μαύρος

See also: μαυρός

Greek

Etymology

Inherited from Koine Greek μαῦρος (maûros), from Ancient Greek ἀμαυρός (amaurós, “dark”). Also substantivised.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈma.vɾos/
• Hyphenation: μαύ‧ρος

Adjective

μαύρος • (mávros) m (feminine μαύρη, neuter μαύρο)

1. of black (color/colour)

   for the color/colour, see μαύρο n (mávro, noun)

2. (figurative)
   1. gloomy, dark, grim
   2. depressed, miserable
   3. grim, terrible, evil
3. (typography) bold

Usage notes

On degrees:

• Monolectic degrees of comparison of μαύρος (and adjectives for colour) are rare and spurious. The following obsolete forms, mostly dialectal, are found in proverbs and books of the 19th century:

μαυρότερος (more black), μαυρότατος (most, very black).

Comparative: μαυρύτερος (in analogy to μεγαλύτερος)

Comparative: μαυρήτερος

• Superlative is best formed with intensifiers: κατα- (kata-) (κατάμαυρος) & the rare παν- (pan-) (πάμμαυρος).
• The degrees of synonym μελανός (melanós) serve as substitutes: μελανότερος (melanóteros), μελανότατος (melanótatos).

Declension

Declension of μαύρος

	singular				plural
	masculine	feminine	neuter		masculine	feminine	neuter
nominative	μαύρος (mávros)	μαύρη (mávri)	μαύρο (mávro)		μαύροι (mávroi)	μαύρες (mávres)	μαύρα (mávra)
genitive	μαύρου (mávrou)	μαύρης (mávris)	μαύρου (mávrou)		μαύρων (mávron)	μαύρων (mávron)	μαύρων (mávron)
accusative	μαύρο (mávro)	μαύρη (mávri)	μαύρο (mávro)		μαύρους (mávrous)	μαύρες (mávres)	μαύρα (mávra)
vocative	μαύρε (mávre)	μαύρη (mávri)	μαύρο (mávro)		μαύροι (mávroi)	μαύρες (mávres)	μαύρα (mávra)

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

Synonyms

• μελανός (melanós)
• εβένινος (evéninos) (especially for hair)
• κορακάτος (korakátos) (especially for hair)
• in sense "dark": σκοτεινός (skoteinós), ερεβώδης (erevódis), ασβολερός (asvolerós)

See also

• μπλάκης (blákis) (Kaliarda)
• νέρος (néros) (Kaliarda)

Derived terms

• μαύρα n pl (mávra, “black mourning clothes”)
• μαύρο δάκρυ n (mávro dákry) (figurative)
• μαύρο μάτι n (mávro máti, “blackeye”) (medicine)
• μαύρα μάτια n pl (mávra mátia) (figurative)

Related terms

• μαυρο- (mavro-) & -μαυρος (-mavros) compounds like μαυρόασπρος (mavróaspros, “black-and-white”), ασπρόμαυρος (asprómavros, “white-and-black”)

and

• αμαυρός (amavrós, “dull, opaque”, adjective) & related
• κατάμαυρος (katámavros, “jet-black, pitch-black”)
• μαυρίζω (mavrízo, “to blacken, to suntan”)
• μαυρισμένος (mavrisménos, “blackened”, participle)
• μαύρο n (mávro, “black”, noun) (the color/colour)
• μαυρώνω (mavróno, “to char”)
• ολόμαυρος (olómavros, “jet-black, pitch-black”)
• πάμμαυρος (pámmavros, “jet-black, pitch-black”)

Further reading

• μαύρος, in Λεξικό της κοινής νεοελληνικής [Dictionary of Standard Modern Greek], Triantafyllidis Foundation, 1998 at the Centre for the Greek language
• μαύρος - Charalambakis, Chistoforos et al. (2014) Χρηστικό λεξικό της νεοελληνικής γλώσσας (Christiko lexiko tis Neoellhnikis Glossas) [A Practical dictionary of Modern Greek language] (in Greek) Athens: Academy of Athens. (online since 2023 - abbreviations - symbols)