ἄξιος

See also: άξιος and Ἀξιός

Ancient Greek

Etymology

According to some scholars, from ἄγω (ágō, “to lead, draw out or down”) +‎ -τιος (-tios) (perhaps via an unattested intermediate ἄξις (áxis, “weight”)), with sense development "draw down (in the scale)" > "weigh, import". Beekes expresses mild doubts about this, both in the semantics as well as no other morphological derivative of ἄγω (ágō) being in -τι- (-ti-), but tentatively accepts this etymology.^[1] For a semantic parallel, compare Latin exāmen (“tongue of a balance; examining”), from the same root.

Pronunciation

(5^th BCE Attic) IPA^(key): /ák.si.os/
(1^st CE Egyptian) IPA^(key): /ˈak.si.os/
(4^th CE Koine) IPA^(key): /ˈak.si.os/
(10^th CE Byzantine) IPA^(key): /ˈak.si.os/
(15^th CE Constantinopolitan) IPA^(key): /ˈak.si.os/

Adjective

ᾰ̓́ξῐος • (ắxĭos) m (feminine ᾰ̓ξῐ́ᾱ, neuter ᾰ̓́ξῐον); first/second declension

counterbalancing, weighing as much as, of like value
- Iliad 23.885:
  νῦν δ’ οὐδ’ ἑνὸς ἄξιοί εἰμεν Ἕκτορος
  we [all of us] are not worth as much as one Hector
worthy, fit

Declension

First and second declension of ᾰ̓́ξῐος; ᾰ̓ξῐ́ᾱ; ᾰ̓́ξῐον (Attic)

Number	Singular			Dual			Plural
Case/Gender	Masculine	Feminine	Neuter	Masculine	Feminine	Neuter	Masculine	Feminine	Neuter
Nominative	ᾰ̓́ξῐος ắxĭos	ᾰ̓ξῐ́ᾱ ăxĭ́ā	ᾰ̓́ξῐον ắxĭon	ᾰ̓ξῐ́ω ăxĭ́ō	ᾰ̓ξῐ́ᾱ ăxĭ́ā	ᾰ̓ξῐ́ω ăxĭ́ō	ᾰ̓́ξῐοι ắxĭoi	ᾰ̓́ξῐαι ắxĭai	ᾰ̓́ξῐᾰ ắxĭă
Genitive	ᾰ̓ξῐ́ου ăxĭ́ou	ᾰ̓ξῐ́ᾱς ăxĭ́ās	ᾰ̓ξῐ́ου ăxĭ́ou	ᾰ̓ξῐ́οιν ăxĭ́oin	ᾰ̓ξῐ́αιν ăxĭ́ain	ᾰ̓ξῐ́οιν ăxĭ́oin	ᾰ̓ξῐ́ων ăxĭ́ōn	ᾰ̓ξῐ́ων ăxĭ́ōn	ᾰ̓ξῐ́ων ăxĭ́ōn
Dative	ᾰ̓ξῐ́ῳ ăxĭ́ōi	ᾰ̓ξῐ́ᾳ ăxĭ́āi	ᾰ̓ξῐ́ῳ ăxĭ́ōi	ᾰ̓ξῐ́οιν ăxĭ́oin	ᾰ̓ξῐ́αιν ăxĭ́ain	ᾰ̓ξῐ́οιν ăxĭ́oin	ᾰ̓ξῐ́οις ăxĭ́ois	ᾰ̓ξῐ́αις ăxĭ́ais	ᾰ̓ξῐ́οις ăxĭ́ois
Accusative	ᾰ̓́ξῐον ắxĭon	ᾰ̓ξῐ́ᾱν ăxĭ́ān	ᾰ̓́ξῐον ắxĭon	ᾰ̓ξῐ́ω ăxĭ́ō	ᾰ̓ξῐ́ᾱ ăxĭ́ā	ᾰ̓ξῐ́ω ăxĭ́ō	ᾰ̓ξῐ́ους ăxĭ́ous	ᾰ̓ξῐ́ᾱς ăxĭ́ās	ᾰ̓́ξῐᾰ ắxĭă
Vocative	ᾰ̓́ξῐε ắxĭe	ᾰ̓ξῐ́ᾱ ăxĭ́ā	ᾰ̓́ξῐον ắxĭon	ᾰ̓ξῐ́ω ăxĭ́ō	ᾰ̓ξῐ́ᾱ ăxĭ́ā	ᾰ̓ξῐ́ω ăxĭ́ō	ᾰ̓́ξῐοι ắxĭoi	ᾰ̓́ξῐαι ắxĭai	ᾰ̓́ξῐᾰ ắxĭă
Derived forms	Adverb			Comparative			Superlative
Derived forms	ᾰ̓ξῐ́ως ăxĭ́ōs			ᾰ̓ξῐώτερος ăxĭṓteros			ᾰ̓ξῐώτᾰτος ăxĭṓtătos
Notes:	This table gives Attic inflectional endings. For declension in other dialects, see Appendix:Ancient Greek dialectal declension.

Derived terms

ἀντάξιος (antáxios)
ἀξία (axía)
ἀξιοδάκρυτος (axiodákrutos)
ἀξιοεργός (axioergós)
ἀξιοκαταφρόνητος (axiokataphrónētos)
ἀξιόμορφος (axiómorphos)
ἀξιοπρεπής (axioprepḗs)
ἀξιοτίμητος (axiotímētos)
ἀξιοφανής (axiophanḗs)
ἀξιοφίλητος (axiophílētos)
ἀξιόχρεως (axiókhreōs)
ἀξιόω (axióō)

Descendants

→ Coptic: ⲁⲝⲓⲟⲥ (aksios)
Greek: άξιος (áxios)
- αξιο- (axio-)

Interjection

ἄξιος • (áxios)

(Koine, Christianity) Acclamation confirming the election of a Christian bishop or patriarch, (literally) "Worthy!" [from c. 4th century]

References

^ Beekes, Robert S. P. (2010) “ἄξιος”, in Etymological Dictionary of Greek (Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series; 10), with the assistance of Lucien van Beek, Leiden, Boston: Brill, →ISBN, page 111

“ἄξιος”, in Liddell & Scott (1940) A Greek–English Lexicon, Oxford: Clarendon Press
“ἄξιος”, in Liddell & Scott (1889) An Intermediate Greek–English Lexicon, New York: Harper & Brothers
“ἄξιος”, in Autenrieth, Georg (1891) A Homeric Dictionary for Schools and Colleges, New York: Harper and Brothers
ἄξιος in Bailly, Anatole (1935) Le Grand Bailly: Dictionnaire grec-français, Paris: Hachette
ἄξιος in Cunliffe, Richard J. (1924) A Lexicon of the Homeric Dialect: Expanded Edition, Norman: University of Oklahoma Press, published 1963
ἄξιος in the Diccionario Griego–Español en línea (2006–2025)
“ἄξιος”, in Slater, William J. (1969) Lexicon to Pindar, Berlin: Walter de Gruyter
G514 in Strong, James (1979) Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance to the Bible
Woodhouse, S. C. (1910) English–Greek Dictionary: A Vocabulary of the Attic Language‎^[1], London: Routledge & Kegan Paul Limited.
- adequate idem, page 11.
- axius (river) idem, page 57.
- condign idem, page 157.
- deserved idem, page 215.
- deserving idem, page 215.
- due idem, page 255.
- exemplary idem, page 290.
- fit idem, page 323.
- just idem, page 466.
- merited idem, page 526.
- right idem, page 714.
- worth idem, page 990.
- worthy idem, page 991.

[1] Beekes, Robert S. P. (2010) “ἄξιος”, in Etymological Dictionary of Greek (Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series; 10), with the assistance of Lucien van Beek, Leiden, Boston: Brill, →ISBN, page 111

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