Αἰθίοψ

Ancient Greek

Etymology

From Proto-Hellenic *aitʰiyokʷs, explained since antiquity as αἴθω (aíthō, “I burn”) +‎ ὤψ (ṓps, “face”), though this is a folk etymology.^[1]

Beekes argues that the first assumed root always has senses related to brightness and never to darkness, that the *-ί- as well as *-ο- instead of *-ώ- are unexplained (the explanation actually is something), and that *-οπ- (*-οψ) is a typical Pre-Greek substrate suffix observed in ethnonyms like Δόλοψ (Dólops) and Δρύοψ (Drúops). The suffix is shaped differently in Mycenaean Greek 𐁁𐀴𐀍𐀦 (a3-ti-jo-qo).^[1]^[2]

A connection to this colour however brings closer the native Ethiopian Semitic ዕጣን (ʿəṭan, “incense”) to explain the unsuffixed etymon. Frankincense had the primary characteristic of being white, so also the source of λίβανος (líbanos, “incense”) is a Semitic root related to whiteness. The word might ultimately refer to the incense trade passing from Abyssinia. The folk of Ethiopia was so noted for earning its living by olibanum commerce that the Arabs even derived a term حَبَشَ (ḥabaša, “to earn, to obtain for the household”) from their other ethnonym اَلْحَبَشَة (al-ḥabaša).

Pronunciation

(5^th BCE Attic) IPA^(key): /ai̯.tʰí.ops/
(1^st CE Egyptian) IPA^(key): /ɛˈtʰi.ops/
(4^th CE Koine) IPA^(key): /ɛˈθi.ops/
(10^th CE Byzantine) IPA^(key): /eˈθi.ops/
(15^th CE Constantinopolitan) IPA^(key): /eˈθi.ops/

Noun

Αἰθίοψ • (Aithíops) m (genitive Αἰθίοπος); third declension

Ethiopian

Inflection

Third declension of ὁ Αἰθῐ́οψ; τοῦ Αἰθῐ́οπος (Attic)

Case / #	Singular	Dual	Plural
Nominative	ὁ Αἰθῐ́οψ ho Aithĭ́ops	τὼ Αἰθῐ́οπε tṑ Aithĭ́ope	οἱ Αἰθῐ́οπες hoi Aithĭ́opes
Genitive	τοῦ Αἰθῐ́οπος toû Aithĭ́opos	τοῖν Αἰθῐόποιν toîn Aithĭópoin	τῶν Αἰθῐόπων tôn Aithĭópōn
Dative	τῷ Αἰθῐ́οπῐ tōî Aithĭ́opĭ	τοῖν Αἰθῐόποιν toîn Aithĭópoin	τοῖς Αἰθῐ́οψῐ / Αἰθῐ́οψῐν toîs Aithĭ́opsĭ(n)
Accusative	τὸν Αἰθῐ́οπᾰ tòn Aithĭ́opă	τὼ Αἰθῐ́οπε tṑ Aithĭ́ope	τοὺς Αἰθῐ́οπᾰς toùs Aithĭ́opăs
Vocative	Αἰθῐ́οψ Aithĭ́ops	Αἰθῐ́οπε Aithĭ́ope	Αἰθῐ́οπες Aithĭ́opes
Notes:	This table gives Attic inflectional endings. For declension in other dialects, see Appendix:Ancient Greek dialectal declension.

Derived terms

Αἰθιοπίᾱ (Aithiopíā)
αἰθῐοπῐ́ζω (aithĭopĭ́zō)
Αἰθῐοπῐκός (Aithĭopĭkós)
Αἰθῐοπῐ́ς (Aithĭopĭ́s)
αἰθῐοπῐ́ς (aithĭopĭ́s)

Descendants

Greek: Αιθίοψ (Aithíops), Αιθίοπας (Aithíopas)
→ Latin: Aethiops
- → English: Ethiop

References

↑ ^1.0 ^1.1 Beekes, R. S. P. (1995) “Aithiopes”, in Glotta‎^[1], volume 73, number 1/4, pages 12–34
^ Beekes, R. S. P. (1969) The Development of the Proto-Indo-European Laryngeals in Greek, Paris: Mouton, page 194

“Αἰθίοψ”, in Liddell & Scott (1940) A Greek–English Lexicon, Oxford: Clarendon Press
“Αἰθίοψ”, in Liddell & Scott (1889) An Intermediate Greek–English Lexicon, New York: Harper & Brothers
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
Bekerie, Ayele (2004) “Ethiopica: Some Historical Reflections on the Origin of the Word Ethiopia”, in International Journal of Ethiopian Studies‎^[2], volume 1, number 2, page 113
Αἰθίοψ in the Diccionario Griego–Español en línea (2006–2025)
“Αἰθίοψ”, in Slater, William J. (1969) Lexicon to Pindar, Berlin: Walter de Gruyter
G128 in Strong, James (1979) Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance to the Bible

[Beekes_Aithiopians-1] 1.0 ^1.1 Beekes, R. S. P. (1995) “Aithiopes”, in Glotta‎^[1], volume 73, number 1/4, pages 12–34

[2] Beekes, R. S. P. (1969) The Development of the Proto-Indo-European Laryngeals in Greek, Paris: Mouton, page 194

[1]

[2]