μάθησις

Ancient Greek

Etymology

From the root of μᾰνθᾰ́νω (mănthắnō, “I learn”) +‎ -σις (-sis, verbal noun suffix).

Pronunciation

(5^th BCE Attic) IPA^(key): /má.tʰɛː.sis/
(1^st CE Egyptian) IPA^(key): /ˈma.tʰe̝.sis/
(4^th CE Koine) IPA^(key): /ˈma.θi.sis/
(10^th CE Byzantine) IPA^(key): /ˈma.θi.sis/
(15^th CE Constantinopolitan) IPA^(key): /ˈma.θi.sis/

Noun

μᾰ́θησῐς • (mắthēsĭs) f (genitive μᾰθήσεως); third declension

the act of learning, getting of knowledge
- 423 BCE, Euripides, The Suppliants:
  διδακτός, εἴπερ καὶ βρέφος διδάσκεται λέγειν ἀκούειν θʼ ὧν μάθησιν οὐκ ἔχει.
  didaktós, eíper kaì bréphos didásketai légein akoúein th hôn máthēsin ouk ékhei.
  (please add an English translation of this quotation)
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desire for learning
- 497 BCE – 405 BCE, Sophocles, Electra 1032
education, instruction
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Inflection

Third declension of ἡ μᾰ́θησῐς; τῆς μᾰθήσεως (Attic)

Case / #	Singular	Dual	Plural
Nominative	ἡ μᾰ́θησῐς hē mắthēsĭs	τὼ μᾰθήσει tṑ măthḗsei	αἱ μᾰθήσεις hai măthḗseis
Genitive	τῆς μᾰθήσεως tês măthḗseōs	τοῖν μᾰθησέοιν toîn măthēséoin	τῶν μᾰθήσεων tôn măthḗseōn
Dative	τῇ μᾰθήσει tēî măthḗsei	τοῖν μᾰθησέοιν toîn măthēséoin	ταῖς μᾰθήσεσῐ / μᾰθήσεσῐν taîs măthḗsesĭ(n)
Accusative	τὴν μᾰ́θησῐν tḕn mắthēsĭn	τὼ μᾰθήσει tṑ măthḗsei	τᾱ̀ς μᾰθήσεις tā̀s măthḗseis
Vocative	μᾰ́θησῐ mắthēsĭ	μᾰθήσει măthḗsei	μᾰθήσεις măthḗseis
Notes:	This table gives Attic inflectional endings. For declension in other dialects, see Appendix:Ancient Greek dialectal declension.

Synonyms

(desire for learning): χρηστομᾰ́θειᾰ (khrēstomắtheiă)

Descendants

Greek: μάθηση (máthisi)
Latin: mathēsis
- English: mathesis
- Middle French: mathesie

Further reading

“μάθησις”, in Liddell & Scott (1940) A Greek–English Lexicon, Oxford: Clarendon Press
“μάθησις”, in Liddell & Scott (1889) An Intermediate Greek–English Lexicon, New York: Harper & Brothers
μάθησις in Bailly, Anatole (1935) Le Grand Bailly: Dictionnaire grec-français, Paris: Hachette
Woodhouse, S. C. (1910) English–Greek Dictionary: A Vocabulary of the Attic Language‎^[1], London: Routledge & Kegan Paul Limited.
- comprehension idem, page 153.
- education idem, page 262.
- information idem, page 439.
- instruction idem, page 447.
- intelligence idem, page 448.
- knowledge idem, page 472.
- learning idem, page 483.
- schooling idem, page 739.
- study idem, page 829.