βίοτος

Ancient Greek

Etymology

From Proto-Indo-European *gʷih₃wo-teh₂ or *gʷih₃-etos (“life”), from *gʷeyh₃- (“to live”). Cognate with Latin vīta.

Pronunciation

 

• IPA^(key): /bí.o.tos/ → /ˈβi.o.tos/ → /ˈvi.o.tos/

• (5^th BCE Attic) IPA^(key): /bí.o.tos/
• (1^st CE Egyptian) IPA^(key): /ˈbi.o.tos/
• (4^th CE Koine) IPA^(key): /ˈβi.o.tos/
• (10^th CE Byzantine) IPA^(key): /ˈvi.o.tos/
• (15^th CE Constantinopolitan) IPA^(key): /ˈvi.o.tos/

Noun

βῐ́οτος • (bĭ́otos) m (genitive βῐότου); second declension

1. life

Declension

Second declension of ὁ βῐ́οτος; τοῦ βῐότου (Attic)

Case / #	Singular	Dual	Plural
Nominative	ὁ βῐ́οτος ho bĭ́otos	τὼ βῐότω tṑ bĭótō	οἱ βῐ́οτοι hoi bĭ́otoi
Genitive	τοῦ βῐότου toû bĭótou	τοῖν βῐότοιν toîn bĭótoin	τῶν βῐότων tôn bĭótōn
Dative	τῷ βῐότῳ tôi bĭótōi	τοῖν βῐότοιν toîn bĭótoin	τοῖς βῐότοις toîs bĭótois
Accusative	τὸν βῐ́οτον tòn bĭ́oton	τὼ βῐότω tṑ bĭótō	τοὺς βῐότους toùs bĭótous
Vocative	βῐ́οτε bĭ́ote	βῐότω bĭótō	βῐ́οτοι bĭ́otoi
Notes:	This table gives Attic inflectional endings. For declension in other dialects, see Appendix:Ancient Greek dialectal declension.

Second declension of βῐ́οτος; βῐότου (Epic)

Case / #	Singular	Dual	Plural
Nominative	βῐ́οτος bĭ́otos	βῐότω bĭótō	βῐ́οτοι bĭ́otoi
Genitive	βῐότου / βῐοτοῖο / βῐότοιο / βῐοτόο / βῐότοο bĭótou / bĭotoîo / bĭótoio / bĭotóo / bĭótoo	βῐότοιῐν bĭótoiĭn	βῐότων bĭótōn
Dative	βῐότῳ bĭótōi	βῐότοιῐν bĭótoiĭn	βῐότοισῐ / βῐότοισῐν / βῐότοις bĭótoisĭ(n) / bĭótois
Accusative	βῐ́οτον bĭ́oton	βῐότω bĭótō	βῐότους bĭótous
Vocative	βῐ́οτε bĭ́ote	βῐότω bĭótō	βῐ́οτοι bĭ́otoi
Notes:	Dialects other than Attic are not well attested. Some forms may be based on conjecture. Use with caution.

Derived terms

• βιοτεύω (bioteúō)

Related terms

• βῐ́ος (bĭ́os)

Further reading

• “βίοτος”, in Liddell & Scott (1940) A Greek–English Lexicon, Oxford: Clarendon Press
• “βίοτος”, in Liddell & Scott (1889) An Intermediate Greek–English Lexicon, New York: Harper & Brothers
• “βίοτος”, in Autenrieth, Georg (1891) A Homeric Dictionary for Schools and Colleges, New York: Harper and Brothers
• βίοτος in Bailly, Anatole (1935) Le Grand Bailly: Dictionnaire grec-français, Paris: Hachette
• βίοτος in Cunliffe, Richard J. (1924) A Lexicon of the Homeric Dialect: Expanded Edition, Norman: University of Oklahoma Press, published 1963
• βίοτος in the Diccionario Griego–Español en línea (2006–2025)
• “βίοτος”, in Slater, William J. (1969) Lexicon to Pindar, Berlin: Walter de Gruyter
• Woodhouse, S. C. (1910) English–Greek Dictionary: A Vocabulary of the Attic Language‎^[1], London: Routledge & Kegan Paul Limited.
  • life idem, page 489.
  • livelihood idem, page 495.
  • living idem, page 496.
  • maintenance idem, page 508.
  • subsistence idem, page 832.
  • support idem, page 841.
  • sustenance idem, page 846.