τύραννος

Ancient Greek

Etymology

Perhaps a borrowing of a Lydian word for “king” or a similar word in another language of Asia Minor, possibly cognate with Proto-Celtic *tigernos (e.g., Gildas' phrase "superbo tyranno Vortigerno").

Compare Hittite [script needed] (šarawanaš), [script needed] (tarawanaš), Philistine 𐤈𐤓𐤍 (ṭrn, “lord, ruler”), Τυρρηνός (Turrhēnós, “Etruscan”), τύρσις (túrsis, “tower”) and Etruscan 𐌕𐌖𐌓𐌏𐌍 (turon, “mistress, lady”), a surname of Venus, which is probably related.

The Hittite term is a compound with first part possibly Phoenician 𐤑𐤓 (ṣr /⁠tzor⁠/, “Tyre”) and second part cognate to Ancient Greek ἄναξ (ánax), Mycenaean Greek 𐀷𐀙𐀏 (king) i.e., a king who donned the Tyrean purple.

Beekes argued for a Pre-Greek origin.

Pronunciation

 

• IPA^(key): /tý.ran.nos/ → /ˈty.ran.nos/ → /ˈti.ra.nos/

• (5^th BCE Attic) IPA^(key): /tý.ran.nos/
• (1^st CE Egyptian) IPA^(key): /ˈty.ran.nos/
• (4^th CE Koine) IPA^(key): /ˈty.ran.nos/
• (10^th CE Byzantine) IPA^(key): /ˈty.ran.nos/
• (15^th CE Constantinopolitan) IPA^(key): /ˈti.ra.nos/

Noun

τῠ́ρᾰννος • (tŭ́rănnos) m or f (genitive τῠρᾰ́ννου); second declension

1. absolute ruler (i.e. of gods, kings), initially applied to Lydian king Γύγης (Gúgēs)
2. (with negative connotation) tyrant, dictator, despot

Inflection

Second declension of ὁ, ἡ τῠ́ρᾰννος; τοῦ, τῆς τῠρᾰ́ννου (Attic)

Case / #	Singular	Dual	Plural
Nominative	ὁ, ἡ τῠ́ρᾰννος ho, hē tŭ́rănnos	τὼ τῠρᾰ́ννω tṑ tŭrắnnō	οἱ, αἱ τῠ́ρᾰννοι hoi, hai tŭ́rănnoi
Genitive	τοῦ, τῆς τῠρᾰ́ννου toû, tês tŭrắnnou	τοῖν τῠρᾰ́ννοιν toîn tŭrắnnoin	τῶν τῠρᾰ́ννων tôn tŭrắnnōn
Dative	τῷ, τῇ τῠρᾰ́ννῳ tôi, têi tŭrắnnōi	τοῖν τῠρᾰ́ννοιν toîn tŭrắnnoin	τοῖς, ταῖς τῠρᾰ́ννοις toîs, taîs tŭrắnnois
Accusative	τὸν, τὴν τῠ́ρᾰννον tòn, tḕn tŭ́rănnon	τὼ τῠρᾰ́ννω tṑ tŭrắnnō	τοὺς, τᾱ̀ς τῠρᾰ́ννους toùs, tā̀s tŭrắnnous
Vocative	τῠ́ρᾰννε tŭ́rănne	τῠρᾰ́ννω tŭrắnnō	τῠ́ρᾰννοι tŭ́rănnoi
Notes:	This table gives Attic inflectional endings. For declension in other dialects, see Appendix:Ancient Greek dialectal declension.

Derived terms

• οἰκοτῠ́ρᾰννος (oikotŭ́rănnos)
• τῠραννεύω (tŭranneúō)
• τῠραννέω (tŭrannéō)
• τῠραννίᾱ (tŭranníā)
• τῠραννῐκός (tŭrannĭkós)
• τῠραννίς (tŭrannís)

Descendants

• → Coptic: ⲧⲩⲣⲁⲛⲟⲥ (turanos)
• → Latin: tyrannus (see there for further descendants)
• → Lithuanian: tironas

Adjective

τῠ́ρᾰννος • (tŭ́rănnos) m or f (neuter τῠ́ρᾰννον); second declension

1. kingly, royal, regal
2. imperious, despotic

Inflection

Second declension of τῠ́ρᾰννος; τῠ́ρᾰννον (Attic)

Number		Singular			Dual			Plural
Case/Gender		Masculine / Feminine	Neuter		Masculine / Feminine	Neuter		Masculine / Feminine	Neuter
Nominative		τῠ́ρᾰννος tŭ́rănnos	τῠ́ρᾰννον tŭ́rănnon		τῠρᾰ́ννω tŭrắnnō	τῠρᾰ́ννω tŭrắnnō		τῠ́ρᾰννοι tŭ́rănnoi	τῠ́ρᾰννᾰ tŭ́rănnă
Genitive		τῠρᾰ́ννου tŭrắnnou	τῠρᾰ́ννου tŭrắnnou		τῠρᾰ́ννοιν tŭrắnnoin	τῠρᾰ́ννοιν tŭrắnnoin		τῠρᾰ́ννων tŭrắnnōn	τῠρᾰ́ννων tŭrắnnōn
Dative		τῠρᾰ́ννῳ tŭrắnnōi	τῠρᾰ́ννῳ tŭrắnnōi		τῠρᾰ́ννοιν tŭrắnnoin	τῠρᾰ́ννοιν tŭrắnnoin		τῠρᾰ́ννοις tŭrắnnois	τῠρᾰ́ννοις tŭrắnnois
Accusative		τῠ́ρᾰννον tŭ́rănnon	τῠ́ρᾰννον tŭ́rănnon		τῠρᾰ́ννω tŭrắnnō	τῠρᾰ́ννω tŭrắnnō		τῠρᾰ́ννους tŭrắnnous	τῠ́ρᾰννᾰ tŭ́rănnă
Vocative		τῠ́ρᾰννε tŭ́rănne	τῠ́ρᾰννον tŭ́rănnon		τῠρᾰ́ννω tŭrắnnō	τῠρᾰ́ννω tŭrắnnō		τῠ́ρᾰννοι tŭ́rănnoi	τῠ́ρᾰννᾰ tŭ́rănnă
Derived forms		Adverb			Comparative			Superlative
		τῠρᾰ́ννως tŭrắnnōs			τῠρᾰννότερος tŭrănnóteros			τῠρᾰννότᾰτος tŭrănnótătos
Notes:		This table gives Attic inflectional endings. For declension in other dialects, see Appendix:Ancient Greek dialectal declension.

Further reading

• “τύραννος”, in Liddell & Scott (1940) A Greek–English Lexicon, Oxford: Clarendon Press
• “τύραννος”, in Liddell & Scott (1889) An Intermediate Greek–English Lexicon, New York: Harper & Brothers
• τύραννος in Bailly, Anatole (1935) Le Grand Bailly: Dictionnaire grec-français, Paris: Hachette
• Bauer, Walter et al. (2001) A Greek–English Lexicon of the New Testament and Other Early Christian Literature, Third edition, Chicago: University of Chicago Press
• “τύραννος”, in Slater, William J. (1969) Lexicon to Pindar, Berlin: Walter de Gruyter
• Woodhouse, S. C. (1910) English–Greek Dictionary: A Vocabulary of the Attic Language‎^[1], London: Routledge & Kegan Paul Limited.
  • autocrat idem, page 54.
  • despot idem, page 217.
  • despotic idem, page 217.
  • imperial idem, page 420.
  • imperious idem, page 420.
  • king idem, page 469.
  • kingly idem, page 470.
  • lord idem, page 500.
  • masterful idem, page 517.
  • princely idem, page 641.
  • princess idem, page 641.
  • queen idem, page 664.
  • queenly idem, page 664.
  • regal idem, page 686.
  • royal idem, page 724.
  • ruler idem, page 726.
  • tyrannical idem, page 905.
  • tyrant idem, page 905.
  • usurper idem, page 941.
• “τύραννος”, in ΛΟΓΕΙΟΝ [Logeion] Dictionaries for Ancient Greek and Latin (in English, French, Spanish, German, Dutch and Chinese), University of Chicago, since 2011

Greek

Noun

τύραννος • (týrannos) m (plural τύραννοι)

1. tyrant
2. (historical) tyrant (an absolute ruler in ancient Greece)

Declension

Declension of τύραννος

	singular	plural
nominative	τύραννος (týrannos)	τύραννοι (týrannoi)
genitive	τυράννου (tyránnou)	τυράννων (tyránnon)
accusative	τύραννο (týranno)	τυράννους (tyránnous)
vocative	τύραννε (týranne)	τύραννοι (týrannoi)

Synonyms

• δεσπότης m (despótis)
• αγάς m (agás)

Related terms

• τυραννία f (tyrannía, “tyranny”)
• τυραννικός (tyrannikós, “tyrannical”)
• τυραννώ (tyrannó, “to tyrannise”)

Further reading

• τύραννος on the Greek Wikipedia.Wikipedia ^el