Gruyter
• Woodhouse, S. C. (1910) English–Greek Dictionary: A Vocabulary of the Attic Language‎, London: Routledge & Kegan Paul Limited, page 1,001
• http://opsopaus.com/OM/BA/Plethon/Apollo.html