γενέτης

Ancient Greek

Alternative forms

• γενέτωρ (genétōr)
• γενέτᾱς (genétās) — Epic, Doric, Aeolic

Etymology

From the root of γίγνομαι (gígnomai, “to be born”) +‎ -της (-tēs, agentive suffix).

Pronunciation

 

• IPA^(key): /ɡe.né.tɛːs/ → /ʝeˈne.tis/ → /ʝeˈne.tis/

• (5^th BCE Attic) IPA^(key): /ɡe.né.tɛːs/
• (1^st CE Egyptian) IPA^(key): /ɡeˈne.te̝s/
• (4^th CE Koine) IPA^(key): /ʝeˈne.tis/
• (10^th CE Byzantine) IPA^(key): /ʝeˈne.tis/
• (15^th CE Constantinopolitan) IPA^(key): /ʝeˈne.tis/

Noun

γενέτης • (genétēs) m (genitive γενέτου); first declension (Attic, Ionic)

1. begetter, ancestor
   • 408 BCE, Euripides, Orestes 1011
2. father
3. (in the plural) parents
4. (figuratively) author
5. the begotten, son
   • 429 BCE, Sophocles, Oedipus the King 472
   • 413 BCE, Euripides, Ion 916
6. (attributive, with θεοί) familial, of one's race
   • 470 BCE, Aeschylus, The Suppliants 77
   • 413 BCE, Euripides, Ion 1130
7. (attributive) produced
   • 495 CE – 570 CE, Olympiodorus the Younger, Commentary on the Aristotle's Meteorology 94.9

Inflection

First declension of ὁ γενέτης; τοῦ γενέτου (Attic)

Case / #	Singular	Dual	Plural
Nominative	ὁ γενέτης ho genétēs	τὼ γενέτᾱ tṑ genétā	οἱ γενέται hoi genétai
Genitive	τοῦ γενέτου toû genétou	τοῖν γενέταιν toîn genétain	τῶν γενετῶν tôn genetôn
Dative	τῷ γενέτῃ tôi genétēi	τοῖν γενέταιν toîn genétain	τοῖς γενέταις toîs genétais
Accusative	τὸν γενέτην tòn genétēn	τὼ γενέτᾱ tṑ genétā	τοὺς γενέτᾱς toùs genétās
Vocative	γενέτᾰ genétă	γενέτᾱ genétā	γενέται genétai
Notes:	This table gives Attic inflectional endings. For declension in other dialects, see Appendix:Ancient Greek dialectal declension.

Synonyms

• (familial): γενέθλιος (genéthlios)

Derived terms

• αἰειγενέτης (aieigenétēs)
• παγγενέτης (pangenétēs)

Further reading

• “γενέτης”, in Liddell & Scott (1940) A Greek–English Lexicon, Oxford: Clarendon Press
• “γενέτης”, in Liddell & Scott (1889) An Intermediate Greek–English Lexicon, New York: Harper & Brothers
• γενέτης in Bailly, Anatole (1935) Le Grand Bailly: Dictionnaire grec-français, Paris: Hachette
• γενέτης in the Diccionario Griego–Español en línea (2006–2025)