φιλομαθής

Ancient Greek

Etymology

From φιλο- (philo-) + the root of μανθάνω (manthánō) +‎ -ής (-ḗs).

Pronunciation

(5^th BCE Attic) IPA^(key): /pʰi.lo.ma.tʰɛ̌ːs/
(1^st CE Egyptian) IPA^(key): /pʰi.lo.maˈtʰe̝s/
(4^th CE Koine) IPA^(key): /ɸi.lo.maˈθis/
(10^th CE Byzantine) IPA^(key): /fi.lo.maˈθis/
(15^th CE Constantinopolitan) IPA^(key): /fi.lo.maˈθis/

Adjective

φιλομαθής • (philomathḗs) m or f (neuter φῐλομᾰθες); third declension

loving or fond of learning
- 384 BCE – 322 BCE, Aristotle, Nichomachean Ethics 1175a:
  ὀρέγεσθαι δὲ τῆς ἡδονῆς οἰηθείη τις ἂν ἅπαντας, ὅτι καὶ τοῦ ζῆν ἅπαντες ἐφίενται· ἡ δὲ ζωὴ ἐνέργειά τις ἐστί, καὶ ἕκαστος περὶ ταῦτα καὶ τούτοις ἐνεργεῖ ἃ καὶ μάλιστʼ ἀγαπᾷ, οἷον ὁ μὲν μουσικὸς τῇ ἀκοῇ περὶ τὰ μέλη, ὁ δὲ φιλομαθὴς τῇ διανοίᾳ περὶ τὰ θεωρήματα, οὕτω δὲ καὶ τῶν λοιπῶν ἕκαστος· ἡ δʼ ἡδονὴ τελειοῖ τὰς ἐνεργείας, καὶ τὸ ζῆν δή, οὗ ὀρέγονται. εὐλόγως οὖν καὶ τῆς ἡδονῆς ἐφίενται· τελειοῖ γὰρ ἑκάστῳ τὸ ζῆν, αἱρετὸν ὄν
  orégesthai dè tês hēdonês oiētheíē tis àn hápantas, hóti kaì toû zên hápantes ephíentai; hē dè zōḕ enérgeiá tis estí, kaì hékastos perì taûta kaì toútois energeî hà kaì málist agapāî, hoîon ho mèn mousikòs tēî akoēî perì tà mélē, ho dè philomathḕs tēî dianoíāi perì tà theōrḗmata, hoútō dè kaì tôn loipôn hékastos; hē d hēdonḕ teleioî tàs energeías, kaì tò zên dḗ, hoû orégontai. eulógōs oûn kaì tês hēdonês ephíentai; teleioî gàr hekástōi tò zên, hairetòn ón
  (please add an English translation of this quotation)
(with genitive) eager after
- 430 BCE – 354 BCE, Xenophon, Anabasis 1.9.5:
  ἔνθα Κῦρος αἰδημονέστατος μὲν πρῶτον τῶν ἡλικιωτῶν ἐδόκει εἶναι, τοῖς τε πρεσβυτέροις καὶ τῶν ἑαυτοῦ ὑποδεεστέρων μᾶλλον πείθεσθαι, ἔπειτα δὲ φιλιππότατος καὶ τοῖς ἵπποις ἄριστα χρῆσθαι· ἔκρινον δʼ αὐτὸν καὶ τῶν εἰς τὸν πόλεμον ἔργων, τοξικῆς τε καὶ ἀκοντίσεως, φιλομαθέστατον εἶναι καὶ μελετηρότατον.
  éntha Kûros aidēmonéstatos mèn prôton tôn hēlikiōtôn edókei eînai, toîs te presbutérois kaì tôn heautoû hupodeestérōn mâllon peíthesthai, épeita dè philippótatos kaì toîs híppois árista khrêsthai; ékrinon d autòn kaì tôn eis tòn pólemon érgōn, toxikês te kaì akontíseōs, philomathéstaton eînai kaì meletērótaton.
  (please add an English translation of this quotation)

Declension

Third declension of φῐλομᾰθής; φῐλομᾰθές (contracted, Attic)

Number	Singular		Dual		Plural
Case/Gender	Masculine / Feminine	Neuter	Masculine / Feminine	Neuter	Masculine / Feminine	Neuter
Nominative	φῐλομᾰθής phĭlomăthḗs	φῐλομᾰθές phĭlomăthés	φῐλομᾰθεῖ phĭlomătheî	φῐλομᾰθεῖ phĭlomătheî	φῐλομᾰθεῖς phĭlomătheîs	φῐλομᾰθῆ phĭlomăthê
Genitive	φῐλομᾰθοῦς phĭlomăthoûs	φῐλομᾰθοῦς phĭlomăthoûs	φῐλομᾰθοῖν phĭlomăthoîn	φῐλομᾰθοῖν phĭlomăthoîn	φῐλομᾰθῶν phĭlomăthôn	φῐλομᾰθῶν phĭlomăthôn
Dative	φῐλομᾰθεῖ phĭlomătheî	φῐλομᾰθεῖ phĭlomătheî	φῐλομᾰθοῖν phĭlomăthoîn	φῐλομᾰθοῖν phĭlomăthoîn	φῐλομᾰθέσῐ / φῐλομᾰθέσῐν phĭlomăthésĭ(n)	φῐλομᾰθέσῐ / φῐλομᾰθέσῐν phĭlomăthésĭ(n)
Accusative	φῐλομᾰθῆ phĭlomăthê	φῐλομᾰθές phĭlomăthés	φῐλομᾰθεῖ phĭlomătheî	φῐλομᾰθεῖ phĭlomătheî	φῐλομᾰθεῖς phĭlomătheîs	φῐλομᾰθῆ phĭlomăthê
Vocative	φῐλομᾰθές phĭlomăthés	φῐλομᾰθές phĭlomăthés	φῐλομᾰθεῖ phĭlomătheî	φῐλομᾰθεῖ phĭlomătheî	φῐλομᾰθεῖς phĭlomătheîs	φῐλομᾰθῆ phĭlomăthê
Derived forms	Adverb		Comparative		Superlative
Derived forms	φῐλομᾰθῶς phĭlomăthôs		φῐλομᾰθέστερος phĭlomăthésteros		φῐλομᾰθέστᾰτος phĭlomăthéstătos
Notes:	This table gives Attic inflectional endings. For declension in other dialects, see Appendix:Ancient Greek dialectal declension.

Derived terms

φιλομάθεια (philomátheia)
φιλομαθέω (philomathéō)
φιλομαθία (philomathía)

Descendants

Greek: φιλομαθής (filomathís)
English: philomath

References

“φιλομαθής”, in Liddell & Scott (1940) A Greek–English Lexicon, Oxford: Clarendon Press
“φιλομαθής”, in Liddell & Scott (1889) An Intermediate Greek–English Lexicon, New York: Harper & Brothers
φιλομαθής in Bailly, Anatole (1935) Le Grand Bailly: Dictionnaire grec-français, Paris: Hachette
φιλομαθής, in ΛΟΓΕΙΟΝ [Logeion] Dictionaries for Ancient Greek and Latin (in English, French, Spanish, German, Dutch and Chinese), University of Chicago, since 2011