κῆρυξ

Ancient Greek

Alternative forms

• κᾶρῠξ (kârux) — Aeolic

Etymology

By the long -ύ- and enlarged -κ-, suggested by Beekes to be a Pre-Greek word, but for Bernal this is from Egyptian qꜣ ḫrw (“loud voice”), both rejecting the frequent comparison to Sanskrit कारु (kāru, “singer, poet”).

Pronunciation

 

• IPA^(key): /kɛ̂ː.ryks/ → /ˈci.ryks/ → /ˈci.riks/

• (5^th BCE Attic) IPA^(key): /kɛ̂ː.ryks/
• (1^st CE Egyptian) IPA^(key): /ˈke̝.ryks/
• (4^th CE Koine) IPA^(key): /ˈci.ryks/
• (10^th CE Byzantine) IPA^(key): /ˈci.ryks/
• (15^th CE Constantinopolitan) IPA^(key): /ˈci.riks/

Noun

κῆρῠξ • (kêrux) m (genitive κήρῡκος); third declension

1. herald, pursuivant
2. public messenger, envoy

   Synonym: ἀπόστολος (apóstolos)

3. crier, who made proclamation and kept order in assemblies
4. auctioneer
5. trumpet shell (Charonia lampas)

   Synonym: στρόμβος (strómbos)

6. an attendant of kings or chiefs sometimes found discharging the general duties of a slave or servant, particularly in Homer

   Synonym: θεράπων (therápōn)

Declension

Third declension of ὁ κῆρῠξ; τοῦ κήρῡκος (Attic)

Case / #	Singular	Dual	Plural
Nominative	ὁ κῆρῠξ ho kêrux	τὼ κήρῡκε tṑ kḗrūke	οἱ κήρῡκες hoi kḗrūkes
Genitive	τοῦ κήρῡκος toû kḗrūkos	τοῖν κηρῡ́κοιν toîn kērū́koin	τῶν κηρῡ́κων tôn kērū́kōn
Dative	τῷ κήρῡκῐ tôi kḗrūki	τοῖν κηρῡ́κοιν toîn kērū́koin	τοῖς κήρῡξῐ / κήρῡξῐν toîs kḗrūxi(n)
Accusative	τὸν κήρῡκᾰ tòn kḗrūka	τὼ κήρῡκε tṑ kḗrūke	τοὺς κήρῡκᾰς toùs kḗrūkas
Vocative	κῆρῠξ kêrux	κήρῡκε kḗrūke	κήρῡκες kḗrūkes
Notes:	This table gives Attic inflectional endings. For declension in other dialects, see Appendix:Ancient Greek dialectal declension.

Third declension of κῆρῠξ; κήρῡκος (Epic)

Case / #	Singular	Dual	Plural
Nominative	κῆρῠξ kêrux	κήρῡκε kḗrūke	κήρῡκες kḗrūkes
Genitive	κήρῡκος kḗrūkos	κηρῡ́κοιῐν kērū́koiin	κηρῡ́κων kērū́kōn
Dative	κήρῡκῐ kḗrūki	κηρῡ́κοιῐν kērū́koiin	κήρῡξῐ / κήρῡξῐν / κηρῡ́κεσσῐ / κηρῡ́κεσσῐν / κηρῡ́κεσῐ / κηρῡ́κεσῐν kḗrūxi(n) / kērū́kessi(n) / kērū́kesi(n)
Accusative	κήρῡκᾰ kḗrūka	κήρῡκε kḗrūke	κήρῡκᾰς kḗrūkas
Vocative	κῆρῠξ kêrux	κήρῡκε kḗrūke	κήρῡκες kḗrūkes
Notes:	Dialects other than Attic are not well attested. Some forms may be based on conjecture. Use with caution.

Derived terms

• ἱεροκῆρῠξ (hierokêrux)
• κήρυγμα (kḗrugma)
• κηρυγμός (kērugmós)
• κηρύκαινα (kērúkaina)
• κηρυκεία (kērukeía)
• κηρύκειον (kērúkeion)
• κηρύκειος (kērúkeios)
• κηρύκευμα (kērúkeuma)
• κηρύκευσις (kērúkeusis)
• κηρυκεύω (kērukeúō)
• κηρυκικός (kērukikós)
• κηρύκινος (kērúkinos)
• κηρυκιοειδής (kērukioeidḗs)
• κηρύκιον (kērúkion)
• κηρυκιοφόρος (kērukiophóros)
• κηρυκώδης (kērukṓdēs)
• κηρύσσω (kērússō)
• ψευδοκῆρῠξ (pseudokêrux)

 

Further reading

• “κῆρυξ”, in Liddell & Scott (1940) A Greek–English Lexicon, Oxford: Clarendon Press
• “κῆρυξ”, in Liddell & Scott (1889) An Intermediate Greek–English Lexicon, New York: Harper & Brothers
• “κῆρυξ”, in Autenrieth, Georg (1891) A Homeric Dictionary for Schools and Colleges, New York: Harper and Brothers
• κῆρυξ in Bailly, Anatole (1935) Le Grand Bailly: Dictionnaire grec-français, Paris: Hachette
• κῆρυξ in Cunliffe, Richard J. (1924) A Lexicon of the Homeric Dialect: Expanded Edition, Norman: University of Oklahoma Press, published 1963
• Beekes, Robert S. P. (2010) Etymological Dictionary of Greek (Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series; 10), with the assistance of Lucien van Beek, Leiden, Boston: Brill, →ISBN
• Bernal, Martin (2006) Black Athena. Volume III. The Linguistic Evidence, New Brunswick, New Jersey: Rutgers University Press, →ISBN, pages 415, 451