καθαρός

Ancient Greek

Alternative forms

• κοθᾰρός (kotharós) — Doric
• κόθᾰρος (kótharos) — Aeolic

Etymology

No suitable Indo-European cognates can be drawn; the traditional connection to Sanskrit शिथिर (śithira, “loose, relaxed”) requires too many ad hoc assumptions, both phonetic and semantic. This, along with α/ο variation, implies a borrowing from Pre-Greek.

Pronunciation

 

• IPA^(key): /ka.tʰa.rós/ → /ka.θaˈros/ → /ka.θaˈros/

• (5^th BCE Attic) IPA^(key): /ka.tʰa.rós/
• (1^st CE Egyptian) IPA^(key): /ka.tʰaˈros/
• (4^th CE Koine) IPA^(key): /ka.θaˈros/
• (10^th CE Byzantine) IPA^(key): /ka.θaˈros/
• (15^th CE Constantinopolitan) IPA^(key): /ka.θaˈros/

Adjective

κᾰθᾰρός • (katharós) m (feminine κᾰθᾰρᾱ́, neuter κᾰθᾰρόν); first/second declension

1. clean, clear, pure

Inflection

First and second declension of κᾰθᾰρός; κᾰθᾰρᾱ́; κᾰθᾰρόν (Attic)

Number		Singular				Dual				Plural
Case/Gender		Masculine	Feminine	Neuter		Masculine	Feminine	Neuter		Masculine	Feminine	Neuter
Nominative		κᾰθᾰρός katharós	κᾰθᾰρᾱ́ katharā́	κᾰθᾰρόν katharón		κᾰθᾰρώ katharṓ	κᾰθᾰρᾱ́ katharā́	κᾰθᾰρώ katharṓ		κᾰθᾰροί katharoí	κᾰθᾰραί katharaí	κᾰθᾰρᾰ́ kathará
Genitive		κᾰθᾰροῦ katharoû	κᾰθᾰρᾶς katharâs	κᾰθᾰροῦ katharoû		κᾰθᾰροῖν katharoîn	κᾰθᾰραῖν katharaîn	κᾰθᾰροῖν katharoîn		κᾰθᾰρῶν katharôn	κᾰθᾰρῶν katharôn	κᾰθᾰρῶν katharôn
Dative		κᾰθᾰρῷ katharôi	κᾰθᾰρᾷ katharâi	κᾰθᾰρῷ katharôi		κᾰθᾰροῖν katharoîn	κᾰθᾰραῖν katharaîn	κᾰθᾰροῖν katharoîn		κᾰθᾰροῖς katharoîs	κᾰθᾰραῖς katharaîs	κᾰθᾰροῖς katharoîs
Accusative		κᾰθᾰρόν katharón	κᾰθᾰρᾱ́ν katharā́n	κᾰθᾰρόν katharón		κᾰθᾰρώ katharṓ	κᾰθᾰρᾱ́ katharā́	κᾰθᾰρώ katharṓ		κᾰθᾰρούς katharoús	κᾰθᾰρᾱ́ς katharā́s	κᾰθᾰρᾰ́ kathará
Vocative		κᾰθᾰρέ katharé	κᾰθᾰρᾱ́ katharā́	κᾰθᾰρόν katharón		κᾰθᾰρώ katharṓ	κᾰθᾰρᾱ́ katharā́	κᾰθᾰρώ katharṓ		κᾰθᾰροί katharoí	κᾰθᾰραί katharaí	κᾰθᾰρᾰ́ kathará
Derived forms		Adverb				Comparative				Superlative
		κᾰθᾰρῶς katharôs				κᾰθᾰρώτερος katharṓteros				κᾰθᾰρώτᾰτος katharṓtatos
Notes:		This table gives Attic inflectional endings. For declension in other dialects, see Appendix:Ancient Greek dialectal declension.

Derived terms

• κᾰθαίρω (kathaírō)
• κᾰθᾰρεύω (kathareúō)
• κᾰθᾰρῐ́ζω (katharízō)

Descendants

• Greek: καθαρός (katharós)
• Mariupol Greek: катъаро́ (kaθaró)

Non-Hellenic Descendants

• Danish: kætter
• Dutch: ketter
• English: Cathar
• French: cathare
• German: Ketzer
• Latin: Catharus (Catharī, m.pl.)
• German Low German: Ketter
• Norwegian Bokmål: kjetter
• Norwegian Nynorsk: kjettar
• Swedish: kättare

Further reading

• “καθαρός”, in Liddell & Scott (1940) A Greek–English Lexicon, Oxford: Clarendon Press
• “καθαρός”, in Liddell & Scott (1889) An Intermediate Greek–English Lexicon, New York: Harper & Brothers
• “καθαρός”, in Autenrieth, Georg (1891) A Homeric Dictionary for Schools and Colleges, New York: Harper and Brothers
• καθαρός 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
• καθαρός in Cunliffe, Richard J. (1924) A Lexicon of the Homeric Dialect: Expanded Edition, Norman: University of Oklahoma Press, published 1963
• “καθαρός”, in Slater, William J. (1969) Lexicon to Pindar, Berlin: Walter de Gruyter
• G2513 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.
  • chaste idem, page 127.
  • clean idem, page 136.
  • clear idem, page 136.
  • guiltless idem, page 379.
  • immaculate idem, page 417.
  • innocent idem, page 442.
  • limpid idem, page 492.
  • open idem, page 574.
  • pellucid idem, page 602.
  • pure idem, page 658.
  • refined idem, page 684.
  • sinless idem, page 779.
  • spotless idem, page 804.
  • stainless idem, page 809.
  • sweet idem, page 848.
  • unashamed idem, page 907.
  • unblemished idem, page 908.
  • uncontaminated idem, page 911.
  • undefiled idem, page 912.
  • unprofaned idem, page 928.
  • unsoiled idem, page 932.
  • unspoiled idem, page 932.
  • unspotted idem, page 932.
  • unstained idem, page 933.
  • unsullied idem, page 933.
  • untainted idem, page 934.
  • virtuous idem, page 954.
• “καθαρός”, in ΛΟΓΕΙΟΝ [Logeion] (in English, French, Spanish, German, Dutch and Chinese), University of Chicago, 2011

Greek

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ka.θaˈɾos/

Adjective

καθαρός • (katharós) m (feminine καθαρή, neuter καθαρό)

1. clean, clear
2. pure, undefiled

   Synonym: αρρύπαντος (arrýpantos)

3. (Judaism) kosher
4. (music) perfect (as in perfect fourth)

Declension

Declension of καθαρός

number  case \ gender	singular			plural
	masculine	feminine	neuter	masculine	feminine	neuter
nominative	καθαρός •	καθαρή •	καθαρό •	καθαροί •	καθαρές •	καθαρά •
genitive	καθαρού •	καθαρής •	καθαρού •	καθαρών •	καθαρών •	καθαρών •
accusative	καθαρό •	καθαρή •	καθαρό •	καθαρούς •	καθαρές •	καθαρά •
vocative	καθαρέ •	καθαρή •	καθαρό •	καθαροί •	καθαρές •	καθαρά •
derivations	Comparative: πιο + positive forms (e.g. πιο καθαρός, etc.) Relative superlative: definite article + πιο + positive forms (e.g. ο πιο καθαρός, etc.)

Degrees of comparison by suffixation

comparative	singular			plural
	masculine	feminine	neuter	masculine	feminine	neuter
nominative	καθαρότερος •	καθαρότερη •	καθαρότερο •	καθαρότεροι •	καθαρότερες •	καθαρότερα •
genitive	καθαρότερου •	καθαρότερης •	καθαρότερου •	καθαρότερων •	καθαρότερων •	καθαρότερων •
accusative	καθαρότερο •	καθαρότερη •	καθαρότερο •	καθαρότερους •	καθαρότερες •	καθαρότερα •
vocative	καθαρότερε •	καθαρότερη •	καθαρότερο •	καθαρότεροι •	καθαρότερες •	καθαρότερα •
derivations	relative superlative: ο + comparative forms (eg "ο καθαρότερος", etc)
Absolute superlative	singular			plural
	masculine	feminine	neuter	masculine	feminine	neuter
nominative	καθαρότατος •	καθαρότατη •	καθαρότατο •	καθαρότατοι •	καθαρότατες •	καθαρότατα •
genitive	καθαρότατου •	καθαρότατης •	καθαρότατου •	καθαρότατων •	καθαρότατων •	καθαρότατων •
accusative	καθαρότατο •	καθαρότατη •	καθαρότατο •	καθαρότατους •	καθαρότατες •	καθαρότατα •
vocative	καθαρότατε •	καθαρότατη •	καθαρότατο •	καθαρότατοι •	καθαρότατες •	καθαρότατα •

Synonyms

• (pure): αμιγής (amigís, “unadulterated”)
• (clear): αίθριος (aíthrios, “cloudless, sunny”)

Related terms

• αεροκαθαριστήρας m (aerokatharistíras, “airfilter”)
• αξεκαθάριστος (axekatháristos, “unclear”)
• Καθαρά Δευτέρα f (Kathará Deftéra, “Clean Monday”)
• καθαρεύουσα f (katharévousa, “Katharevousa”)
• καθαρίζω (katharízo, “to clean”)
• καθαριότητα f (kathariótita, “cleanliness”)
• καθαρισμός m (katharismós, “purification”)
• καθαριστήρας m (katharistíras, “wiper”)
• καθαριστής m (katharistís, “cleaner”)
• καθαρίστρια f (katharístria, “cleaner”)
• κάθαρμα n (kátharma, “scum”)
• κάθαρση f (kátharsi, “catharsis, purification”)
• καθαρτήριος (kathartírios, “purging, laxative”)
• καθαρτικό n (kathartikó, “laxative”)
• καθαρτικός (kathartikós, “cleansing, laxative”)
• ξεκαθαρίζω (xekatharízo, “to clarify, to explain”)

 

Further reading

• “καθαρός”, in Λεξικό της κοινής νεοελληνικής [Dictionary of Standard Modern Greek], Triantafyllidis Foundation, 1998