τεκμήριον

Ancient Greek

Etymology

From τεκμαίρομαι (tekmaíromai, “to make a conjecture”) +‎ -ιον (-ion).

Pronunciation

 

• IPA^(key): /tek.mɛ̌ː.ri.on/ → /tekˈmi.ri.on/ → /tekˈmi.ri.on/

• (5^th BCE Attic) IPA^(key): /tek.mɛ̌ː.ri.on/
• (1^st CE Egyptian) IPA^(key): /tekˈme̝.ri.on/
• (4^th CE Koine) IPA^(key): /tekˈmi.ri.on/
• (10^th CE Byzantine) IPA^(key): /tekˈmi.ri.on/
• (15^th CE Constantinopolitan) IPA^(key): /tekˈmi.ri.on/

Noun

τεκμήρῐον • (tekmḗrion) n (genitive τεκμηρῐ́ου); second declension (Attic, Ionic, Koine)

1. proof (through argument)
   • 4th century BC, Isaeus, Nicostratus 12:

     ἐν μόναις δὲ ταῖς τῶν κλήρων εἰσαγωγαῖς δοκεῖ μοι προσήκειν τεκμηρίοις μᾶλλον ἢ μάρτυσι πιστεύειν.

     en mónais dè taîs tôn klḗrōn eisagōgaîs dokeî moi prosḗkein tekmēríois mâllon ḕ mártusi pisteúein.

     • 1962 translation by Edward Seymour Forster

       It seems to me that in suits concerning inheritances, and in these alone, more credit ought to be given to circumstantial proof than to the statements of witnesses.

2. (logic) demonstrative proof
   • 384 BCE – 322 BCE, Aristotle, Problems 70b.2
   • 384 BCE – 322 BCE, Aristotle, Rhetoric 1.3.7:

     τὰ γὰρ τεκμήρια καὶ τὰ εἰκότα καὶ τὰ σημεῖα προτάσεις εἰσὶν ῥητορικαί

     tà gàr tekmḗria kaì tà eikóta kaì tà sēmeîa protáseis eisìn rhētorikaí

     for proofs and probable propositions and probable arguments are propositions of rhetoric

Declension

Second declension of τὸ τεκμήρῐον; τοῦ τεκμηρῐ́ου (Attic)

Case / #	Singular	Dual	Plural
Nominative	τὸ τεκμήρῐον tò tekmḗrion	τὼ τεκμηρῐ́ω tṑ tekmēríō	τᾰ̀ τεκμήρῐᾰ tà tekmḗria
Genitive	τοῦ τεκμηρῐ́ου toû tekmēríou	τοῖν τεκμηρῐ́οιν toîn tekmēríoin	τῶν τεκμηρῐ́ων tôn tekmēríōn
Dative	τῷ τεκμηρῐ́ῳ tôi tekmēríōi	τοῖν τεκμηρῐ́οιν toîn tekmēríoin	τοῖς τεκμηρῐ́οις toîs tekmēríois
Accusative	τὸ τεκμήρῐον tò tekmḗrion	τὼ τεκμηρῐ́ω tṑ tekmēríō	τᾰ̀ τεκμήρῐᾰ tà tekmḗria
Vocative	τεκμήρῐον tekmḗrion	τεκμηρῐ́ω tekmēríō	τεκμήρῐᾰ tekmḗria
Notes:	This table gives Attic inflectional endings. For declension in other dialects, see Appendix:Ancient Greek dialectal declension.

Derived terms

• τεκμηριόω (tekmērióō)

Descendants

• Greek: τεκμήριο (tekmírio)

Further reading

• “τεκμήριον”, in Liddell & Scott (1940) A Greek–English Lexicon, Oxford: Clarendon Press