θεῖος

Ancient Greek

Alternative forms

• θέειος (théeios) — Epic
• θεήϊος (theḗïos) — Ionic
• θήϊος (thḗïos) — Aeolic
• σεῖος (seîos) — Laconic

Etymology 1

From Proto-Hellenic *tʰḗhyos, from Proto-Indo-European *dʰéh₁s-yo-, from *dʰéh₁s. Equivalent to θεός (theós, “god”) +‎ -ιος (-ios, adjectival suffix). Cognate with Latin fēriae.

Pronunciation

Adjective

θεῖος • (theîos) m (feminine θείᾱ, neuter θεῖον); first/second declension

1. of or from the gods or God, divine
2. (religion) belonging or sacred to a god, holy
3. superhuman (used of heroic figures)
4. imperial

Inflection

Synonyms

• (of the gods): θεϊκός (theïkós), θεϊνός (theïnós)

Derived terms

• θεῖον (theîon)

Descendants

• Greek: θείος (theíos)

References

• “θεῖος (A)”, in Liddell & Scott (1940) A Greek–English Lexicon, Oxford: Clarendon Press

Etymology 2

Traditionally derived from Proto-Indo-European *dʰeh₁(y)- (“to suck”); however, Beekes doesn't mention this etymology and instead takes the word as an independent onomatopoeic formation. Compare θῆλυς (thêlus, “female”), θηλή (thēlḗ, “teat”), τίτθη (títthē, “nurse”), τήθη (tḗthē, “grandmother”).

Noun

θεῖος • (theîos) m (genitive θείου); second declension

2. the brother of one's father or mother, uncle

Inflection

Descendants

• Greek: θείος (theíos)
• → Latin: thius (see there for further descendants)

References

• “θεῖος (B)”, in Liddell & Scott (1940) A Greek–English Lexicon, Oxford: Clarendon Press
• “θεῖος”, in Liddell & Scott (1889) An Intermediate Greek–English Lexicon, New York: Harper & Brothers
• “θεῖος”, in Autenrieth, Georg (1891) A Homeric Dictionary for Schools and Colleges, New York: Harper and Brothers
• θεῖος in Bailly, Anatole (1935) Le Grand Bailly: Dictionnaire grec-français, Paris: Hachette
• θεῖος in Cunliffe, Richard J. (1924) A Lexicon of the Homeric Dialect: Expanded Edition, Norman: University of Oklahoma Press, published 1963
• “θεῖος”, in Slater, William J. (1969) Lexicon to Pindar, Berlin: Walter de Gruyter
• G2304 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.
  • celestial idem, page 120.
  • divine idem, page 244.
  • ethereal idem, page 284.
  • god-like idem, page 365.
  • heaven-sent idem, page 393.
  • heavenly idem, page 393.
  • miraculous idem, page 532.
  • preternatural idem, page 638.
  • spiritual idem, page 802.
  • superhuman idem, page 839.
  • supernatural idem, page 839.
  • uncle idem, page 909.
  • unearthly idem, page 916.
  • weird idem, page 973.
• Gerhard Köbler, Indogermanisches Wörterbuch, p. 232