γυμνός

Ancient Greek

Etymology

From Proto-Hellenic *gʷomnós by Cowgill's Law (o → u between labial and resonant), from Proto-Indo-European *nogʷmós by metathesis (possible taboo deformation; if the metathesis didn't happen we would have *νυγμός (*nugmós)), from *nogʷós (“naked”).

Pronunciation

 

• IPA^(key): /ɡym.nós/ → /ʝymˈnos/ → /ʝimˈnos/

• (5^th BCE Attic) IPA^(key): /ɡym.nós/
• (1^st CE Egyptian) IPA^(key): /ɡymˈnos/
• (4^th CE Koine) IPA^(key): /ʝymˈnos/
• (10^th CE Byzantine) IPA^(key): /ʝymˈnos/
• (15^th CE Constantinopolitan) IPA^(key): /ʝimˈnos/

Adjective

γυμνός • (gumnós) m (feminine γυμνή, neuter γυμνόν); first/second declension

1. naked, nude, unclad
2. unarmed, without armor, defenseless
3. bare, uncovered
4. stripped, destitute
5. lightly clad
6. mere

Inflection

First and second declension of γῠμνός; γῠμνή; γῠμνόν (Attic)

Number		Singular				Dual				Plural
Case/Gender		Masculine	Feminine	Neuter		Masculine	Feminine	Neuter		Masculine	Feminine	Neuter
Nominative		γῠμνός gŭmnós	γῠμνή gŭmnḗ	γῠμνόν gŭmnón		γῠμνώ gŭmnṓ	γῠμνᾱ́ gŭmnā́	γῠμνώ gŭmnṓ		γῠμνοί gŭmnoí	γῠμναί gŭmnaí	γῠμνᾰ́ gŭmnắ
Genitive		γῠμνοῦ gŭmnoû	γῠμνῆς gŭmnês	γῠμνοῦ gŭmnoû		γῠμνοῖν gŭmnoîn	γῠμναῖν gŭmnaîn	γῠμνοῖν gŭmnoîn		γῠμνῶν gŭmnôn	γῠμνῶν gŭmnôn	γῠμνῶν gŭmnôn
Dative		γῠμνῷ gŭmnôi	γῠμνῇ gŭmnêi	γῠμνῷ gŭmnôi		γῠμνοῖν gŭmnoîn	γῠμναῖν gŭmnaîn	γῠμνοῖν gŭmnoîn		γῠμνοῖς gŭmnoîs	γῠμναῖς gŭmnaîs	γῠμνοῖς gŭmnoîs
Accusative		γῠμνόν gŭmnón	γῠμνήν gŭmnḗn	γῠμνόν gŭmnón		γῠμνώ gŭmnṓ	γῠμνᾱ́ gŭmnā́	γῠμνώ gŭmnṓ		γῠμνούς gŭmnoús	γῠμνᾱ́ς gŭmnā́s	γῠμνᾰ́ gŭmnắ
Vocative		γῠμνέ gŭmné	γῠμνή gŭmnḗ	γῠμνόν gŭmnón		γῠμνώ gŭmnṓ	γῠμνᾱ́ gŭmnā́	γῠμνώ gŭmnṓ		γῠμνοί gŭmnoí	γῠμναί gŭmnaí	γῠμνᾰ́ gŭmnắ
Derived forms		Adverb				Comparative				Superlative
		γῠμνῶς gŭmnôs				γῠμνότερος gŭmnóteros				γῠμνότᾰτος gŭmnótătos
Notes:		This table gives Attic inflectional endings. For declension in other dialects, see Appendix:Ancient Greek dialectal declension.

First and second declension of γῠμνός; γῠμνᾱ́; γῠμνόν (Doric)

Number		Singular				Dual				Plural
Case/Gender		Masculine	Feminine	Neuter		Masculine	Feminine	Neuter		Masculine	Feminine	Neuter
Nominative		γῠμνός gŭmnós	γῠμνᾱ́ gŭmnā́	γῠμνόν gŭmnón		γῠμνώ gŭmnṓ	γῠμνᾱ́ gŭmnā́	γῠμνώ gŭmnṓ		γῠμνοί gŭmnoí	γῠμναί gŭmnaí	γῠμνᾰ́ gŭmnắ
Genitive		γῠμνοῖο gŭmnoîo	γῠμνᾶς gŭmnâs	γῠμνοῖο gŭmnoîo		γῠμνοῖν gŭmnoîn	γῠμναῖν gŭmnaîn	γῠμνοῖν gŭmnoîn		γῠμνῶν gŭmnôn	γῠμνᾶν gŭmnân	γῠμνῶν gŭmnôn
Dative		γῠμνῷ gŭmnôi	γῠμνᾷ gŭmnâi	γῠμνῷ gŭmnôi		γῠμνοῖν gŭmnoîn	γῠμναῖν gŭmnaîn	γῠμνοῖν gŭmnoîn		γῠμνοῖς gŭmnoîs	γῠμναῖς gŭmnaîs	γῠμνοῖς gŭmnoîs
Accusative		γῠμνόν gŭmnón	γῠμνᾱ́ν gŭmnā́n	γῠμνόν gŭmnón		γῠμνώ gŭmnṓ	γῠμνᾱ́ gŭmnā́	γῠμνώ gŭmnṓ		γῠμνούς gŭmnoús	γῠμνᾱ́ς gŭmnā́s	γῠμνᾰ́ gŭmnắ
Vocative		γῠμνέ gŭmné	γῠμνᾱ́ gŭmnā́	γῠμνόν gŭmnón		γῠμνώ gŭmnṓ	γῠμνᾱ́ gŭmnā́	γῠμνώ gŭmnṓ		γῠμνοί gŭmnoí	γῠμναί gŭmnaí	γῠμνᾰ́ gŭmnắ
Derived forms		Adverb				Comparative				Superlative
		γῠμνῶς gŭmnôs				γῠμνότερος gŭmnóteros				γῠμνότᾰτος gŭmnótătos
Notes:		Dialects other than Attic are not well attested. Some forms may be based on conjecture. Use with caution.

Derived terms

• γυμνάς (gumnás)
  • γυμνάζω (gumnázō)
    • γύμνασμα (gúmnasma)
    • γυμναστέος (gumnastéos)
    • γυμναστήριον (gumnastḗrion)
    • γυμναστής (gumnastḗs)
    • γυμναστικός (gumnastikós)
• γύμνασις (gúmnasis)
  • γυμνασία (gumnasía)
  • γυμνάσιον (gumnásion)
• γυμνηλός (gumnēlós)
• γυμνής (gumnḗs)
  • γυμνητεύω (gumnēteúō)
• γυμνικός (gumnikós)
• γυμνότης (gumnótēs)
• γυμνόω (gumnóō)
  • γύμνωσις (gúmnōsis)
  • γυμνωτέος (gumnōtéos)

Descendants

• Greek: γυμνός (gymnós)

Further reading

• “γυμνός”, in Liddell & Scott (1940) A Greek–English Lexicon, Oxford: Clarendon Press
• “γυμνός”, in Liddell & Scott (1889) An Intermediate Greek–English Lexicon, New York: Harper & Brothers
• “γυμνός”, in Autenrieth, Georg (1891) A Homeric Dictionary for Schools and Colleges, New York: Harper and Brothers
• γυμνός 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
• γυμνός in Cunliffe, Richard J. (1924) A Lexicon of the Homeric Dialect: Expanded Edition, Norman: University of Oklahoma Press, published 1963
• γυμνός in the Diccionario Griego–Español en línea (2006–2025)
• “γυμνός”, in Slater, William J. (1969) Lexicon to Pindar, Berlin: Walter de Gruyter
• G1131 in Strong, James (1979) Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance to the Bible
• Woodhouse, S. C. (1910) English–Greek Dictionary: A Vocabulary of the Attic Language‎^[1], London: Routledge & Kegan Paul Limited.
  • bare idem, page 62.
  • blank idem, page 81.
  • defenceless idem, page 204.
  • denude idem, page 211.
  • exposed idem, page 295.
  • naked idem, page 550.
  • nude idem, page 562.
  • open idem, page 574.
  • unarmed idem, page 907.
  • unclothed idem, page 909.
  • uncovered idem, page 911.
  • undressed idem, page 915.
  • unguarded idem, page 920.
  • unprotected idem, page 928.
  • unrobed idem, page 930.
  • vulnerable idem, page 958.
• American Heritage Dictionary of Indo-European Roots. Ed. Calvert Watkins. Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 1985.
• Huld, Martin E. “Magic, Metathesis and Nudity in Indo-European Thought.” Ancient Languages and Philology. Vol 1 of Studies in Honor of Jaan Puhvel. Eds. Dorothy Disterheft et al. Journal of Indo-European Studies Monograph 20. Gen. eds. A. Richard Diebold and Edgar C. Polomé. Washington: Institute for the Study of Man, 1997. 75-92.

Greek

Etymology

From Ancient Greek γυμνός (gumnós), from Proto-Hellenic *gʷomnós, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *nogʷós.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [ʝimˈnɔs]

Adjective

γυμνός • (gymnós) m (feminine γυμνή, neuter γυμνό)

1. naked, unsheathed, bare.

Declension

Declension of γυμνός

	singular				plural
	masculine	feminine	neuter		masculine	feminine	neuter
nominative	γυμνός (gymnós)	γυμνή (gymní)	γυμνό (gymnó)		γυμνοί (gymnoí)	γυμνές (gymnés)	γυμνά (gymná)
genitive	γυμνού (gymnoú)	γυμνής (gymnís)	γυμνού (gymnoú)		γυμνών (gymnón)	γυμνών (gymnón)	γυμνών (gymnón)
accusative	γυμνό (gymnó)	γυμνή (gymní)	γυμνό (gymnó)		γυμνούς (gymnoús)	γυμνές (gymnés)	γυμνά (gymná)
vocative	γυμνέ (gymné)	γυμνή (gymní)	γυμνό (gymnó)		γυμνοί (gymnoí)	γυμνές (gymnés)	γυμνά (gymná)

Derivations:
Comparative: πιο + positive forms (e.g. πιο γυμνός, etc.)
Relative superlative: definite article + πιο + positive forms (e.g. ο πιο γυμνός, etc.)

Degrees of comparison by suffixation

comparative (?) singular plural masculine feminine neuter masculine feminine neuter nominative γυμνότερος (gymnóteros) γυμνότερη (gymnóteri) γυμνότερο (gymnótero) γυμνότεροι (gymnóteroi) γυμνότερες (gymnóteres) γυμνότερα (gymnótera) genitive γυμνότερου (gymnóterou) γυμνότερης (gymnóteris) γυμνότερου (gymnóterou) γυμνότερων (gymnóteron) γυμνότερων (gymnóteron) γυμνότερων (gymnóteron) accusative γυμνότερο (gymnótero) γυμνότερη (gymnóteri) γυμνότερο (gymnótero) γυμνότερους (gymnóterous) γυμνότερες (gymnóteres) γυμνότερα (gymnótera) vocative γυμνότερε (gymnótere) γυμνότερη (gymnóteri) γυμνότερο (gymnótero) γυμνότεροι (gymnóteroi) γυμνότερες (gymnóteres) γυμνότερα (gymnótera) Derivations: relative superlative: ο + comparative forms (eg "ο γυμνότερος", etc) absolute superlative (?) singular plural masculine feminine neuter masculine feminine neuter nominative γυμνότατος (gymnótatos) γυμνότατη (gymnótati) γυμνότατο (gymnótato) γυμνότατοι (gymnótatoi) γυμνότατες (gymnótates) γυμνότατα (gymnótata) genitive γυμνότατου (gymnótatou) γυμνότατης (gymnótatis) γυμνότατου (gymnótatou) γυμνότατων (gymnótaton) γυμνότατων (gymnótaton) γυμνότατων (gymnótaton) accusative γυμνότατο (gymnótato) γυμνότατη (gymnótati) γυμνότατο (gymnótato) γυμνότατους (gymnótatous) γυμνότατες (gymnótates) γυμνότατα (gymnótata) vocative γυμνότατε (gymnótate) γυμνότατη (gymnótati) γυμνότατο (gymnótato) γυμνότατοι (gymnótatoi) γυμνότατες (gymnótates) γυμνότατα (gymnótata)

Derived terms

• γυμνότητα (gymnótita, “nakedness”)
• γυμνισμός (gymnismós, “naturism”)

Related terms

see: γυμνάζω (gymnázo, “to train, to exercise”)