βασιλεύς
Ancient Greek
Alternative forms
- βᾰσῐλῆος (basilêos) — Homeric, genitive
- βᾰσῐλῆϝος (basilêwos) — Arcadocypriot, genitive
- 𐠞𐠪𐠐𐠵𐠩 (pa-si-le-wo-se) — Cypriot, Cypriot syllabary
- βᾰσῐλῆϝς (basilêws) — Arcadocypriot
Etymology
From Proto-Hellenic *gʷatiléus, with σ (s) developing by assibilation. Cognate with Mycenaean Greek 𐀣𐀯𐀩𐀄 (qa-si-re-u), that is, *gʷasileus. Further etymology uncertain. Multiple Indo-European etymologies have been advanced. Beekes considers it Pre-Greek in origin. Possibly from an Anatolian language (see Lydian 𐤡𐤠𐤯𐤯𐤬𐤳 (battos, “king”)), although the Mycenaean (Linear B) evidence points to an original form with initial gʷ.
Case-forms show Attic shortening of the original stem βασιληϝ- (basilēw-); see quantitative metathesis.
Pronunciation
- (5th BCE Attic) IPA(key): /ba.si.lěu̯s/
- (1st CE Egyptian) IPA(key): /ba.siˈlews/
- (4th CE Koine) IPA(key): /βa.siˈleɸs/
- (10th CE Byzantine) IPA(key): /va.siˈlefs/
- (15th CE Constantinopolitan) IPA(key): /va.siˈlefs/
- Hyphenation: βα‧σι‧λεύς
Usage notes
Greek leaders ruling in distant lands, such as those of Ptolemaic Egypt, often use the word βασιλεύς to convey authority, an example of this is exemplified in the use of the phrase ΠΤΟΛΕΜΑΙΟΥ ΒΑΣΙΛΕΩΣ (Ptolemaiou Basileos) on Ptolemaic coinage minted for use in Egypt. During specific periods of Greek history, Lua error in Module:utilities at line 142: attempt to perform arithmetic on local 'h' (a nil value) was used to describe certain foreign leaders of comparable authority, such as the Persian kings and Roman Caesars. In this usage, it often took on certain modifications, such as a lack of definite article or the use of the adjective μέγας (mégas).
Declension
Lua error: attempt to perform arithmetic on local 'h' (a nil value) Lua error: attempt to perform arithmetic on local 'h' (a nil value)
Derived terms
- βᾰσῐλεία (basileía)
- βᾰσῐ́λεια (basíleia)
- βᾰσῐλειάω (basileiáō)
- βᾰσῐλείδης (basileídēs)
- βᾰσῐλείδιον (basileídion)
- βᾰσῐ́λειον (basíleion)
- βᾰσῐ́λειος (basíleios)
- βᾰσῐλευτός (basileutós)
- βᾰσῐλεύτωρ (basileútōr)
- βᾰσῐλεύω (basileúō)
- βᾰσῐ́λη (basílē)
- βᾰσῐληΐη (basilēḯē)
- βᾰσῐλήιος (basilḗios)
- βᾰσῐληίς (basilēís)
- βᾰσῐληΐς (basilēḯs)
- βᾰσῐλικός (basilikós)
- βᾰσῐλιναῦ (basilinaû)
- βᾰσῐλίνδα (basilínda)
- βᾰσῐ́λιννα (basílinna)
- βᾰσῐλίς (basilís)
- βᾰσῐ́λισσα (basílissa)
- βᾰσῐλισταί (basilistaí)
- βᾰσῐλῐ́ζω (basilízō)
- βᾰσῐλῐ́σκος (basilískos)
- πᾰμβᾰσῐλεύς (pambasileús)
- ᾰ̓ποβᾰσῐλεύς (apobasileús)
Descendants
- → Arabic: باسل
- → Coptic: ⲃⲁⲥⲓⲗⲉⲩⲥ (basileus)
- → English: basileus, basilean, basileolatry, basilolatry
- Lua error in Module:utilities at line 142: attempt to perform arithmetic on local 'h' (a nil value)
- Mariupol Greek: васлэ́яс (vasléjas)
- → Medieval Latin: basileus
Further reading
- Beekes, Robert S. P. (2010), “βασιλεύς”, in Etymological Dictionary of Greek (Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series; 10), with the assistance of Lucien van Beek, Leiden, Boston: Brill, →ISBN, page 203
- “βασιλεύς”, in Liddell & Scott (1940) A Greek–English Lexicon, Oxford: Clarendon Press
- “βασιλεύς”, in Liddell & Scott (1889) An Intermediate Greek–English Lexicon, New York: Harper & Brothers
- “βασιλεύς”, in Autenrieth, Georg (1891) A Homeric Dictionary for Schools and Colleges, New York: Harper and Brothers
- βασιλεύς 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
- βασιλεύς in Cunliffe, Richard J. (1924) A Lexicon of the Homeric Dialect: Expanded Edition, Norman: University of Oklahoma Press, published 1963
- βασιλεύς in the Diccionario Griego–Español en línea (2006–2024)
- “βασιλεύς”, in Slater, William J. (1969) Lexicon to Pindar, Berlin: Walter de Gruyter
- G935 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.
- Sihler, Andrew L. (1995) New Comparative Grammar of Greek and Latin, Oxford, New York: Oxford University Press, →ISBN, § 319-320
Greek
Etymology
From Lua error in Module:utilities at line 142: attempt to perform arithmetic on local 'h' (a nil value).
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /vasiˈlefs/
Audio (file) - Hyphenation: βα‧σι‧λεύς