γράμμα

Ancient Greek

Pronunciation

 

• IPA^(key): /ɡrám.ma/ → /ˈɣram.ma/ → /ˈɣra.ma/

• (5^th BCE Attic) IPA^(key): /ɡrám.ma/
• (1^st CE Egyptian) IPA^(key): /ˈɡram.ma/
• (4^th CE Koine) IPA^(key): /ˈɣram.ma/
• (10^th CE Byzantine) IPA^(key): /ˈɣram.ma/
• (15^th CE Constantinopolitan) IPA^(key): /ˈɣra.ma/

Etymology 1

From γράφω (gráphō, “I write”) +‎ -μα (-ma, result noun suffix).

Alternative forms

• γράθμα (gráthma) — Doric

Noun

γράμμα • (grámma) n (genitive γράμματος); third declension

1. that which is written, that which is drawn, picture
2. letter
3. (in the plural) alphabet
4. writing, book

Derived terms

• γραμματείδιον (grammateídion)
• γρᾰμμᾰτῐκός (grămmătĭkós)
• γραμματιστής (grammatistḗs)

Descendants

• → Albanian: gërmë
  • >? Albanian: gërmoj
• → Belarusian: гра́мата (hrámata)
• → Bulgarian: грамота́ (gramotá)
• → Czech: gramota
• Greek: γράμμα (grámma)
• → Latvian: grāmata
• → Lithuanian: grõmata
• → Polish: gramota
• → Russian: гра́мота (grámota)
• → Serbo-Croatian:

  Cyrillic script: гра̀мата

  Latin script: gràmata

• → Slovak: gramota
• → Ukrainian: гра́мота (hrámota)

Etymology 2

There are two theories:

• It was taken from Latin scrūpulus, which in its meaning, "smallest division of weight", was more frequently written scrūpulum, scrīpulum, and by some fancied derivation from scrīptum was written scrīptulum, scrīptlum. Hence it was later translated in Ancient Greek as γράμμα from γράφω (gráphō, “to write”), as scrīptulum from scrībō (“to write”).
• It was a Semitic borrowing, with the measure tallied to the stones or pits of small fruits, Jewish Palestinian Aramaic גרוֹם (grūm, “kernel”), Classical Syriac ܓܪܽܘܡܳܐ (grūmā, “bone; kernel, stone, pit”), Arabic جَرَام (jarām, “date-stone”), related to the common גַּרְמָא / ܓܰܪܡܳܐ (garmā, “bone; kernel, stone, pit”).

Noun

γράμμα • (grámma) n (genitive γράμματος); third declension

1. a kind of small weight, 1/24 of an ounce, scruple

Inflection

Third declension of τὸ γρᾰ́μμᾰ; τοῦ γρᾰ́μμᾰτος (Attic)

Case / #	Singular	Dual	Plural
Nominative	τὸ γρᾰ́μμᾰ tò grắmmă	τὼ γρᾰ́μμᾰτε tṑ grắmmăte	τᾰ̀ γρᾰ́μμᾰτᾰ tằ grắmmătă
Genitive	τοῦ γρᾰ́μμᾰτος toû grắmmătos	τοῖν γρᾰμμᾰ́τοιν toîn grămmắtoin	τῶν γρᾰμμᾰ́των tôn grămmắtōn
Dative	τῷ γρᾰ́μμᾰτῐ tôi grắmmătĭ	τοῖν γρᾰμμᾰ́τοιν toîn grămmắtoin	τοῖς γρᾰ́μμᾰσῐ / γρᾰ́μμᾰσῐν toîs grắmmăsĭ(n)
Accusative	τὸ γρᾰ́μμᾰ tò grắmmă	τὼ γρᾰ́μμᾰτε tṑ grắmmăte	τᾰ̀ γρᾰ́μμᾰτᾰ tằ grắmmătă
Vocative	γρᾰ́μμᾰ grắmmă	γρᾰ́μμᾰτε grắmmăte	γρᾰ́μμᾰτᾰ grắmmătă
Notes:	This table gives Attic inflectional endings. For declension in other dialects, see Appendix:Ancient Greek dialectal declension.

Further reading

• “γράμμα”, in Liddell & Scott (1940) A Greek–English Lexicon, Oxford: Clarendon Press
• “γράμμα”, in Liddell & Scott (1889) An Intermediate Greek–English Lexicon, New York: Harper & Brothers
• γράμμα 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
• γράμμα in the Diccionario Griego–Español en línea (2006–2025)
• G1121 in Strong, James (1979) Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance to the Bible
• γράμμα 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^[1], London: Routledge & Kegan Paul Limited.
  • article idem, page 42.
  • clause idem, page 136.
  • condition idem, page 157.
  • epitaph idem, page 279.
  • label idem, page 472.
  • picture idem, page 611.
  • proviso idem, page 655.
  • scene idem, page 738.
  • sketch idem, page 780.

Greek

Etymology

From Ancient Greek γράμμα (grámma). Morphologically γράφω (gráfo, “to write”) +‎ -μα (-ma, result noun suffix).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈɣra.ma/
• Hyphenation: γράμ‧μα

Noun

γράμμα • (grámma) n (plural γράμματα)

1. letter (written or printed symbol)
2. (computing) character
3. (in the plural) literature, letters

   Tα γράμματα και οι τέχνες.

   Ta grámmata kai oi téchnes.

   Literature and the arts

4. (in the plural, informal) education, literacy

   Ξέρεις γράμματα;

   Xéreis grámmata;

   Can you read?

   (literally, “Do you know letters?”)

5. letter (correspondence)
   • Στο ’πα και στο ξαναλέω
     μη μου γράφεις γράμματα
     γιατί γράμματα δεν ξέρω
     και με πιάνουν κλάματα.

     Sto ’pa kai sto xanaléo
     mi mou gráfeis grámmata
     giatí grámmata den xéro
     kai me piánoun klámata.

     I've told you and I'm telling you again
     don't write me letters
     because I can't read (letters)
     and tears overcome me

     (traditional Greek song)

6. (in the plural) tails (of a coin; mainly used in κορώνα ή γράμματα (koróna í grámmata, “heads or tails”))

Declension

Declension of γράμμα

	singular	plural
nominative	γράμμα (grámma)	γράμματα (grámmata)
genitive	γράμματος (grámmatos)	γραμμάτων (grammáton)
accusative	γράμμα (grámma)	γράμματα (grámmata)
vocative	γράμμα (grámma)	γράμματα (grámmata)

Synonyms

• (character): χαρακτήρας m (charaktíras)
• (literature): λογοτεχνία f (logotechnía)
• (communication): επιστολή f (epistolí)

Related terms

• γραμματική f (grammatikí, “grammar”)
• γραμμένος (gramménos, “written”)
• γραμματέας m or f (grammatéas, “secretary”)
• κορώνα ή γράμματα (koróna í grámmata, “heads or tails”)

• and see: γραμματεία f (grammateía, “secretariat”)

Descendants

• → Albanian: gramë