ἄξιος

See also: άξιος and Ἀξιός

Ancient Greek

Etymology

According to some scholars, from ἄγω (ágō, “to lead, draw out or down”) +‎ -τιος (-tios) (perhaps via an unattested intermediate ἄξις (áxis, “weight”)), with sense development "draw down (in the scale)" > "weigh, import". Beekes expresses mild doubts about this, both in the semantics as well as no other morphological derivative of ἄγω (ágō) being in -τι- (-ti-), but tentatively accepts this etymology. For a semantic parallel, compare Latin exāmen (“tongue of a balance; examining”), from the same root.

Pronunciation

 

• IPA^(key): /ák.si.os/ → /ˈak.si.os/ → /ˈak.si.os/

• (5^th BCE Attic) IPA^(key): /ák.si.os/
• (1^st CE Egyptian) IPA^(key): /ˈak.si.os/
• (4^th CE Koine) IPA^(key): /ˈak.si.os/
• (10^th CE Byzantine) IPA^(key): /ˈak.si.os/
• (15^th CE Constantinopolitan) IPA^(key): /ˈak.si.os/

Adjective

ᾰ̓́ξῐος • (ắxĭos) m (feminine ᾰ̓ξῐ́ᾱ, neuter ᾰ̓́ξῐον); first/second declension

1. counterbalancing, weighing as much as, of like value
   • Iliad 23.885:

     νῦν δ’ οὐδ’ ἑνὸς ἄξιοί εἰμεν Ἕκτορος

     we [all of us] are not worth as much as one Hector

2. worthy, fit

Declension

First and second declension of ᾰ̓́ξῐος; ᾰ̓ξῐ́ᾱ; ᾰ̓́ξῐον (Attic)

Number		Singular				Dual				Plural
Case/Gender		Masculine	Feminine	Neuter		Masculine	Feminine	Neuter		Masculine	Feminine	Neuter
Nominative		ᾰ̓́ξῐος ắxĭos	ᾰ̓ξῐ́ᾱ ăxĭ́ā	ᾰ̓́ξῐον ắxĭon		ᾰ̓ξῐ́ω ăxĭ́ō	ᾰ̓ξῐ́ᾱ ăxĭ́ā	ᾰ̓ξῐ́ω ăxĭ́ō		ᾰ̓́ξῐοι ắxĭoi	ᾰ̓́ξῐαι ắxĭai	ᾰ̓́ξῐᾰ ắxĭă
Genitive		ᾰ̓ξῐ́ου ăxĭ́ou	ᾰ̓ξῐ́ᾱς ăxĭ́ās	ᾰ̓ξῐ́ου ăxĭ́ou		ᾰ̓ξῐ́οιν ăxĭ́oin	ᾰ̓ξῐ́αιν ăxĭ́ain	ᾰ̓ξῐ́οιν ăxĭ́oin		ᾰ̓ξῐ́ων ăxĭ́ōn	ᾰ̓ξῐ́ων ăxĭ́ōn	ᾰ̓ξῐ́ων ăxĭ́ōn
Dative		ᾰ̓ξῐ́ῳ ăxĭ́ōi	ᾰ̓ξῐ́ᾳ ăxĭ́āi	ᾰ̓ξῐ́ῳ ăxĭ́ōi		ᾰ̓ξῐ́οιν ăxĭ́oin	ᾰ̓ξῐ́αιν ăxĭ́ain	ᾰ̓ξῐ́οιν ăxĭ́oin		ᾰ̓ξῐ́οις ăxĭ́ois	ᾰ̓ξῐ́αις ăxĭ́ais	ᾰ̓ξῐ́οις ăxĭ́ois
Accusative		ᾰ̓́ξῐον ắxĭon	ᾰ̓ξῐ́ᾱν ăxĭ́ān	ᾰ̓́ξῐον ắxĭon		ᾰ̓ξῐ́ω ăxĭ́ō	ᾰ̓ξῐ́ᾱ ăxĭ́ā	ᾰ̓ξῐ́ω ăxĭ́ō		ᾰ̓ξῐ́ους ăxĭ́ous	ᾰ̓ξῐ́ᾱς ăxĭ́ās	ᾰ̓́ξῐᾰ ắxĭă
Vocative		ᾰ̓́ξῐε ắxĭe	ᾰ̓ξῐ́ᾱ ăxĭ́ā	ᾰ̓́ξῐον ắxĭon		ᾰ̓ξῐ́ω ăxĭ́ō	ᾰ̓ξῐ́ᾱ ăxĭ́ā	ᾰ̓ξῐ́ω ăxĭ́ō		ᾰ̓́ξῐοι ắxĭoi	ᾰ̓́ξῐαι ắxĭai	ᾰ̓́ξῐᾰ ắxĭă
Derived forms		Adverb				Comparative				Superlative
		ᾰ̓ξῐ́ως ăxĭ́ōs				ᾰ̓ξῐώτερος ăxĭṓteros				ᾰ̓ξῐώτᾰτος ăxĭṓtătos
Notes:		This table gives Attic inflectional endings. For declension in other dialects, see Appendix:Ancient Greek dialectal declension.

Derived terms

• ἀντάξιος (antáxios)
• ἀξία (axía)
• ἀξιοδάκρυτος (axiodákrutos)
• ἀξιοεργός (axioergós)
• ἀξιοκαταφρόνητος (axiokataphrónētos)
• ἀξιόμορφος (axiómorphos)
• ἀξιοπρεπής (axioprepḗs)
• ἀξιοτίμητος (axiotímētos)
• ἀξιοφανής (axiophanḗs)
• ἀξιοφίλητος (axiophílētos)
• ἀξιόχρεως (axiókhreōs)
• ἀξιόω (axióō)

Descendants

• → Coptic: ⲁⲝⲓⲟⲥ (aksios)
• Greek: άξιος (áxios)
  • αξιο- (axio-)

Interjection

ἄξιος • (áxios)

1. (Koine, Christianity) Acclamation confirming the election of a Christian bishop or patriarch, (literally) "Worthy!" [from c. 4th century]

Further reading

• “ἄξιος”, in Liddell & Scott (1940) A Greek–English Lexicon, Oxford: Clarendon Press
• “ἄξιος”, in Liddell & Scott (1889) An Intermediate Greek–English Lexicon, New York: Harper & Brothers
• “ἄξιος”, in Autenrieth, Georg (1891) A Homeric Dictionary for Schools and Colleges, New York: Harper and Brothers
• ἄξιος in Bailly, Anatole (1935) Le Grand Bailly: Dictionnaire grec-français, Paris: Hachette
• ἄξιος in Cunliffe, Richard J. (1924) A Lexicon of the Homeric Dialect: Expanded Edition, Norman: University of Oklahoma Press, published 1963
• ἄξιος in the Diccionario Griego–Español en línea (2006–2025)
• “ἄξιος”, in Slater, William J. (1969) Lexicon to Pindar, Berlin: Walter de Gruyter
• G514 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.
  • adequate idem, page 11.
  • axius (river) idem, page 57.
  • condign idem, page 157.
  • deserved idem, page 215.
  • deserving idem, page 215.
  • due idem, page 255.
  • exemplary idem, page 290.
  • fit idem, page 323.
  • just idem, page 466.
  • merited idem, page 526.
  • right idem, page 714.
  • worth idem, page 990.
  • worthy idem, page 991.