ἄγγελος

See also: άγγελος and Άγγελος

Ancient Greek

Etymology

Cognate with Mycenaean Greek 𐀀𐀐𐀫 (a-ke-ro), with further origin uncertain. Probably a loanword, likely related to ἄγγᾰρος (ángaros, “Persian mounted courier”) (whence Latin angarius), which is perhaps from an Asian language. Klein suggests a Semitic origin; note 𐡀𐡍‬𐡂𐡓𐡕‬𐡀 (’engirtā, “missive, letter; contract”) and ܐܓܪܬܐ (ˀeggarṯā, “letter, document”, from Akkadian 𒂊𒄈𒌓 (egertu, “inscribed tablet; contract”)). Compare also Sanskrit अजिर (ajira, “agile, swift”), Sanskrit अञ्जि (añji, “commander, sender”) and Sanskrit अञ्जस् (añjas, “speed, velocity”).

The religious sense is a semantic loan from Biblical Hebrew מַלְאָךְ (malʾāḵ).

Pronunciation

 

• IPA^(key): /áŋ.ɡe.los/ → /ˈaɲ.ɟe.los/ → /ˈaɲ.ɟe.los/

• (5^th BCE Attic) IPA^(key): /áŋ.ɡe.los/
• (1^st CE Egyptian) IPA^(key): /ˈaŋ.ɡe.los/
• (4^th CE Koine) IPA^(key): /ˈaɲ.ɟe.los/
• (10^th CE Byzantine) IPA^(key): /ˈaɲ.ɟe.los/
• (15^th CE Constantinopolitan) IPA^(key): /ˈaɲ.ɟe.los/

Noun

ἄγγελος • (ángelos) m (genitive ᾰ̓γγέλου); second declension (Epic, Attic, Ionic, Doric, Koine)

1. a messenger
2. one that announces
3. (later) angel, heavenly spirit

Inflection

Second declension of ὁ ἄγγελος; τοῦ ἀγγέλου (Attic)

Case / #	Singular	Dual	Plural
Nominative	ὁ ἄγγελος ho ángelos	τὼ ἀγγέλω tṑ angélō	οἱ ἄγγελοι hoi ángeloi
Genitive	τοῦ ἀγγέλου toû angélou	τοῖν ἀγγέλοιν toîn angéloin	τῶν ἀγγέλων tôn angélōn
Dative	τῷ ἀγγέλῳ tôi angélōi	τοῖν ἀγγέλοιν toîn angéloin	τοῖς ἀγγέλοις toîs angélois
Accusative	τὸν ἄγγελον tòn ángelon	τὼ ἀγγέλω tṑ angélō	τοὺς ἀγγέλους toùs angélous
Vocative	ἄγγελε ángele	ἀγγέλω angélō	ἄγγελοι ángeloi
Notes:	This table gives Attic inflectional endings. For declension in other dialects, see Appendix:Ancient Greek dialectal declension.

Second declension of ὁ ἄγγελος; τοῦ ἀγγέλου (Ionic)

Case / #	Singular	Dual	Plural
Nominative	ὁ ἄγγελος ho ángelos	τὼ ἀγγέλω tṑ angélō	οἱ ἄγγελοι hoi ángeloi
Genitive	τοῦ ἀγγέλου toû angélou	τοῖν ἀγγέλοιν toîn angéloin	τῶν ἀγγέλων tôn angélōn
Dative	τῷ ἀγγέλῳ tôi angélōi	τοῖν ἀγγέλοιν toîn angéloin	τοῖσῐ / τοῖσῐν ἀγγέλοισῐ / ἀγγέλοισῐν / ἀγγέλοις toîsi(n) angéloisi(n) / angélois
Accusative	τὸν ἄγγελον tòn ángelon	τὼ ἀγγέλω tṑ angélō	τοὺς ἀγγέλους toùs angélous
Vocative	ἄγγελε ángele	ἀγγέλω angélō	ἄγγελοι ángeloi
Notes:	Dialects other than Attic are not well attested. Some forms may be based on conjecture. Use with caution.

Second declension of ἄγγελος; ἀγγέλου (Epic)

Case / #	Singular	Dual	Plural
Nominative	ἄγγελος ángelos	ἀγγέλω angélō	ἄγγελοι ángeloi
Genitive	ἀγγέλου / ἀγγελοῖο / ἀγγέλοιο / ἀγγελόο / ἀγγέλοο angélou / angeloîo / angéloio / angelóo / angéloo	ἀγγέλοιῐν angéloiin	ἀγγέλων angélōn
Dative	ἀγγέλῳ angélōi	ἀγγέλοιῐν angéloiin	ἀγγέλοισῐ / ἀγγέλοισῐν / ἀγγέλοις angéloisi(n) / angélois
Accusative	ἄγγελον ángelon	ἀγγέλω angélō	ἀγγέλους angélous
Vocative	ἄγγελε ángele	ἀγγέλω angélō	ἄγγελοι ángeloi
Notes:	Dialects other than Attic are not well attested. Some forms may be based on conjecture. Use with caution.

Second declension of ὁ ἄγγελος; τοῦ ἀγγέλοιο (Doric)

Case / #	Singular	Dual	Plural
Nominative	ὁ ἄγγελος ho ángelos	τὼ ἀγγέλω tṑ angélō	τοὶ ἄγγελοι toì ángeloi
Genitive	τοῦ ἀγγέλοιο toû angéloio	τοῖν ἀγγέλοιν toîn angéloin	τῶν ἀγγέλων tôn angélōn
Dative	τῷ ἀγγέλῳ tôi angélōi	τοῖν ἀγγέλοιν toîn angéloin	τοῖς ἀγγέλοις toîs angélois
Accusative	τὸν ἄγγελον tòn ángelon	τὼ ἀγγέλω tṑ angélō	τοὺς ἀγγέλους toùs angélous
Vocative	ἄγγελε ángele	ἀγγέλω angélō	ἄγγελοι ángeloi
Notes:	Dialects other than Attic are not well attested. Some forms may be based on conjecture. Use with caution.

Second declension of ὁ ἄγγελος; τοῦ ἀγγέλου (Koine)

Case / #	Singular	Dual	Plural
Nominative	ὁ ἄγγελος ho ángelos	τὼ ἀγγέλω tṑ angélō	οἱ ἄγγελοι hoi ángeloi
Genitive	τοῦ ἀγγέλου toû angélou	τοῖν ἀγγέλοιν toîn angéloin	τῶν ἀγγέλων tôn angélōn
Dative	τῷ ἀγγέλῳ tôi angélōi	τοῖν ἀγγέλοιν toîn angéloin	τοῖς ἀγγέλοις toîs angélois
Accusative	τὸν ἄγγελον tòn ángelon	τὼ ἀγγέλω tṑ angélō	τοὺς ἀγγέλους toùs angélous
Vocative	ἄγγελε ángele	ἀγγέλω angélō	ἄγγελοι ángeloi

Derived terms

• ἀγγελία (angelía)
• ἀγγέλλω (angéllō)
• εὐαγγελίζω (euangelízō)
• εὐαγγέλιον (euangélion)
• κατάγγελος (katángelos)
• ψευδάγγελος (pseudángelos)

 

Descendants

• Greek: άγγελος (ángelos)
• → Aghwan: 𐔰𐕎𐔲𐔴𐔾𐕒𐕚 (angelos)
• → Aramaic: אנגליא (ˀnglyˀ)
• → Gothic: 𐌰𐌲𐌲𐌹𐌻𐌿𐍃 (aggilus)
• → Coptic: ⲁⲅⲅⲉⲗⲟⲥ (aggelos)
• → Latin: angelus (see there for further descendants)
• → Old Church Slavonic: анг҄елъ (angʹelŭ) (see there for further descendants)
• → Old Georgian: ანგელოზი (angelozi) (see there for further descendants)
• → Ukrainian: я́нгол (jánhol)

Further reading

• “ἄγγελος”, in Liddell & Scott (1940) A Greek–English Lexicon, Oxford: Clarendon Press
• “ἄγγελος”, in Liddell & Scott (1889) An Intermediate Greek–English Lexicon, New York: Harper & Brothers
• “ἄγγελος”, in Autenrieth, Georg (1891) A Homeric Dictionary for Schools and Colleges, New York: Harper and Brothers
• ἄγγελος in Bailly, Anatole (1935) Le Grand Bailly: Dictionnaire grec-français, Paris: Hachette
• ἄγγελος in Cunliffe, Richard J. (1924) A Lexicon of the Homeric Dialect: Expanded Edition, Norman: University of Oklahoma Press, published 1963
• ἄγγελος in the Diccionario Griego–Español en línea (2006–2024)
• “ἄγγελος”, in Slater, William J. (1969) Lexicon to Pindar, Berlin: Walter de Gruyter
• G32 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.
  • announcer idem, page 30.
  • apostle idem, page 34.
  • bearer idem, page 67.
  • courier idem, page 178.
  • emissary idem, page 268.
  • envoy idem, page 279.
  • forerunner idem, page 337.
  • harbinger idem, page 385.
  • herald idem, page 397.
  • messenger idem, page 527.
  • reporter idem, page 697.
• Frisk, Hjalmar (1960–1972) “ἄγγελος”, in Griechisches etymologisches Wörterbuch (in German), Heidelberg: Carl Winter
• Klein, Dr. Ernest, A Comprehensive Etymological Dictionary of the English Language, Amsterdam: Elsevier Scientific Publishing Co., 1971.
• John A. Simpson and Edmund S. C. Weiner, editors (1989), “ἄγγελος”, in The Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd edition, Oxford: Clarendon Press, →ISBN.