ἱερός

See also: ιερός

Ancient Greek

Alternative forms

ῑ̔ρός (hīrós) — Epic, Ionic
ῐ̔ᾰρός (hĭărós) — Doric
ἷρος (hîros) — Aeolic

Etymology

From Proto-Hellenic *iherós, from Proto-Indo-European *ish₁ros (“holy”). There are a number of candidate cognates with this word; these include Sanskrit इषिर (iṣirá, “strong, active”) and Oscan 𐌀𐌉𐌔𐌖𐌔𐌉𐌔 (aisusis, “sacrifices”).^[1]

Pronunciation

(5^th BCE Attic) IPA^(key): /hi.e.rós/
(1^st CE Egyptian) IPA^(key): /(h)i.eˈros/
(4^th CE Koine) IPA^(key): /i.eˈros/
(10^th CE Byzantine) IPA^(key): /i.eˈros/
(15^th CE Constantinopolitan) IPA^(key): /i.eˈros/

Adjective

ῐ̔ερός • (hĭerós) m (feminine ῐ̔ερᾱ́, neuter ῐ̔ερόν); first/second declension

connected with the gods, divine
holy, sacred, consecrated, priestly

Usage notes

The ι is generally short in ἱερός (hierós), but sometimes lengthened for the sake of meter in poetry: ῑ̔ερός (hīerós). The contracted form ῑ̔ρός (hīrós) always has long ῑ.

Inflection

First and second declension of ῐ̔ερός; ῐ̔ερᾱ́; ῐ̔ερόν (Attic)

Number	Singular			Dual			Plural
Case/Gender	Masculine	Feminine	Neuter	Masculine	Feminine	Neuter	Masculine	Feminine	Neuter
Nominative	ῐ̔ερός hĭerós	ῐ̔ερᾱ́ hĭerā́	ῐ̔ερόν hĭerón	ῐ̔ερώ hĭerṓ	ῐ̔ερᾱ́ hĭerā́	ῐ̔ερώ hĭerṓ	ῐ̔εροί hĭeroí	ῐ̔εραί hĭeraí	ῐ̔ερᾰ́ hĭerắ
Genitive	ῐ̔εροῦ hĭeroû	ῐ̔ερᾶς hĭerâs	ῐ̔εροῦ hĭeroû	ῐ̔εροῖν hĭeroîn	ῐ̔εραῖν hĭeraîn	ῐ̔εροῖν hĭeroîn	ῐ̔ερῶν hĭerôn	ῐ̔ερῶν hĭerôn	ῐ̔ερῶν hĭerôn
Dative	ῐ̔ερῷ hĭerōî	ῐ̔ερᾷ hĭerāî	ῐ̔ερῷ hĭerōî	ῐ̔εροῖν hĭeroîn	ῐ̔εραῖν hĭeraîn	ῐ̔εροῖν hĭeroîn	ῐ̔εροῖς hĭeroîs	ῐ̔εραῖς hĭeraîs	ῐ̔εροῖς hĭeroîs
Accusative	ῐ̔ερόν hĭerón	ῐ̔ερᾱ́ν hĭerā́n	ῐ̔ερόν hĭerón	ῐ̔ερώ hĭerṓ	ῐ̔ερᾱ́ hĭerā́	ῐ̔ερώ hĭerṓ	ῐ̔ερούς hĭeroús	ῐ̔ερᾱ́ς hĭerā́s	ῐ̔ερᾰ́ hĭerắ
Vocative	ῐ̔ερέ hĭeré	ῐ̔ερᾱ́ hĭerā́	ῐ̔ερόν hĭerón	ῐ̔ερώ hĭerṓ	ῐ̔ερᾱ́ hĭerā́	ῐ̔ερώ hĭerṓ	ῐ̔εροί hĭeroí	ῐ̔εραί hĭeraí	ῐ̔ερᾰ́ hĭerắ
Derived forms	Adverb			Comparative			Superlative
Derived forms	ῐ̔ερῶς hĭerôs			ῐ̔ερώτερος hĭerṓteros			ῐ̔ερώτᾰτος hĭerṓtătos
Notes:	This table gives Attic inflectional endings. For declension in other dialects, see Appendix:Ancient Greek dialectal declension.

First and second declension of ἱερός; ἱερή; ἱερόν (Epic)

Number	Singular			Dual			Plural
Case/Gender	Masculine	Feminine	Neuter	Masculine	Feminine	Neuter	Masculine	Feminine	Neuter
Nominative	ἱερός hierós	ἱερή hierḗ	ἱερόν hierón	ἱερώ hierṓ	ἱερᾱ́ hierā́	ἱερώ hierṓ	ἱεροί hieroí	ἱεραί hieraí	ἱερᾰ́ hierắ
Genitive	ἱεροῦ / ἱεροῖο / ἱερόο hieroû / hieroîo / hieróo	ἱερῆς hierês	ἱεροῦ / ἱεροῖο / ἱερόο hieroû / hieroîo / hieróo	ἱεροῖν / ἱεροῖῐν hieroî(ĭ)n	ἱεραῖν / ἱεραῖῐν / ἱερῇῐν hieraî(ĭ)n / hierēîĭn	ἱεροῖν / ἱεροῖῐν hieroî(ĭ)n	ἱερῶν hierôn	ἱερᾱ́ων / ἱερέ͜ων / ἱερῶν hierā́ōn / hieré͜ōn / hierôn	ἱερῶν hierôn
Dative	ἱερῷ hierōî	ἱερῇ hierēî	ἱερῷ hierōî	ἱεροῖν / ἱεροῖῐν hieroî(ĭ)n	ἱεραῖν / ἱεραῖῐν / ἱερῇῐν hieraî(ĭ)n / hierēîĭn	ἱεροῖν / ἱεροῖῐν hieroî(ĭ)n	ἱεροῖς / ἱεροῖσῐ / ἱεροῖσῐν hieroîs / hieroîsĭ(n)	ἱερῇς / ἱερῇσῐ / ἱερῇσῐν / ἱεραῖς hierēîs / hierēîsĭ(n) / hieraîs	ἱεροῖς / ἱεροῖσῐ / ἱεροῖσῐν hieroîs / hieroîsĭ(n)
Accusative	ἱερόν hierón	ἱερήν hierḗn	ἱερόν hierón	ἱερώ hierṓ	ἱερᾱ́ hierā́	ἱερώ hierṓ	ἱερούς hieroús	ἱερᾱ́ς hierā́s	ἱερᾰ́ hierắ
Vocative	ἱερέ hieré	ἱερή hierḗ	ἱερόν hierón	ἱερώ hierṓ	ἱερᾱ́ hierā́	ἱερώ hierṓ	ἱεροί hieroí	ἱεραί hieraí	ἱερᾰ́ hierắ
Derived forms	Adverb			Comparative			Superlative
Derived forms	ἱερῶς hierôs			ἱερώτερος hierṓteros			ἱερώτᾰτος hierṓtătos
Notes:	Dialects other than Attic are not well attested. Some forms may be based on conjecture. Use with caution.

Derived terms

Ἱερᾱ́πολις (Hierā́polis)
ῐ̔ερᾰ́ρχης (hĭerắrkhēs)
ἱεραρχίᾱ (hierarkhíā)
ῐ̔ερεύς (hĭereús)
Ἱέριος (Hiérios)
ἱεροβοτάνη (hierobotánē)
ἱερόγλυφος (hierógluphos)
ἱερόγλωσσος (hieróglōssos)
ῑ̔ερόδουλος (hīeródoulos)
Ἱερόθεος (Hierótheos)
ἱεροκῆρῠξ (hierokêrŭx)
Ῐ̔εροκλῆς (Hĭeroklês)
ἱερομνήμων (hieromnḗmōn)
ἱεροπομπός (hieropompós)
ἱεροφάντης (hierophántēs)
Ῑ̔εροφῶν (Hīerophôn)
Ἱερώνυμος (Hierṓnumos)

Descendants

English: hiero-
French: hiéro-
Greek: ιερο- (iero-)
→ Middle Persian: (via ἱερά (hierá))
- → Arabic: إِيَارَج (ʔiyāraj), يَارَج (yāraj)
  - → Persian: ایارج (iyâraj), یارج (yâraj)
→ Persian: یاره (yâra, yâre) (via ἱερά (hierá))

References

^ Beekes, Robert S. P. (2010) “ἱερός”, in Etymological Dictionary of Greek (Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series; 10), with the assistance of Lucien van Beek, Leiden, Boston: Brill, →ISBN, pages 580-1

“ἱερός”, in Liddell & Scott (1940) A Greek–English Lexicon, Oxford: Clarendon Press
“ἱερός”, in Liddell & Scott (1889) An Intermediate Greek–English Lexicon, New York: Harper & Brothers
ἱερός in Bailly, Anatole (1935) Le Grand Bailly: Dictionnaire grec-français, Paris: Hachette
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
ἱερός in Cunliffe, Richard J. (1924) A Lexicon of the Homeric Dialect: Expanded Edition, Norman: University of Oklahoma Press, published 1963
“ἱερός”, in Slater, William J. (1969) Lexicon to Pindar, Berlin: Walter de Gruyter
G2413 in Strong, James (1979) Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance to the Bible
ἱερός in Trapp, Erich, et al. (1994–2007) Lexikon zur byzantinischen Gräzität besonders des 9.-12. Jahrhunderts [the Lexicon of Byzantine Hellenism, Particularly the 9th–12th Centuries], Verlag der Österreichischen Akademie der Wissenschaften
Woodhouse, S. C. (1910) English–Greek Dictionary: A Vocabulary of the Attic Language‎^[1], London: Routledge & Kegan Paul Limited.
- blessed idem, page 83.
- consecrated idem, page 162.
- devoted idem, page 221.
- hallowed idem, page 381.
- holy idem, page 403.
- inviolable idem, page 457.
- sacred idem, page 728.
- secular idem, page 747.
- spiritual idem, page 802.

[1] Beekes, Robert S. P. (2010) “ἱερός”, in Etymological Dictionary of Greek (Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series; 10), with the assistance of Lucien van Beek, Leiden, Boston: Brill, →ISBN, pages 580-1

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