δέ

See also: δεν, δε, -δε, and Appendix:Variations of "de"

Ancient Greek

Alternative forms

• δ’ (d’) — apocopic, used before a vowel to ease pronunciation

Etymology

From Proto-Hellenic *dḗ, from Proto-Indo-European *de (deictic particle). See also δή (dḗ).

Pronunciation

 

• IPA^(key): /dé/ → /ðe/ → /ðe/

• (5^th BCE Attic) IPA^(key): /dé/
• (1^st CE Egyptian) IPA^(key): /de/
• (4^th CE Koine) IPA^(key): /ðe/
• (10^th CE Byzantine) IPA^(key): /ðe/
• (15^th CE Constantinopolitan) IPA^(key): /ðe/

• Audio (Classical Attic):

  (file)

Particle

δέ • (dé) (discourse particle)

1. but, and

Conjunction

δέ • (dé)

1. but, and

Usage notes

δέ is a postpositive word: it is never the first word in a sentence. It is usually the second but sometimes also the third or fourth.

It is often used together with μέν (mén).

Descendants

• Classical Syriac: ܕܝܢ
• Coptic: ⲇⲉ (de)
• Greek: δε (de)

Further reading

• “δέ”, in Liddell & Scott (1940) A Greek–English Lexicon, Oxford: Clarendon Press
• “δέ”, in Liddell & Scott (1889) An Intermediate Greek–English Lexicon, New York: Harper & Brothers
• “δέ”, in Autenrieth, Georg (1891) A Homeric Dictionary for Schools and Colleges, New York: Harper and Brothers
• δέ in Cunliffe, Richard J. (1924) A Lexicon of the Homeric Dialect: Expanded Edition, Norman: University of Oklahoma Press, published 1963
• “δέ”, in Slater, William J. (1969) Lexicon to Pindar, Berlin: Walter de Gruyter
• G1161 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.
  • but idem, page 107.
  • whereas idem, page 975.

Greek

Conjunction

δέ • (dé)

1. (Katharevousa) but, and