λήθαργος

Ancient Greek

Etymology

Traditionally derived from λήθη (lḗthē, “forgetting, forgetfulness”) +‎ ᾱ̓ργός (ārgós, “not working the ground, idle, lazy”). Beekes prefers to compare the word to λαίθαργος (laíthargos, “guileful, treacherous”) and take both as Pre-Greek, though he does note that the traditional etymology seems to have influenced its meaning via folk etymology.^[1]

Pronunciation

(5^th BCE Attic) IPA^(key): /lɛ̌ː.tʰaːr.ɡos/
(1^st CE Egyptian) IPA^(key): /ˈle̝.tʰar.ɡos/
(4^th CE Koine) IPA^(key): /ˈli.θar.ɣos/
(10^th CE Byzantine) IPA^(key): /ˈli.θar.ɣos/
(15^th CE Constantinopolitan) IPA^(key): /ˈli.θar.ɣos/

Adjective

λήθᾱργος • (lḗthārgos) m or f (neuter λήθᾱργον); second declension

forgetful
Synonym: ἐπῐλήσμων (epĭlḗsmōn)
lethargic

Inflection

Second declension of λήθᾱργος; λήθᾱργον (Attic)

Number	Singular		Dual		Plural
Case/Gender	Masculine / Feminine	Neuter	Masculine / Feminine	Neuter	Masculine / Feminine	Neuter
Nominative	λήθᾱργος lḗthārgos	λήθᾱργον lḗthārgon	ληθᾱ́ργω lēthā́rgō	ληθᾱ́ργω lēthā́rgō	λήθᾱργοι lḗthārgoi	λήθᾱργᾰ lḗthārgă
Genitive	ληθᾱ́ργου lēthā́rgou	ληθᾱ́ργου lēthā́rgou	ληθᾱ́ργοιν lēthā́rgoin	ληθᾱ́ργοιν lēthā́rgoin	ληθᾱ́ργων lēthā́rgōn	ληθᾱ́ργων lēthā́rgōn
Dative	ληθᾱ́ργῳ lēthā́rgōi	ληθᾱ́ργῳ lēthā́rgōi	ληθᾱ́ργοιν lēthā́rgoin	ληθᾱ́ργοιν lēthā́rgoin	ληθᾱ́ργοις lēthā́rgois	ληθᾱ́ργοις lēthā́rgois
Accusative	λήθᾱργον lḗthārgon	λήθᾱργον lḗthārgon	ληθᾱ́ργω lēthā́rgō	ληθᾱ́ργω lēthā́rgō	ληθᾱ́ργους lēthā́rgous	λήθᾱργᾰ lḗthārgă
Vocative	λήθᾱργε lḗthārge	λήθᾱργον lḗthārgon	ληθᾱ́ργω lēthā́rgō	ληθᾱ́ργω lēthā́rgō	λήθᾱργοι lḗthārgoi	λήθᾱργᾰ lḗthārgă
Derived forms	Adverb		Comparative		Superlative
Derived forms	ληθᾱ́ργως lēthā́rgōs		ληθᾱργότερος lēthārgóteros		ληθᾱργότᾰτος lēthārgótătos
Notes:	This table gives Attic inflectional endings. For declension in other dialects, see Appendix:Ancient Greek dialectal declension.

Derived terms

ληθᾱργῐ́ᾱ (lēthārgĭ́ā, noun)
ληθᾱργέω (lēthārgéō, verb)

Noun

λήθᾱργος • (lḗthārgos) m or f (genitive ληθᾱ́ργου); second declension

lethargy
(medicine) lethargic fever

Inflection

Second declension of ὁ, ἡ λήθᾱργος; τοῦ, τῆς ληθᾱ́ργου (Attic)

Case / #	Singular	Dual	Plural
Nominative	ὁ, ἡ λήθᾱργος ho, hē lḗthārgos	τὼ ληθᾱ́ργω tṑ lēthā́rgō	οἱ, αἱ λήθᾱργοι hoi, hai lḗthārgoi
Genitive	τοῦ, τῆς ληθᾱ́ργου toû, tês lēthā́rgou	τοῖν ληθᾱ́ργοιν toîn lēthā́rgoin	τῶν ληθᾱ́ργων tôn lēthā́rgōn
Dative	τῷ, τῇ ληθᾱ́ργῳ tōî, tēî lēthā́rgōi	τοῖν ληθᾱ́ργοιν toîn lēthā́rgoin	τοῖς, ταῖς ληθᾱ́ργοις toîs, taîs lēthā́rgois
Accusative	τὸν, τὴν λήθᾱργον tòn, tḕn lḗthārgon	τὼ ληθᾱ́ργω tṑ lēthā́rgō	τοὺς, τᾱ̀ς ληθᾱ́ργους toùs, tā̀s lēthā́rgous
Vocative	λήθᾱργε lḗthārge	ληθᾱ́ργω lēthā́rgō	λήθᾱργοι lḗthārgoi
Notes:	This table gives Attic inflectional endings. For declension in other dialects, see Appendix:Ancient Greek dialectal declension.

Descendants

→ Latin: lēthārgus

References

^ Beekes, Robert S. P. (2010) “λήθαργος”, in Etymological Dictionary of Greek (Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series; 10), with the assistance of Lucien van Beek, Leiden, Boston: Brill, →ISBN, pages 855-6

Ancient Greek

Etymology

Pronunciation

Adjective

Inflection

Derived terms

Noun

Inflection

Descendants

References

Further reading