δυνατός

Ancient Greek

Alternative forms

• δύνατος (dúnatos) — Aeolic

Etymology

From δύναμαι (dúnamai, “to be able”) +‎ -τός (-tós, verbal adjective suffix).

Pronunciation

 

• IPA^(key): /dy.na.tós/ → /ðy.naˈtos/ → /ði.naˈtos/

• (5^th BCE Attic) IPA^(key): /dy.na.tós/
• (1^st CE Egyptian) IPA^(key): /dy.naˈtos/
• (4^th CE Koine) IPA^(key): /ðy.naˈtos/
• (10^th CE Byzantine) IPA^(key): /ðy.naˈtos/
• (15^th CE Constantinopolitan) IPA^(key): /ði.naˈtos/

Adjective

δῠνᾰτός • (dunatós) m (feminine δῠνᾰτή, neuter δῠνᾰτόν); first/second declension

1. strong, mighty
   • 484 BCE – 425 BCE, Herodotus, 9 31:

     ὅ τι μὲν ἦν αὐτῶν δυνατώτατον πᾶν ἀπολέξας ἔστησε ἀντίον Λακεδαιμονίων

     hó ti mèn ên autôn dunatṓtaton pân apoléxas éstēse antíon Lakedaimoníōn

     • 1920 translation by A. D. Godley

       In his arraying of them he chose out the strongest part of the Persians to set it over against the Lacedaemonians

   • 445 BCE – 380 BCE, Lysias, On the Refusal of a Pension 12:

     ὅτι δ᾽ ἐπὶ τοὺς ᾐτημένους ἵππους ἀναβαίνω, πειρᾶσθαι πείθειν ὑμᾶς ὡς δυνατός εἰμι

     • 1930 translation by W.R.M. Lamb

       because I mount borrowed horses, he should try to persuade you that I am.

   • 430 BCE – 354 BCE, Xenophon, Oeconomicus 7.23:

     τῇ δὲ γυναικὶ ἧττον τὸ σῶμα δυνατὸν πρὸς ταῦτα φύσας τὰ ἔνδον ἔργα αὐτῇ, φάναι ἔφη, προστάξαι μοι δοκεῖ ὁ θεός.

     têi dè gunaikì hêtton tò sôma dunatòn pròs taûta phúsas tà éndon érga autêi, phánai éphē, prostáxai moi dokeî ho theós.

     • 1923 translation by E. C. Marchant

       To the woman, since he has made her body less capable of such endurance, I take it that God has assigned the indoor tasks.

   • 522 BCE – 443 BCE, Pindar, Nemean Ode 9.39
   • 430 BCE – 354 BCE, Xenophon, Memorabilia 2.1.19:

     ἢ ἵνα δυνατοὶ γενόμενοι καὶ τοῖς σώμασι καὶ ταῖς ψυχαῖς καὶ τὸν ἑαυτῶν οἶκον καλῶς οἰκῶσι καὶ τοὺς φίλους εὖ ποιῶσι καὶ τὴν πατρίδα εὐεργετῶσι

     ḕ hína dunatoì genómenoi kaì toîs sṓmasi kaì taîs psukhaîs kaì tòn heautôn oîkon kalôs oikôsi kaì toùs phílous eû poiôsi kaì tḕn patrída euergetôsi

     • 1921 translation by E. C. Marchant

       or to make themselves capable in body and soul of managing their own homes well, of helping their friends and serving their country?

   • 400 BCE – 387 BCE, Plato, Hippias Minor 366:

     τοὺς ψευδεῖς φῂς εἶναι δυνατοὺς καὶ φρονίμους καὶ ἐπιστήμονας καὶ σοφοὺς εἰς ἅπερ ψευδεῖς.

     toùs pseudeîs phḕis eînai dunatoùs kaì phronímous kaì epistḗmonas kaì sophoùs eis háper pseudeîs.

     • 1925 translation

       the false are among the powerful and the wise, according to your statement.

   • 460 BCE – 395 BCE, Thucydides, 7 60:

     ὅσαι ἦσαν καὶ δυναταὶ καὶ ἀπλοώτεραι, πάντα τινὰ ἐσβιβάζοντες πληρῶσαι, καὶ διαναυμαχήσαντες, ἢν μὲν νικῶσιν, ἐς Κατάνην κομίζεσθαι.

     hósai êsan kaì dunataì kaì aploṓterai, pánta tinà esbibázontes plērôsai, kaì dianaumakhḗsantes, ḕn mèn nikôsin, es Katánēn komízesthai.

     • 1881 translation by Benjamin Jowett

       whether fit for service or not; they would then fight a decisive battle, and, if they conquered, go to Catana.

   • 380 BCE, Plato, The Republic 351:

     ἐλέχθη γάρ που ὅτι καὶ δυνατώτερον καὶ ἰσχυρότερον εἴη ἀδικία δικαιοσύνης.

     elékhthē gár pou hóti kaì dunatṓteron kaì iskhuróteron eíē adikía dikaiosúnēs.

     • 1969 translation

       For the statement made, I believe, was that injustice is a more potent and stronger thing than justice.

   • 200 BCE – 118 BCE, Polybius, 10 31.8:

     ἐπὶ δὲ τοῖς χείλεσιν ἑκάστης ἐπέκειτο χαρακώματα διπλᾶ καὶ τελευταῖον προτείχισμα δυνατόν.

     epì dè toîs kheílesin hekástēs epékeito kharakṓmata diplâ kaì teleutaîon proteíkhisma dunatón.

     • 1922 translation by William Roger Paton

       Each defended at its edge by a double row of palisades, and behind all there was strong wall.

   1. (with infinitive) able to do
      • 460 BCE – 420 BCE, Herodotus, Histories 1.97
      • 522 BCE – 443 BCE, Pindar, Olympian Ode 10.9
      • 460 BCE – 395 BCE, Thucydides, History of the Peloponnesian War 1.139
      • 428 BCE – 347 BCE, Plato, Protagoras 319A
      • 384 BCE – 322 BCE, Aristotle, Constitution of the Athenians 29.5
      • 430 BCE – 354 BCE, Xenophon, Constitution of the Athenians 1.3
      • 408 BCE, Euripides, Orestes 523
   2. (of outward power) powerful, influential
      • 497 BCE – 405 BCE, Sophocles, Electra 219
      • 460 BCE – 420 BCE, Herodotus, Histories 1.53
      • 460 BCE – 395 BCE, Thucydides, History of the Peloponnesian War 2.65
      • 460 BCE – 395 BCE, Thucydides, History of the Peloponnesian War 1.13
   3. able to produce
      • Geoponica 2.21.5
2. (passive voice, of things) possible, practical
   • 630 BCE – 570 BCE, Sappho, Papyrus Fragments 5.21
   • 460 BCE – 420 BCE, Herodotus, Histories 9.111
   • 458 BCE, Aeschylus, Agamemnon 97
   • 430 BCE – 354 BCE, Xenophon, Anabasis 4.1.24
   • 428 BCE – 347 BCE, Plato, Phaedo 90C
   • 384 BCE – 322 BCE, Aristotle, Politics 1295A.30
   • 386 BCE – 367 BCE, Plato, Cratylus 422D
   • 349 BCE, Demosthenes, Third Olynthiac 6
   • 460 BCE – 420 BCE, Herodotus, Histories 3.24
   • 428 BCE – 347 BCE, Plato, Phaedrus 277A
   • 430 BCE – 354 BCE, Xenophon, Anabasis 4.2.23
   • 430 BCE – 354 BCE, Xenophon, Cynegeticus 5.8
   • 407 BCE, Euripides, Iphigenia in Aulis 997
   • 405 BCE, Euripides, The Bacchae 183
   • 436 BCE – 338 BCE, Isocrates, Panathenaicus 278
   • 430 BCE – 354 BCE, Xenophon, Memorabilia 4.5.5
   • 384 BCE – 322 BCE, Demosthenes, Against Timocrates 13
   • 460 BCE – 395 BCE, Thucydides, History of the Peloponnesian War 5.89
   • 384 BCE – 322 BCE, Aristotle, Rhetoric 1359B.1
3. (adverbial) strongly, powerfully
   • 389 BCE – 314 BCE, Aeschines, On the Embassy 48
   • 380 BCE, Plato, The Republic 516D
   • 460 BCE – 420 BCE, Herodotus, Histories 7.11
4. (in phrases, such as, κατὰ τὸ δυνατόν, ὅσον δυνατόν) as much as is possible

Declension

First and second declension of δῠνᾰτός; δῠνᾰτή; δῠνᾰτόν (Attic)

Number		Singular				Dual				Plural
Case/Gender		Masculine	Feminine	Neuter		Masculine	Feminine	Neuter		Masculine	Feminine	Neuter
Nominative		δῠνᾰτός dunatós	δῠνᾰτή dunatḗ	δῠνᾰτόν dunatón		δῠνᾰτώ dunatṓ	δῠνᾰτᾱ́ dunatā́	δῠνᾰτώ dunatṓ		δῠνᾰτοί dunatoí	δῠνᾰταί dunataí	δῠνᾰτᾰ́ dunatá
Genitive		δῠνᾰτοῦ dunatoû	δῠνᾰτῆς dunatês	δῠνᾰτοῦ dunatoû		δῠνᾰτοῖν dunatoîn	δῠνᾰταῖν dunataîn	δῠνᾰτοῖν dunatoîn		δῠνᾰτῶν dunatôn	δῠνᾰτῶν dunatôn	δῠνᾰτῶν dunatôn
Dative		δῠνᾰτῷ dunatôi	δῠνᾰτῇ dunatêi	δῠνᾰτῷ dunatôi		δῠνᾰτοῖν dunatoîn	δῠνᾰταῖν dunataîn	δῠνᾰτοῖν dunatoîn		δῠνᾰτοῖς dunatoîs	δῠνᾰταῖς dunataîs	δῠνᾰτοῖς dunatoîs
Accusative		δῠνᾰτόν dunatón	δῠνᾰτήν dunatḗn	δῠνᾰτόν dunatón		δῠνᾰτώ dunatṓ	δῠνᾰτᾱ́ dunatā́	δῠνᾰτώ dunatṓ		δῠνᾰτούς dunatoús	δῠνᾰτᾱ́ς dunatā́s	δῠνᾰτᾰ́ dunatá
Vocative		δῠνᾰτέ dunaté	δῠνᾰτή dunatḗ	δῠνᾰτόν dunatón		δῠνᾰτώ dunatṓ	δῠνᾰτᾱ́ dunatā́	δῠνᾰτώ dunatṓ		δῠνᾰτοί dunatoí	δῠνᾰταί dunataí	δῠνᾰτᾰ́ dunatá
Derived forms		Adverb				Comparative				Superlative
		δῠνᾰτῶς dunatôs				δῠνᾰτώτερος dunatṓteros				δῠνᾰτώτᾰτος dunatṓtatos
Notes:		This table gives Attic inflectional endings. For declension in other dialects, see Appendix:Ancient Greek dialectal declension.

Derived terms

• ἀδύνατος (adúnatos)

Descendants

• Greek: δυνατός (dynatós)

Further reading

• “δυνατός”, in Liddell & Scott (1940) A Greek–English Lexicon, Oxford: Clarendon Press
• “δυνατός”, in Liddell & Scott (1889) An Intermediate Greek–English Lexicon, New York: Harper & Brothers
• δυνατός in Bailly, Anatole (1935) Le Grand Bailly: Dictionnaire grec-français, Paris: Hachette
• δυνατός in the Diccionario Griego–Español en línea (2006–2024)
• “δυνατός”, in Slater, William J. (1969) Lexicon to Pindar, Berlin: Walter de Gruyter
• G1415 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.
  • able idem, page 2.
  • capable idem, page 111.
  • competent idem, page 151.
  • effective idem, page 262.
  • feasible idem, page 312.
  • grandee idem, page 369.
  • great idem, page 372.
  • influential idem, page 439.
  • mighty idem, page 528.
  • noble idem, page 559.
  • possible idem, page 628.
  • potent idem, page 629.
  • powerful idem, page 630.
  • practicable idem, page 631.
  • strong idem, page 827.

Greek

Etymology

From Ancient Greek δυνατός (dunatós).

Adjective

δυνατός • (dynatós) m (feminine δυνατή, neuter δυνατό)

1. strong, loud
2. strong, powerful
3. possible, potential

Declension

Declension of δυνατός

number  case \ gender	singular			plural
	masculine	feminine	neuter	masculine	feminine	neuter
nominative	δυνατός •	δυνατή •	δυνατό •	δυνατοί •	δυνατές •	δυνατά •
genitive	δυνατού •	δυνατής •	δυνατού •	δυνατών •	δυνατών •	δυνατών •
accusative	δυνατό •	δυνατή •	δυνατό •	δυνατούς •	δυνατές •	δυνατά •
vocative	δυνατέ •	δυνατή •	δυνατό •	δυνατοί •	δυνατές •	δυνατά •
derivations	Comparative: πιο + positive forms (e.g. πιο δυνατός, etc.) Relative superlative: definite article + πιο + positive forms (e.g. ο πιο δυνατός, etc.)

Degrees of comparison by suffixation

comparative	singular			plural
	masculine	feminine	neuter	masculine	feminine	neuter
nominative	δυνατότερος •	δυνατότερη •	δυνατότερο •	δυνατότεροι •	δυνατότερες •	δυνατότερα •
genitive	δυνατότερου •	δυνατότερης •	δυνατότερου •	δυνατότερων •	δυνατότερων •	δυνατότερων •
accusative	δυνατότερο •	δυνατότερη •	δυνατότερο •	δυνατότερους •	δυνατότερες •	δυνατότερα •
vocative	δυνατότερε •	δυνατότερη •	δυνατότερο •	δυνατότεροι •	δυνατότερες •	δυνατότερα •
derivations	relative superlative: ο + comparative forms (eg "ο δυνατότερος", etc)
Absolute superlative	singular			plural
	masculine	feminine	neuter	masculine	feminine	neuter
nominative	δυνατότατος •	δυνατότατη •	δυνατότατο •	δυνατότατοι •	δυνατότατες •	δυνατότατα •
genitive	δυνατότατου •	δυνατότατης •	δυνατότατου •	δυνατότατων •	δυνατότατων •	δυνατότατων •
accusative	δυνατότατο •	δυνατότατη •	δυνατότατο •	δυνατότατους •	δυνατότατες •	δυνατότατα •
vocative	δυνατότατε •	δυνατότατη •	δυνατότατο •	δυνατότατοι •	δυνατότατες •	δυνατότατα •

Synonyms

• (powerful, influential): ισχυρός (ischyrós)

Related terms

• βάζω τα δυνατά μου (vázo ta dynatá mou, “do my best”)