ἱερός

See also: ιερός

Ancient Greek

Alternative forms

• ῑ̔ρός (hīrós) — Epic, Ionic
• ῐ̔ᾰρός (hiarós) — Doric
• ἷρος (hîros) — Aeolic

Etymology

From Proto-Hellenic *iherós, from Proto-Indo-European *ish₁ros (“holy”). There are a number of candidate cognates with this word; these include Sanskrit इषिर (iṣirá, “strong, active”) and Oscan 𐌀𐌉𐌔𐌖𐌔𐌉𐌔 (aisusis, “sacrifices”).

Pronunciation

 

• IPA^(key): /hi.e.rós/ → /i.eˈros/ → /i.eˈros/

• (5^th BCE Attic) IPA^(key): /hi.e.rós/
• (1^st CE Egyptian) IPA^(key): /(h)i.eˈros/
• (4^th CE Koine) IPA^(key): /i.eˈros/
• (10^th CE Byzantine) IPA^(key): /i.eˈros/
• (15^th CE Constantinopolitan) IPA^(key): /i.eˈros/

Adjective

ῐ̔ερός • (hierós) m (feminine ῐ̔ερᾱ́, neuter ῐ̔ερόν); first/second declension

1. connected with the gods, supernatural
2. holy, sacred, consecrated
3. under divine protection

Usage notes

The ι is generally short in ἱερός (hierós), but sometimes lengthened for the sake of meter in poetry: ῑ̔ερός (hīerós). The contracted form ῑ̔ρός (hīrós) always has long ῑ.

Inflection

First and second declension of ἱερός; ἱερᾱ́; ἱερόν (Attic)

Number		Singular				Dual				Plural
Case/Gender		Masculine	Feminine	Neuter		Masculine	Feminine	Neuter		Masculine	Feminine	Neuter
Nominative		ἱερός hierós	ἱερᾱ́ hierā́	ἱερόν hierón		ἱερώ hierṓ	ἱερᾱ́ hierā́	ἱερώ hierṓ		ἱεροί hieroí	ἱεραί hieraí	ἱερᾰ́ hierá
Genitive		ἱεροῦ hieroû	ἱερᾶς hierâs	ἱεροῦ hieroû		ἱεροῖν hieroîn	ἱεραῖν hieraîn	ἱεροῖν hieroîn		ἱερῶν hierôn	ἱερῶν hierôn	ἱερῶν hierôn
Dative		ἱερῷ hierôi	ἱερᾷ hierâi	ἱερῷ hierôi		ἱεροῖν hieroîn	ἱεραῖν hieraîn	ἱεροῖν hieroîn		ἱεροῖς hieroîs	ἱεραῖς hieraîs	ἱεροῖς hieroîs
Accusative		ἱερόν hierón	ἱερᾱ́ν hierā́n	ἱερόν hierón		ἱερώ hierṓ	ἱερᾱ́ hierā́	ἱερώ hierṓ		ἱερούς hieroús	ἱερᾱ́ς hierā́s	ἱερᾰ́ hierá
Vocative		ἱερέ hieré	ἱερᾱ́ hierā́	ἱερόν hierón		ἱερώ hierṓ	ἱερᾱ́ hierā́	ἱερώ hierṓ		ἱεροί hieroí	ἱεραί hieraí	ἱερᾰ́ hierá
Derived forms		Adverb				Comparative				Superlative
		ἱερῶς hierôs				ἱερώτερος hierṓteros				ἱερώτᾰτος hierṓtatos
Notes:		This table gives Attic inflectional endings. For declension in other dialects, see Appendix:Ancient Greek dialectal declension.

First and second declension of ἱερός; ἱερή; ἱερόν (Epic)

Number		Singular				Dual				Plural
Case/Gender		Masculine	Feminine	Neuter		Masculine	Feminine	Neuter		Masculine	Feminine	Neuter
Nominative		ἱερός hierós	ἱερή hierḗ	ἱερόν hierón		ἱερώ hierṓ	ἱερᾱ́ hierā́	ἱερώ hierṓ		ἱεροί hieroí	ἱεραί hieraí	ἱερᾰ́ hierá
Genitive		ἱεροῦ / ἱεροῖο / ἱερόο hieroû / hieroîo / hieróo	ἱερῆς hierês	ἱεροῦ / ἱεροῖο / ἱερόο hieroû / hieroîo / hieróo		ἱεροῖῐν hieroîin	ἱεραῖν / ἱεραῖῐν / ἱερῇῐν hieraî(i)n / hierêiin	ἱεροῖῐν hieroîin		ἱερῶν hierôn	ἱερᾱ́ων / ἱερέ͜ων / ἱερῶν hierā́ōn / hieré͜ōn / hierôn	ἱερῶν hierôn
Dative		ἱερῷ hierôi	ἱερῇ hierêi	ἱερῷ hierôi		ἱεροῖῐν hieroîin	ἱεραῖν / ἱεραῖῐν / ἱερῇῐν hieraî(i)n / hierêiin	ἱεροῖῐν hieroîin		ἱεροῖσῐ / ἱεροῖσῐν / ἱεροῖς hieroîsi(n) / hieroîs	ἱερῇσῐ / ἱερῇσῐν / ἱερῇς / ἱεραῖς hierêisi(n) / hierêis / hieraîs	ἱεροῖσῐ / ἱεροῖσῐν / ἱεροῖς hieroîsi(n) / hieroîs
Accusative		ἱερόν hierón	ἱερήν hierḗn	ἱερόν hierón		ἱερώ hierṓ	ἱερᾱ́ hierā́	ἱερώ hierṓ		ἱερούς hieroús	ἱερᾱ́ς hierā́s	ἱερᾰ́ hierá
Vocative		ἱερέ hieré	ἱερή hierḗ	ἱερόν hierón		ἱερώ hierṓ	ἱερᾱ́ hierā́	ἱερώ hierṓ		ἱεροί hieroí	ἱεραί hieraí	ἱερᾰ́ hierá
Derived forms		Adverb				Comparative				Superlative
		ἱερῶς hierôs				ἱερώτερος hierṓteros				ἱερώτᾰτος hierṓtatos
Notes:		Dialects other than Attic are not well attested. Some forms may be based on conjecture. Use with caution.

Derived terms

• Ἱερᾱ́πολις (Hierā́polis)
• ῐ̔ερᾰ́ρχης (hierárkhēs)
• ἱεραρχίᾱ (hierarkhíā)
• ῐ̔ερεύς (hiereús)
• Ἱέριος (Hiérios)
• ἱεροβοτάνη (hierobotánē)
• ἱερόγλυφος (hierógluphos)
• ἱερόγλωσσος (hieróglōssos)
• ῑ̔ερόδουλος (hīeródoulos)
• Ἱερόθεος (Hierótheos)
• ἱεροκῆρῠξ (hierokêrux)
• Ῐ̔εροκλῆς (Hieroklês)
• ἱερομνήμων (hieromnḗmōn)
• ἱεροπομπός (hieropompós)
• ἱεροφάντης (hierophántēs)
• Ῑ̔εροφῶν (Hīerophôn)
• Ἱερώνυμος (Hierṓnumos)

 

Descendants

• English: hiero-
• French: hiéro-
• Greek: ιερο- (iero-)
• → Middle Persian: (via ἱερά (hierá))
  • → Arabic: إِيَارَج (ʔiyāraj), يَارَج (yāraj)
    • → Persian: ایارج (iyâraj), یارج (yâraj)
• → Persian: یاره (yâra, yâre) (via ἱερά (hierá))

Further reading

• “ἱερός”, in Liddell & Scott (1940) A Greek–English Lexicon, Oxford: Clarendon Press
• “ἱερός”, in Liddell & Scott (1889) An Intermediate Greek–English Lexicon, New York: Harper & Brothers
• ἱερός 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
• ἱερός in Cunliffe, Richard J. (1924) A Lexicon of the Homeric Dialect: Expanded Edition, Norman: University of Oklahoma Press, published 1963
• “ἱερός”, in Slater, William J. (1969) Lexicon to Pindar, Berlin: Walter de Gruyter
• G2413 in Strong, James (1979) Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance to the Bible
• ἱερός in Trapp, Erich, et al. (1994–2007) Lexikon zur byzantinischen Gräzität besonders des 9.-12. Jahrhunderts [the Lexicon of Byzantine Hellenism, Particularly the 9th–12th Centuries], Verlag der Österreichischen Akademie der Wissenschaften
• Woodhouse, S. C. (1910) English–Greek Dictionary: A Vocabulary of the Attic Language‎^[1], London: Routledge & Kegan Paul Limited.
  • blessed idem, page 83.
  • consecrated idem, page 162.
  • devoted idem, page 221.
  • hallowed idem, page 381.
  • holy idem, page 403.
  • inviolable idem, page 457.
  • sacred idem, page 728.
  • secular idem, page 747.
  • spiritual idem, page 802.