ἔργον

Ancient Greek

Pronunciation

 

• IPA^(key): /ér.ɡon/ → /ˈer.ɣon/ → /ˈer.ɣon/

• (5^th BCE Attic) IPA^(key): /ér.ɡon/
• (1^st CE Egyptian) IPA^(key): /ˈer.ɡon/
• (4^th CE Koine) IPA^(key): /ˈer.ɣon/
• (10^th CE Byzantine) IPA^(key): /ˈer.ɣon/
• (15^th CE Constantinopolitan) IPA^(key): /ˈer.ɣon/

Etymology 1

From Proto-Hellenic *wérgon, from Proto-Indo-European *wérǵom. Cognates include Old English weorc (English work), Avestan 𐬬𐬀𐬭𐬆𐬰𐬆𐬨 (var^əzəm) (Persian وَرز (varz)), and Old Armenian գործ (gorc).

Alternative forms

• ϝέργον (wérgon) — Doric
• ϝάργον (wárgon) — Elean

Noun

ἔργον • (érgon) n (genitive ἔργου); second declension

1. work, labour, task
   1. work or deed of war; battle
   2. peaceful contest
   3. work of industry
      1. (agriculture) tillage; tilled land
      2. (weaving) woman's work; weaving
   4. deed, doing, action
2. thing or matter
3. (passive voice) that which is wrought or made; work
   1. result of work, profit or interest
4. guild or company of workmen

   Synonym: ἐργᾰσῐ́ᾱ (ergasíā)

Declension

Second declension of τὸ ἔργον; τοῦ ἔργου (Attic)

Case / #	Singular	Dual	Plural
Nominative	τὸ ἔργον tò érgon	τὼ ἔργω tṑ érgō	τᾰ̀ ἔργᾰ tà érga
Genitive	τοῦ ἔργου toû érgou	τοῖν ἔργοιν toîn érgoin	τῶν ἔργων tôn érgōn
Dative	τῷ ἔργῳ tôi érgōi	τοῖν ἔργοιν toîn érgoin	τοῖς ἔργοις toîs érgois
Accusative	τὸ ἔργον tò érgon	τὼ ἔργω tṑ érgō	τᾰ̀ ἔργᾰ tà érga
Vocative	ἔργον érgon	ἔργω érgō	ἔργᾰ érga
Notes:	This table gives Attic inflectional endings. For declension in other dialects, see Appendix:Ancient Greek dialectal declension.

Second declension of ἔργον; ἔργου (Epic)

Case / #	Singular	Dual	Plural
Nominative	ἔργον érgon	ἔργω érgō	ἔργᾰ érga
Genitive	ἔργου / ἐργοῖο / ἔργοιο / ἐργόο / ἔργοο érgou / ergoîo / érgoio / ergóo / érgoo	ἔργοιῐν érgoiin	ἔργων érgōn
Dative	ἔργῳ érgōi	ἔργοιῐν érgoiin	ἔργοισῐ / ἔργοισῐν / ἔργοις érgoisi(n) / érgois
Accusative	ἔργον érgon	ἔργω érgō	ἔργᾰ érga
Vocative	ἔργον érgon	ἔργω érgō	ἔργᾰ érga
Notes:	Dialects other than Attic are not well attested. Some forms may be based on conjecture. Use with caution.

Second declension of τὸ ϝἔργον; τοῦ ϝἔργω (Laconian)

Case / #	Singular	Dual	Plural
Nominative	τὸ ϝἔργον tò wérgon	τὼ ϝἔργω tṑ wérgō	τᾰ̀ ϝἔργᾰ tà wérga
Genitive	τοῦ ϝἔργω toû wérgō	τοῖν ϝἔργοιν toîn wérgoin	τῶν ϝἔργων tôn wérgōn
Dative	τῷ ϝἔργῳ tôi wérgōi	τοῖν ϝἔργοιν toîn wérgoin	τοῖς ϝἔργοις toîs wérgois
Accusative	τὸ ϝἔργον tò wérgon	τὼ ϝἔργω tṑ wérgō	τᾰ̀ ϝἔργως tà wérgōs
Vocative	ϝἔργον wérgon	ϝἔργω wérgō	ϝἔργᾰ wérga
Notes:	Dialects other than Attic are not well attested. Some forms may be based on conjecture. Use with caution.

Derived terms

• γεωργός (geōrgós)
• Γεώργῐος (Geṓrgios)
• ἑκᾰ́εργος (hekáergos)
• ἐνέργειᾰ (enérgeia)
• ἐνεργέω (energéō)
• ἐνεργής (energḗs)
• ἐργώδης (ergṓdēs)
• ἐργᾰ́ζομαι (ergázomai)
• ἐργᾰλεῖον (ergaleîon)
• ἐργᾰστήρῐον (ergastḗrion)
• ἐργᾰ́της (ergátēs)
• κᾰκοῦργος (kakoûrgos)
• Λῠκοῦργος (Lukoûrgos)
• ᾱ̓ργός (ārgós)

 

Related terms

• ἔρδω (érdō)
• ῥέζω (rhézō)
• -ουργός (-ourgós)

Descendants

Descendants of ἔργον in other languages

• Greek: έργο (érgo)
• → English: ergo-, ergon, erg
• ⇒ French: ergol
• ⇒ Italian: ergol

Etymology 2

See the etymology of the corresponding lemma form.

Verb

ἔργον • (érgon)

1. first-person singular/third-person plural imperfect active indicative of ἔργω (érgō)

Participle

ἔργον • (érgon)

1. nominative/accusative/vocative neuter singular of ἔργων (érgōn)

References

• “ἔργον”, in Liddell & Scott (1940) A Greek–English Lexicon, Oxford: Clarendon Press
• “ἔργον”, in Liddell & Scott (1889) An Intermediate Greek–English Lexicon, New York: Harper & Brothers
• “ἔργον”, in Autenrieth, Georg (1891) A Homeric Dictionary for Schools and Colleges, New York: Harper and Brothers
• ἔργον 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
• ἔργον in Cunliffe, Richard J. (1924) A Lexicon of the Homeric Dialect: Expanded Edition, Norman: University of Oklahoma Press, published 1963
• “ἔργον”, in Slater, William J. (1969) Lexicon to Pindar, Berlin: Walter de Gruyter
• G2041 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.
  • act idem, page 9.
  • action idem, page 9.
  • business idem, page 106.
  • charge idem, page 125.
  • commission idem, page 148.
  • concern idem, page 155.
  • deed idem, page 202.
  • duty idem, page 257.
  • effect idem, page 262.
  • errand idem, page 281.
  • fact idem, page 300.
  • function idem, page 349.
  • handiwork idem, page 383.
  • issue idem, page 461.
  • job idem, page 463.
  • mission idem, page 535.
  • office idem, page 571.
  • onus idem, page 574.
  • operation idem, page 576.
  • performance idem, page 607.
  • place idem, page 616.
  • proceeding idem, page 644.
  • product idem, page 645.
  • province idem, page 654.
  • responsibility idem, page 704.
  • result idem, page 706.
  • sequel idem, page 754.
  • service idem, page 755.
  • task idem, page 856.
  • toil idem, page 880.
  • transaction idem, page 888.
  • work idem, page 988.
• 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