εὐγενής

See also: ευγενής

Ancient Greek

Etymology

From εὐ- (eu-, “well”) +‎ γένος (génos, “birth, offspring, stock”) +‎ -ής (-ḗs, adjective suffix) from γίγνομαι (gígnomai, “become”). Compare Εὐγένιος (Eugénios).

Pronunciation

 

• IPA^(key): /eu̯.ɡe.nɛ̌ːs/ → /eβ.ʝeˈnis/ → /ev.ʝeˈnis/

• (5^th BCE Attic) IPA^(key): /eu̯.ɡe.nɛ̌ːs/
• (1^st CE Egyptian) IPA^(key): /ew.ɡeˈne̝s/
• (4^th CE Koine) IPA^(key): /eβ.ʝeˈnis/
• (10^th CE Byzantine) IPA^(key): /ev.ʝeˈnis/
• (15^th CE Constantinopolitan) IPA^(key): /ev.ʝeˈnis/

Adjective

εὐγενής • (eugenḗs) m or f (neuter εὐγενές); third declension

1. well-born, noble
   • 412 BCE, Euripides, Helen 136:

     φασίν, βρόχῳ γ’ ἅψασαν εὐγενῆ δέρην.

     phasín, brókhōi g’ hápsasan eugenê dérēn.

     Yes, they say she tied a noose around her noble neck.

2. (in Tragedy, figurative) noble-minded, generous
   • 442 BCE, Sophocles, Antigone 38:

     εἴτ’ εὐγενὴς πέφυκας

     eít’ eugenḕs péphukas

     whether you are noble-minded.

3. (of animals) well-bred, thoroughbred
   • 497 BCE – 405 BCE, Sophocles, Electra 25:

     ὥσπερ […] ἵππος εὐγενής

     hṓsper […] híppos eugenḗs

     as a thoroughbred horse

4. (of a wife, figurative) fertile, fecund
   • 46 CE – 120 CE, Plutarch, Cato the Younger 25.2:

     ὥσπερ εὐγενῆ χώραν ἐντεκνώσασθαι παράσχῃ

     hṓsper eugenê khṓran enteknṓsasthai paráskhēi

     to give her in turn to him as noble soil for the production of children

Inflection

Third declension of εὐγενής; εὐγενές (contracted, Attic)

Number		Singular			Dual			Plural
Case/Gender		Masculine / Feminine	Neuter		Masculine / Feminine	Neuter		Masculine / Feminine	Neuter
Nominative		εὐγενής eugenḗs	εὐγενές eugenés		εὐγενεῖ eugeneî	εὐγενεῖ eugeneî		εὐγενεῖς eugeneîs	εὐγενῆ eugenê
Genitive		εὐγενοῦς eugenoûs	εὐγενοῦς eugenoûs		εὐγενοῖν eugenoîn	εὐγενοῖν eugenoîn		εὐγενῶν eugenôn	εὐγενῶν eugenôn
Dative		εὐγενεῖ eugeneî	εὐγενεῖ eugeneî		εὐγενοῖν eugenoîn	εὐγενοῖν eugenoîn		εὐγενέσῐ / εὐγενέσῐν eugenési(n)	εὐγενέσῐ / εὐγενέσῐν eugenési(n)
Accusative		εὐγενῆ eugenê	εὐγενές eugenés		εὐγενεῖ eugeneî	εὐγενεῖ eugeneî		εὐγενεῖς eugeneîs	εὐγενῆ eugenê
Vocative		εὐγενές eugenés	εὐγενές eugenés		εὐγενεῖ eugeneî	εὐγενεῖ eugeneî		εὐγενεῖς eugeneîs	εὐγενῆ eugenê
Derived forms		Adverb			Comparative			Superlative
		εὐγενῶς eugenôs			εὐγενέστερος eugenésteros			εὐγενέστᾰτος eugenéstatos
Notes:		This table gives Attic inflectional endings. For declension in other dialects, see Appendix:Ancient Greek dialectal declension.

Third declension of εὐγενής; εὐγενές (uncontracted, Epic)

Number		Singular			Dual			Plural
Case/Gender		Masculine / Feminine	Neuter		Masculine / Feminine	Neuter		Masculine / Feminine	Neuter
Nominative		εὐγενής eugenḗs	εὐγενές eugenés		εὐγενεῖ / εὐγενέε eugeneî / eugenée	εὐγενεῖ / εὐγενέε eugeneî / eugenée		εὐγενεῖς / εὐγενέες eugeneîs / eugenées	εὐγενέᾰ eugenéa
Genitive		εὐγενέος / εὐγενεῦς eugenéos / eugeneûs	εὐγενέος / εὐγενεῦς eugenéos / eugeneûs		εὐγενοῖν eugenoîn	εὐγενοῖν eugenoîn		εὐγενέων eugenéōn	εὐγενέων eugenéōn
Dative		εὐγενεῖ / εὐγενέῐ̈ eugeneî / eugenéï	εὐγενεῖ / εὐγενέῐ̈ eugeneî / eugenéï		εὐγενοῖν eugenoîn	εὐγενοῖν eugenoîn		εὐγενέσῐ / εὐγενέσῐν eugenési(n)	εὐγενέσῐ / εὐγενέσῐν eugenési(n)
Accusative		εὐγενέᾰ eugenéa	εὐγενές eugenés		εὐγενεῖ / εὐγενέε eugeneî / eugenée	εὐγενεῖ / εὐγενέε eugeneî / eugenée		εὐγενέᾰς eugenéas	εὐγενέᾰ eugenéa
Vocative		εὐγενές eugenés	εὐγενές eugenés		εὐγενεῖ / εὐγενέε eugeneî / eugenée	εὐγενεῖ / εὐγενέε eugeneî / eugenée		εὐγενεῖς / εὐγενέες eugeneîs / eugenées	εὐγενέᾰ eugenéa
Derived forms		Adverb			Comparative			Superlative
		εὐγενέως eugenéōs			εὐγενέστερος eugenésteros			εὐγενέστᾰτος eugenéstatos
Notes:		Dialects other than Attic are not well attested. Some forms may be based on conjecture. Use with caution.

Antonyms

• ἀγενής (agenḗs, “of no family, ignoble”)

Derived terms

• εὐγένεια (eugéneia, noun)
• εὐγενίᾱ (eugeníā, noun)
• εὐγενῶς (eugenôs, adverb)

Descendants

• Greek: ευγενής (evgenís)

References

• “εὐγενής”, in Liddell & Scott (1940) A Greek–English Lexicon, Oxford: Clarendon Press
• “εὐγενής”, in Liddell & Scott (1889) An Intermediate Greek–English Lexicon, New York: Harper & Brothers
• εὐγενής in Bailly, Anatole (1935) Le Grand Bailly: Dictionnaire grec-français, Paris: Hachette
• G2104 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.
  • bred idem, page 97.
  • degree idem, page 206.
  • geatleman idem, page 355.
  • generous idem, page 356.
  • gentle idem, page 357.
  • good idem, page 366.
  • great idem, page 372.
  • high-born idem, page 400.
  • high-minded idem, page 400.
  • honourable idem, page 405.
  • ingenuous idem, page 440.
  • liberal idem, page 488.
  • noble idem, page 559.
  • patrician idem, page 599.
  • thoroughbred idem, page 868.
  • well-born idem, page 974.