ἄγγαρος

Ancient Greek

Etymology

The exact source is unknown. Not from Akkadian 𒇽𒂠𒂷 (^LU₂.ḪUN.GA₂ /⁠agru⁠/, “hired man”). Maybe from Old Persian *angarā (“missive, letter”), a reconstructed word which is from Aramaic *𐡀𐡍‬𐡂𐡓‬𐡀 (*’engarā), form of *𐡀𐡍‬𐡂𐡓‬𐡕𐡀 (*’engartā), variant of 𐡀𐡂𐡓‬𐡕𐡀 (’iggartā), 𐡀𐡍‬𐡂𐡓𐡕‬𐡀 (’engirtā, “missive, letter; contract”), from Akkadian 𒂊𒄈𒌅 (egirtu, “inscribed tablet; oracle of fate, ambiguous wording; contract, bound deal”), from 𒄃 (egēru, “to be difficult, to be twisted or locked together; to have a twisted tongue, to be unable to speak against an order”).

Or from Old Persian *hankara (“messenger”).

Pronunciation

 

• IPA^(key): /áŋ.ɡa.ros/ → /ˈaŋ.ɡa.ros/ → /ˈaŋ.ɡa.ros/

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

Noun

ἄγγᾰρος • (ángaros) m (genitive ἀγγᾰ́ρου); second declension

1. Persian mounted courier, for carrying royal dispatches

Inflection

Second declension of ὁ ἄγγᾰρος; τοῦ ἀγγᾰ́ρου (Attic)

Case / #	Singular	Dual	Plural
Nominative	ὁ ἄγγᾰρος ho ángaros	τὼ ἀγγᾰ́ρω tṑ angárō	οἱ ἄγγᾰροι hoi ángaroi
Genitive	τοῦ ἀγγᾰ́ρου toû angárou	τοῖν ἀγγᾰ́ροιν toîn angároin	τῶν ἀγγᾰ́ρων tôn angárōn
Dative	τῷ ἀγγᾰ́ρῳ tôi angárōi	τοῖν ἀγγᾰ́ροιν toîn angároin	τοῖς ἀγγᾰ́ροις toîs angárois
Accusative	τὸν ἄγγᾰρον tòn ángaron	τὼ ἀγγᾰ́ρω tṑ angárō	τοὺς ἀγγᾰ́ρους toùs angárous
Vocative	ἄγγᾰρε ángare	ἀγγᾰ́ρω angárō	ἄγγᾰροι ángaroi
Notes:	This table gives Attic inflectional endings. For declension in other dialects, see Appendix:Ancient Greek dialectal declension.

Derived terms

• ἄγγαρα (ángara)
• ἀγγαρεία (angareía)
• ἀγγαρευτής (angareutḗs)
• ἀγγαρεύω (angareúō)
• ἀγγαρήιον (angarḗion)
• ἀγγαροφορέω (angarophoréō)

 

Further reading

• “ἄγγαρος”, in Liddell & Scott (1940) A Greek–English Lexicon, Oxford: Clarendon Press
• “ἄγγαρος”, in Liddell & Scott (1889) An Intermediate Greek–English Lexicon, New York: Harper & Brothers
• ἄγγαρος in Bailly, Anatole (1935) Le Grand Bailly: Dictionnaire grec-français, Paris: Hachette
• ἄγγαρος in the Diccionario Griego–Español en línea (2006–2024)
• Beekes, Robert S. P. (2010) Etymological Dictionary of Greek (Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series; 10), with the assistance of Lucien van Beek, Leiden, Boston: Brill, →ISBN