ἄνθρωπος

ἄνθρωπος

See also: άνθρωπος

Ancient Greek

Alternative forms

• ἅνθρωπος (hánthrōpos) – Attic, crasis with definite article ὁ (ho)
• ὥνθρωπος (hṓnthrōpos) – Ionic, crasis with definite article ὁ (ho)
• ἀνθρωπώ (anthrōpṓ) – Laconian
• 𐠀𐠰𐠦𐠡𐠩‎ (a-to-ro-po-se) – Cypriot

Etymology

First attested in Hellenic as Mycenaean Greek 𐀀𐀵𐀫𐀦 (a-to-ro-qo), of uncertain origin. Scholars used to consider it to be a compound from ἀνήρ (anḗr, “man”) and ὤψ (ṓps, “face, appearance, look”): thus, "he who looks like a man". However, a δ (d) would be expected to develop by epenthesis, as in the genitive ἀνδρός (andrós), yielding *ἀνδρωπος (*andrōpos). Rosén defends this etymology, positing that the original laryngeal *h₃ in the root for ὤψ (ṓps) (from Proto-Indo-European *h₃ókʷs) changed the δ to its aspirated counterpart θ even across the intervening ρ.[1]

Beekes argues that since no convincing Indo-European etymology has been found, the word is probably of Pre-Greek origin; he connects the word with the word δρώψ (drṓps, “man”). According to Beekes (2009:xxix), "Shift of aspiration is found in some cases: θριγκός / τριγχός, ἀθραγένη / ἀνδράχνη".[2]

Garnier proposes a derivation from Proto-Indo-European *h₁n̥dʰéreh₃kʷós (“that which is below”) (from *n̥dʰér + -h₃kʷ-o-), hence "earthly, human".[3]

The word is treated in Plato's Cratylus.[4]

Pronunciation

 

• IPA^(key): /án.tʰrɔː.pos/ → /ˈan.θro.pos/ → /ˈan.θro.pos/

• (5^th BCE Attic) IPA^(key): /án.tʰrɔː.pos/
• (1^st CE Egyptian) IPA^(key): /ˈan.tʰro.pos/
• (4^th CE Koine) IPA^(key): /ˈan.θro.pos/
• (10^th CE Byzantine) IPA^(key): /ˈan.θro.pos/
• (15^th CE Constantinopolitan) IPA^(key): /ˈan.θro.pos/

Noun

ἄνθρωπος • (ánthrōpos) m or f (genitive ἀνθρώπου); second declension (Epic, Attic, Ionic, Doric, Koine)

1. human being, person (as differentiated from gods, beasts, etc.); man, woman
2. (philosophical) man, humanity
3. (sometimes in the plural) all human beings, mankind
4. (in feminine, derogatory) female slave

Inflection

Second declension of ὁ, ἡ ἄνθρωπος; τοῦ, τῆς ἀνθρώπου (Attic)

Case / #	Singular	Dual	Plural
Nominative	ὁ, ἡ ἄνθρωπος ho, hē ánthrōpos	τὼ ἀνθρώπω tṑ anthrṓpō	οἱ, αἱ ἄνθρωποι hoi, hai ánthrōpoi
Genitive	τοῦ, τῆς ἀνθρώπου toû, tês anthrṓpou	τοῖν ἀνθρώποιν toîn anthrṓpoin	τῶν ἀνθρώπων tôn anthrṓpōn
Dative	τῷ, τῇ ἀνθρώπῳ tôi, têi anthrṓpōi	τοῖν ἀνθρώποιν toîn anthrṓpoin	τοῖς, ταῖς ἀνθρώποις toîs, taîs anthrṓpois
Accusative	τὸν, τὴν ἄνθρωπον tòn, tḕn ánthrōpon	τὼ ἀνθρώπω tṑ anthrṓpō	τοὺς, τᾱ̀ς ἀνθρώπους toùs, tā̀s anthrṓpous
Vocative	ἄνθρωπε ánthrōpe	ἀνθρώπω anthrṓpō	ἄνθρωποι ánthrōpoi
Notes:	This table gives Attic inflectional endings. For declension in other dialects, see Appendix:Ancient Greek dialectal declension.

Second declension of ὁ, ἡ ἄνθρωπος; τοῦ, τῆς ἀνθρώπου (Ionic)

Case / #	Singular	Dual	Plural
Nominative	ὁ, ἡ ἄνθρωπος ho, hē ánthrōpos	τὼ ἀνθρώπω tṑ anthrṓpō	οἱ, αἱ ἄνθρωποι hoi, hai ánthrōpoi
Genitive	τοῦ, τῆς ἀνθρώπου toû, tês anthrṓpou	τοῖν ἀνθρώποιν toîn anthrṓpoin	τῶν ἀνθρώπων tôn anthrṓpōn
Dative	τῷ, τῇ ἀνθρώπῳ tôi, têi anthrṓpōi	τοῖν ἀνθρώποιν toîn anthrṓpoin	τοῖσῐ / τοῖσῐν ἀνθρώποισῐ / ἀνθρώποισῐν / ἀνθρώποις toîsi(n) anthrṓpoisi(n) / anthrṓpois
Accusative	τὸν, τὴν ἄνθρωπον tòn, tḕn ánthrōpon	τὼ ἀνθρώπω tṑ anthrṓpō	τοὺς, τᾱ̀ς ἀνθρώπους toùs, tā̀s anthrṓpous
Vocative	ἄνθρωπε ánthrōpe	ἀνθρώπω anthrṓpō	ἄνθρωποι ánthrōpoi
Notes:	Dialects other than Attic are not well attested. Some forms may be based on conjecture. Use with caution.

Second declension of ἄνθρωπος; ἀνθρώπου (Epic)

Case / #	Singular	Dual	Plural
Nominative	ἄνθρωπος ánthrōpos	ἀνθρώπω anthrṓpō	ἄνθρωποι ánthrōpoi
Genitive	ἀνθρώπου / ἀνθρωποῖο / ἀνθρώποιο / ἀνθρωπόο / ἀνθρώποο anthrṓpou / anthrōpoîo / anthrṓpoio / anthrōpóo / anthrṓpoo	ἀνθρώποιῐν anthrṓpoiin	ἀνθρώπων anthrṓpōn
Dative	ἀνθρώπῳ anthrṓpōi	ἀνθρώποιῐν anthrṓpoiin	ἀνθρώποισῐ / ἀνθρώποισῐν / ἀνθρώποις anthrṓpoisi(n) / anthrṓpois
Accusative	ἄνθρωπον ánthrōpon	ἀνθρώπω anthrṓpō	ἀνθρώπους anthrṓpous
Vocative	ἄνθρωπε ánthrōpe	ἀνθρώπω anthrṓpō	ἄνθρωποι ánthrōpoi
Notes:	Dialects other than Attic are not well attested. Some forms may be based on conjecture. Use with caution.

• (female slave):

Second declension of ἡ ἄνθρωπος; τῆς ἀνθρώπου (Attic)

Case / #	Singular	Dual	Plural
Nominative	ἡ ἄνθρωπος hē ánthrōpos	τὼ ἀνθρώπω tṑ anthrṓpō	αἱ ἄνθρωποι hai ánthrōpoi
Genitive	τῆς ἀνθρώπου tês anthrṓpou	τοῖν ἀνθρώποιν toîn anthrṓpoin	τῶν ἀνθρώπων tôn anthrṓpōn
Dative	τῇ ἀνθρώπῳ têi anthrṓpōi	τοῖν ἀνθρώποιν toîn anthrṓpoin	ταῖς ἀνθρώποις taîs anthrṓpois
Accusative	τὴν ἄνθρωπον tḕn ánthrōpon	τὼ ἀνθρώπω tṑ anthrṓpō	τᾱ̀ς ἀνθρώπους tā̀s anthrṓpous
Vocative	ἄνθρωπε ánthrōpe	ἀνθρώπω anthrṓpō	ἄνθρωποι ánthrōpoi
Notes:	This table gives Attic inflectional endings. For declension in other dialects, see Appendix:Ancient Greek dialectal declension.

Second declension of ἡ ἄνθρωπος; τῆς ἀνθρώπου (Ionic)

Case / #	Singular	Dual	Plural
Nominative	ἡ ἄνθρωπος hē ánthrōpos	τὼ ἀνθρώπω tṑ anthrṓpō	αἱ ἄνθρωποι hai ánthrōpoi
Genitive	τῆς ἀνθρώπου tês anthrṓpou	τοῖν ἀνθρώποιν toîn anthrṓpoin	τῶν ἀνθρώπων tôn anthrṓpōn
Dative	τῇ ἀνθρώπῳ têi anthrṓpōi	τοῖν ἀνθρώποιν toîn anthrṓpoin	τῇσῐ / τῇσῐν ἀνθρώποισῐ / ἀνθρώποισῐν / ἀνθρώποις têisi(n) anthrṓpoisi(n) / anthrṓpois
Accusative	τὴν ἄνθρωπον tḕn ánthrōpon	τὼ ἀνθρώπω tṑ anthrṓpō	τᾱ̀ς ἀνθρώπους tā̀s anthrṓpous
Vocative	ἄνθρωπε ánthrōpe	ἀνθρώπω anthrṓpō	ἄνθρωποι ánthrōpoi
Notes:	Dialects other than Attic are not well attested. Some forms may be based on conjecture. Use with caution.

Second declension of ἄνθρωπος; ἀνθρώπου (Epic)

Case / #	Singular	Dual	Plural
Nominative	ἄνθρωπος ánthrōpos	ἀνθρώπω anthrṓpō	ἄνθρωποι ánthrōpoi
Genitive	ἀνθρώπου / ἀνθρωποῖο / ἀνθρώποιο / ἀνθρωπόο / ἀνθρώποο anthrṓpou / anthrōpoîo / anthrṓpoio / anthrōpóo / anthrṓpoo	ἀνθρώποιῐν anthrṓpoiin	ἀνθρώπων anthrṓpōn
Dative	ἀνθρώπῳ anthrṓpōi	ἀνθρώποιῐν anthrṓpoiin	ἀνθρώποισῐ / ἀνθρώποισῐν / ἀνθρώποις anthrṓpoisi(n) / anthrṓpois
Accusative	ἄνθρωπον ánthrōpon	ἀνθρώπω anthrṓpō	ἀνθρώπους anthrṓpous
Vocative	ἄνθρωπε ánthrōpe	ἀνθρώπω anthrṓpō	ἄνθρωποι ánthrōpoi
Notes:	Dialects other than Attic are not well attested. Some forms may be based on conjecture. Use with caution.

Derived terms

• ἀνθρώπινος (anthrṓpinos)
• ἀνθρωποειδής (anthrōpoeidḗs)
• ἀνθρωποκεντρικός (anthrōpokentrikós)
• ἀνθρωπολογία (anthrōpología)
• ἀνθρωπομορφισμός (anthrōpomorphismós)
• ἀνθρωποποιία (anthrōpopoiía)
• ὀλιγανθρωπία (oliganthrōpía)

 

Descendants

• → Greek: άνθρωπος (ánthropos, “man”)

References

1. Haiim B. Rosén (1986), Ἄνθρωπος, in: Zeitschrift für vergleichende Sprachforschung 99, issue 2, pp. 243–244.
2. Beekes, Robert S. P. (2010), “ἄνθρωπος”, 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, page 107
3. Garnier, Romain (2008), “Nouvelles réflexions étymologiques autour du grec ἄνθρωπος [New etymological reflections about the Greek ἄνθρωπος]”, in Bulletin de la société de linguistique de Paris‎, issue 102.1, pages 131-154
4. “Plato's Cratylus. Section 399c.”, in (please provide the title of the work)‎, Perseus Project Texts, accessed 26 April 2019, archived from the original on 2020-11-26:

   "I will tell you. The name “man” (ἄνθρωπος) indicates that the other animals do not examine, or consider, or look up at (ἀναθρεῖ) any of the things that they see, but man has no sooner seen—that is, ὄπωπε—than he looks up at and considers that which he has seen. Therefore of all the animals man alone is rightly called man (ἄνθρωπος), because he looks up at (ἀναθρεῖ) what he has seen (ὄπωπε)." section 400-401 for discussion of semantic shift and spelling in pre-ionic to attican dialect.

Further reading

• “ἄνθρωπος”, in Liddell & Scott (1940) A Greek–English Lexicon, Oxford: Clarendon Press
• “ἄνθρωπος”, in Liddell & Scott (1889) An Intermediate Greek–English Lexicon, New York: Harper & Brothers
• “ἄνθρωπος”, in Autenrieth, Georg (1891) A Homeric Dictionary for Schools and Colleges, New York: Harper and Brothers
• ἄνθρωπος 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
• ἄνθρωπος in Cunliffe, Richard J. (1924) A Lexicon of the Homeric Dialect: Expanded Edition, Norman: University of Oklahoma Press, published 1963
• ἄνθρωπος in the Diccionario Griego–Español en línea (2006–2023)
• “ἄνθρωπος”, in Slater, William J. (1969) Lexicon to Pindar, Berlin: Walter de Gruyter
• G444 in Strong, James (1979) Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance to the Bible
• Woodhouse, S. C. (1910) English–Greek Dictionary: A Vocabulary of the Attic Language‎, London: Routledge & Kegan Paul Limited.
  • being idem, page 72.
  • man idem, page 510.
  • mortal idem, page 541.
• Hofmann, J. B. (1949), “ἄνθρωπος”, in Etymologisches Wörterbuch des Griechischen (in German), Munich: R. Oldenbourg