ἐγκαίνια

Ancient Greek

Etymology

From ἐγ- (eg-) +‎ καινός (kainós) +‎ -ια (-ia). Semantic loan from Biblical Hebrew חֲנֻכָּה (ḥănukkâ).

Pronunciation

 

• IPA^(key): /eŋ.kǎi̯.ni.a/ → /eɲˈɟɛ.ni.a/ → /eɲˈɟe.ni.a/

• (5^th BCE Attic) IPA^(key): /eŋ.kǎi̯.ni.a/
• (1^st CE Egyptian) IPA^(key): /eŋˈkɛ.ni.a/
• (4^th CE Koine) IPA^(key): /eɲˈɟɛ.ni.a/
• (10^th CE Byzantine) IPA^(key): /eɲˈɟe.ni.a/
• (15^th CE Constantinopolitan) IPA^(key): /eɲˈɟe.ni.a/

Noun

ἐγκαίνῐᾰ • (enkaínia) n pl (genitive ἐγκαινίων); second declension

1. (Judaism) a feast of dedication, especially that established by Judas Maccabeus at the reconsecration of the temple in Jerusalem: Hanukkah

Declension

Second declension of τᾰ̀ ἐγκαίνῐᾰ; τῶν ἐγκαινῐ́ων (Attic)

Case / #	Plural
Nominative	τᾰ̀ ἐγκαίνῐᾰ tà enkaínia
Genitive	τῶν ἐγκαινῐ́ων tôn enkainíōn
Dative	τοῖς ἐγκαινῐ́οις toîs enkainíois
Accusative	τᾰ̀ ἐγκαίνῐᾰ tà enkaínia
Vocative	ἐγκαίνῐᾰ enkaínia
Notes:	This table gives Attic inflectional endings. For declension in other dialects, see Appendix:Ancient Greek dialectal declension.

Quotations

• 300 BCE – 200 BCE, Septuagint, 2 Esdras 6.16–17:

  καὶ ἐποίησαν οἱ υἱοὶ Ἰσραήλ, οἱ ἱερεῖς καὶ οἱ Λευῖται καὶ οἱ κατάλοιποι υἱῶν ἀποικεσίας, ἐγκαίνια τοῦ οἴκου τοῦ Θεοῦ ἐν εὐφροσύνῃ. καὶ προσήνεγκαν εἰς τὰ ἐγκαίνια τοῦ οἴκου τοῦ Θεοῦ μόσχους ἑκατόν, κριοὺς διακοσίους, ἀμνοὺς τετρακοσίους, χιμάρους αἰγῶν ὑπὲρ ἁμαρτίας ὑπὲρ παντὸς Ἰσραὴλ δώδεκα εἰς ἀριθμὸν φυλῶν Ἰσραήλ.

  kaì epoíēsan hoi huioì Israḗl, hoi hiereîs kaì hoi Leuîtai kaì hoi katáloipoi huiôn apoikesías, enkaínia toû oíkou toû Theoû en euphrosúnēi. kaì prosḗnenkan eis tà enkaínia toû oíkou toû Theoû móskhous hekatón, krioùs diakosíous, amnoùs tetrakosíous, khimárous aigôn hupèr hamartías hupèr pantòs Israḕl dṓdeka eis arithmòn phulôn Israḗl.

  • Translation by Lancelot Charles Lee Brenton

    And the children of Israel, the priests, and the Levites, and the rest of the children of the captivity, kept the dedication of the house of God with gladness. And they offered for the dedication of the house of God a hundred calves, two hundred rams, four hundred lambs, twelve kids of the goats for a sin-offering for all Israel, according to the number of the tribes of Israel.

• 50 CE – 100 CE, The Gospel of John 10:22:

  Ἐγένετο τότε τὰ ἐγκαίνια ἐν τοῖς Ἱεροσολύμοις· χειμὼν ἦν.

  Egéneto tóte tà enkaínia en toîs Hierosolúmois; kheimṑn ên.

  • Translation by KJV

    And it was at Jerusalem the feast of the dedication, and it was winter.

Derived terms

• ἐγκαινίζω (enkainízō)

Descendants

• → Old Georgian: ენკენისთვე (enḳenistve)
  • → Laz: ეკენია (eǩenia)
  • → Mingrelian: ეკენია (eḳenia)
• → Gothic: 𐌹𐌽𐌽𐌹𐌿𐌾𐌹𐌸𐌰 (inniujiþa) (calque)
• → Latin: encaenia
  • → English: encaenia, Encaenia

Further reading

• ἐγκαίνια in Bailly, Anatole (1935) Le Grand Bailly: Dictionnaire grec-français, Paris: Hachette
• ἐγκαίνια in the Diccionario Griego–Español en línea (2006–2024)
• “ἐγκαίνια”, in ΛΟΓΕΙΟΝ [Logeion] Dictionaries for Ancient Greek and Latin (in English, French, Spanish, German, Dutch and Chinese), University of Chicago, since 2011
• “ἐγκαίνια”, in Liddell & Scott (1940) A Greek–English Lexicon, Oxford: Clarendon Press
• G1456 in Strong, James (1979) Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance to the Bible