ἱερός

See also: ιερός

Ancient Greek

Alternative forms

ῑ̔ρός (hīrós) — Epic, Ionic
ῐ̔ᾰρός (hiarós) — 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 • (hierós) m (feminine ῐ̔ερᾱ́, neuter ῐ̔ερόν); first/second declension

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 ἱερός; ἱερᾱ́; ἱερόν (Attic)

Number	Singular			Dual			Plural
Case/Gender	Masculine	Feminine	Neuter	Masculine	Feminine	Neuter	Masculine	Feminine	Neuter
Nominative	ἱερός hierós	ἱερᾱ́ hierā́	ἱερόν hierón	ἱερώ hierṓ	ἱερᾱ́ hierā́	ἱερώ hierṓ	ἱεροί hieroí	ἱεραί hieraí	ἱερᾰ́ hierá
Genitive	ἱεροῦ hieroû	ἱερᾶς hierâs	ἱεροῦ hieroû	ἱεροῖν hieroîn	ἱεραῖν hieraîn	ἱεροῖν hieroîn	ἱερῶν hierôn	ἱερῶν hierôn	ἱερῶν hierôn
Dative	ἱερῷ hierôi	ἱερᾷ hierâi	ἱερῷ hierôi	ἱεροῖν hieroîn	ἱεραῖν hieraîn	ἱεροῖν hieroîn	ἱεροῖς hieroîs	ἱεραῖς hieraîs	ἱεροῖς hieroîs
Accusative	ἱερόν hierón	ἱερᾱ́ν hierā́n	ἱερόν hierón	ἱερώ hierṓ	ἱερᾱ́ hierā́	ἱερώ hierṓ	ἱερούς hieroús	ἱερᾱ́ς hierā́s	ἱερᾰ́ hierá
Vocative	ἱερέ hieré	ἱερᾱ́ hierā́	ἱερόν hierón	ἱερώ hierṓ	ἱερᾱ́ hierā́	ἱερώ hierṓ	ἱεροί hieroí	ἱεραί hieraí	ἱερᾰ́ hierá
Derived forms	Adverb			Comparative			Superlative
Derived forms	ἱερῶς hierôs			ἱερώτερος hierṓteros			ἱερώτᾰτος hierṓtatos
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 hierá
Genitive	ἱεροῦ / ἱεροῖο / ἱερόο hieroû / hieroîo / hieróo	ἱερῆς hierês	ἱεροῦ / ἱεροῖο / ἱερόο hieroû / hieroîo / hieróo	ἱεροῖῐν hieroîin	ἱεραῖν / ἱεραῖῐν / ἱερῇῐν hieraî(i)n / hierêiin	ἱεροῖῐν hieroîin	ἱερῶν hierôn	ἱερᾱ́ων / ἱερέ͜ων / ἱερῶν hierā́ōn / hieré͜ōn / hierôn	ἱερῶν hierôn
Dative	ἱερῷ hierôi	ἱερῇ hierêi	ἱερῷ hierôi	ἱεροῖῐν hieroîin	ἱεραῖν / ἱεραῖῐν / ἱερῇῐν hieraî(i)n / hierêiin	ἱεροῖῐν hieroîin	ἱεροῖσῐ / ἱεροῖσῐν / ἱεροῖς hieroîsi(n) / hieroîs	ἱερῇσῐ / ἱερῇσῐν / ἱερῇς / ἱεραῖς hierêisi(n) / hierêis / hieraîs	ἱεροῖσῐ / ἱεροῖσῐν / ἱεροῖς hieroîsi(n) / hieroîs
Accusative	ἱερόν hierón	ἱερήν hierḗn	ἱερόν hierón	ἱερώ hierṓ	ἱερᾱ́ hierā́	ἱερώ hierṓ	ἱερούς hieroús	ἱερᾱ́ς hierā́s	ἱερᾰ́ hierá
Vocative	ἱερέ hieré	ἱερή hierḗ	ἱερόν hierón	ἱερώ hierṓ	ἱερᾱ́ hierā́	ἱερώ hierṓ	ἱεροί hieroí	ἱεραί hieraí	ἱερᾰ́ hierá
Derived forms	Adverb			Comparative			Superlative
Derived forms	ἱερῶς hierôs			ἱερώτερος hierṓteros			ἱερώτᾰτος hierṓtatos
Notes:	Dialects other than Attic are not well attested. Some forms may be based on conjecture. Use with caution.

Derived terms

Ἱερᾱ́πολις (Hierā́polis)
ῐ̔ερᾰ́ρχης (hierárkhēs)
ἱεραρχίᾱ (hierarkhíā)
ῐ̔ερεύς (hiereús)
Ἱέριος (Hiérios)
ἱεροβοτάνη (hierobotánē)
ἱερόγλυφος (hierógluphos)
ἱερόγλωσσος (hieróglōssos)
ῑ̔ερόδουλος (hīeródoulos)
Ἱερόθεος (Hierótheos)
ἱεροκῆρῠξ (hierokêrux)
Ῐ̔εροκλῆς (Hieroklês)
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, 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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