δεύτερος

Ancient Greek

Etymology

Uncertain. Traditionally viewed as a δύο (dúo, “two”) + -τερος (-teros, comparative suffix), but possibly from Proto-Indo-European *dews-, the root of δεύομαι (deúomai, “to be inferior”). Beekes cites a hypothesis by Cornelis Ruijgh that it is based on an adverbial stem *δευ (*deu) found also in δεῦτε (deûte), δεῦρο (deûro, “come here!”).

Pronunciation

Numeral

δεύτερος • (deúteros)

1. second of two
   1. conjoined with εἷς (heîs) or other numerals: another, a second
2. (of things set in order) second, next, another
   1. (modifying a noun of time) after , next
   2. (connected with ranking) next best
   3. (of quality) inferior
   4. less important, secondary
   5. δεύτερος οὐδενός (deúteros oudenós): second to none

Inflection

Derived terms

Descendants

• English: deutero-, Deuteronomy, deuterocanonical, deuterium

References

• “δεύτερος”, in Liddell & Scott (1940) A Greek–English Lexicon, Oxford: Clarendon Press
• “δεύτερος”, in Liddell & Scott (1889) An Intermediate Greek–English Lexicon, New York: Harper & Brothers
• “δεύτερος”, in Autenrieth, Georg (1891) A Homeric Dictionary for Schools and Colleges, New York: Harper and Brothers
• δεύτερος 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
• δεύτερος in Cunliffe, Richard J. (1924) A Lexicon of the Homeric Dialect: Expanded Edition, Norman: University of Oklahoma Press, published 1963
• δεύτερος in the Diccionario Griego–Español en línea (2006–2024)
• “δεύτερος”, in Slater, William J. (1969) Lexicon to Pindar, Berlin: Walter de Gruyter
• G1208 in Strong, James (1979) Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance to the Bible
• Woodhouse, S. C. (1910) English–Greek Dictionary: A Vocabulary of the Attic Language‎, London: Routledge & Kegan Paul Limited.
  • next best idem, page 557.
  • second idem, page 746.
  • secondary idem, page 747.
  • subordinate idem, page 831.
  • subservient idem, page 832.
  • subsidiary idem, page 832.
• Sihler, Andrew L. (1995) New Comparative Grammar of Greek and Latin, Oxford, New York: Oxford University Press, →ISBN, § 398.2
• Beekes, Robert S. P. (2010) “δεύτερος”, in Etymological Dictionary of Greek (Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series; 10), with the assistance of Lucien van Beek, Leiden, Boston: Brill, →ISBN, pages 319–320

Greek

Etymology

From Ancient Greek δεύτερος (deúteros).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈðefteɾos/

Adjective

δεύτερος • (défteros) m (feminine δεύτερη or δευτέρα, neuter δεύτερο)

1. second

   Ήρθε δεύτερος στο Μαραθώνιο. ― Írthe défteros sto Marathónio. ― He came second in the marathon.

2. inferior, seconds

   δεύτερης ποιότητας ― défteris poiótitas ― inferior quality

Declension

Related terms

See also

• Greek number and measurement