καιρός

See also: καῖρος

Ancient Greek

Etymology

Of unclear origin. Possibly related to κείρω (keírō, “to shear, cut short”) (as a "decisive moment"), κεράννυμι (keránnumi, “to mix”) (as an "atmospherical mix"), or κύρω (kúrō, “to meet (accidentally)”); Beekes seems to favor the connection to κείρω (keírō) the most. Might also be related to, or the source of, Albanian qëro (“time”) (an archaic term).

Pronunciation

 

• IPA^(key): /kai̯.rós/ → /cɛˈros/ → /ceˈros/

• (5^th BCE Attic) IPA^(key): /kai̯.rós/
• (1^st CE Egyptian) IPA^(key): /kɛˈros/
• (4^th CE Koine) IPA^(key): /cɛˈros/
• (10^th CE Byzantine) IPA^(key): /ceˈros/
• (15^th CE Constantinopolitan) IPA^(key): /ceˈros/

Noun

καιρός • (kairós) m (genitive καιροῦ); second declension (Epic, Attic, Ionic, Doric, Koine)

1. measure; proportion; fitness
2. (of time): period (of time); season; time
3. (often in a positive sense) proper time, opportunity; prime, the right moment, the fatal spot
4. (loosely): God's time
5. (in the plural) the times
6. advantage, profit

Usage notes

Not found in Homer, though it is used by other early authors who wrote in Epic Greek: Hesiod and Theognis.

Inflection

Second declension of ὁ καιρός; τοῦ καιροῦ (Attic)

Case / #	Singular	Dual	Plural
Nominative	ὁ καιρός ho kairós	τὼ καιρώ tṑ kairṓ	οἱ καιροί hoi kairoí
Genitive	τοῦ καιροῦ toû kairoû	τοῖν καιροῖν toîn kairoîn	τῶν καιρῶν tôn kairôn
Dative	τῷ καιρῷ tôi kairôi	τοῖν καιροῖν toîn kairoîn	τοῖς καιροῖς toîs kairoîs
Accusative	τὸν καιρόν tòn kairón	τὼ καιρώ tṑ kairṓ	τοὺς καιρούς toùs kairoús
Vocative	καιρέ kairé	καιρώ kairṓ	καιροί kairoí
Notes:	This table gives Attic inflectional endings. For declension in other dialects, see Appendix:Ancient Greek dialectal declension.

Synonyms

• (time): χρόνος (khrónos)

Derived terms

• καίριος (kaírios)
• καιρόφιλος (kairóphilos)
• καιροφυλακέω (kairophulakéō)
• καιροτηρέω (kairotēréō)

Descendants

• Greek: καιρός (kairós)
• →? Albanian: qëro
• → English: kairos
• → French: kairos

Further reading

• “καιρός”, in Liddell & Scott (1940) A Greek–English Lexicon, Oxford: Clarendon Press
• “καιρός”, in Liddell & Scott (1889) An Intermediate Greek–English Lexicon, New York: Harper & Brothers
• καιρός 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
• “καιρός”, in Slater, William J. (1969) Lexicon to Pindar, Berlin: Walter de Gruyter
• G2540 in Strong, James (1979) Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance to the Bible
• καιρός 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.
  • chance idem, page 123.
  • conjuncture idem, page 160.
  • crisis idem, page 184.
  • decisive idem, page 201.
  • emergency idem, page 268.
  • field idem, page 317.
  • high time idem, page 399.
  • hour idem, page 408.
  • moment idem, page 538.
  • nick idem, page 558.
  • occasion idem, page 568.
  • opening idem, page 576.
  • opportunity idem, page 576.
  • period idem, page 607.
  • room idem, page 721.
  • scope idem, page 740.
  • season idem, page 746.
  • time idem, page 875.
  • turn idem, page 901.

Greek

Etymology

Inherited from Ancient Greek καιρός (kairós, “the right moment”). The modern sense, since mediaeval times.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ceˈɾos/
• Hyphenation: και‧ρός

Noun

καιρός • (kairós) m (plural καιροί)

1. weather

   καιρού επιτρέποντος ― kairoú epitrépontos ― weather permitting (formal expression)

2. time, events

   από καιρό σε καιρό ― apó kairó se kairó ― from time to time

Declension

Declension of καιρός

	singular	plural
nominative	καιρός •	καιροί •
genitive	καιρού •	καιρών •
accusative	καιρό •	καιρούς •
vocative	καιρέ •	καιροί •

Synonyms

• (time): χρόνος m (chrónos)

Derived terms

• ανεπίκαιρος (anepíkairos, “untimely”)