λήθαργος

Ancient Greek

Etymology

Traditionally derived from λήθη (lḗthē, “forgetting, forgetfulness”) +‎ ᾱ̓ργός (ārgós, “not working the ground, idle, lazy”). Beekes prefers to compare the word to λαίθαργος (laíthargos, “guileful, treacherous”) and take both as Pre-Greek, though he does note that the traditional etymology seems to have influenced its meaning via folk etymology.

Pronunciation

 

• IPA^(key): /lɛ̌ː.tʰaːr.ɡos/ → /ˈli.θar.ɣos/ → /ˈli.θar.ɣos/

• (5^th BCE Attic) IPA^(key): /lɛ̌ː.tʰaːr.ɡos/
• (1^st CE Egyptian) IPA^(key): /ˈle̝.tʰar.ɡos/
• (4^th CE Koine) IPA^(key): /ˈli.θar.ɣos/
• (10^th CE Byzantine) IPA^(key): /ˈli.θar.ɣos/
• (15^th CE Constantinopolitan) IPA^(key): /ˈli.θar.ɣos/

Adjective

λήθᾱργος • (lḗthārgos) m or f (neuter λήθᾱργον); second declension

1. forgetful

   Synonym: ἐπῐλήσμων (epilḗsmōn)

2. lethargic

Inflection

Second declension of λήθᾱργος; λήθᾱργον (Attic)

Number		Singular			Dual			Plural
Case/Gender		Masculine / Feminine	Neuter		Masculine / Feminine	Neuter		Masculine / Feminine	Neuter
Nominative		λήθᾱργος lḗthārgos	λήθᾱργον lḗthārgon		ληθᾱ́ργω lēthā́rgō	ληθᾱ́ργω lēthā́rgō		λήθᾱργοι lḗthārgoi	λήθᾱργᾰ lḗthārga
Genitive		ληθᾱ́ργου lēthā́rgou	ληθᾱ́ργου lēthā́rgou		ληθᾱ́ργοιν lēthā́rgoin	ληθᾱ́ργοιν lēthā́rgoin		ληθᾱ́ργων lēthā́rgōn	ληθᾱ́ργων lēthā́rgōn
Dative		ληθᾱ́ργῳ lēthā́rgōi	ληθᾱ́ργῳ lēthā́rgōi		ληθᾱ́ργοιν lēthā́rgoin	ληθᾱ́ργοιν lēthā́rgoin		ληθᾱ́ργοις lēthā́rgois	ληθᾱ́ργοις lēthā́rgois
Accusative		λήθᾱργον lḗthārgon	λήθᾱργον lḗthārgon		ληθᾱ́ργω lēthā́rgō	ληθᾱ́ργω lēthā́rgō		ληθᾱ́ργους lēthā́rgous	λήθᾱργᾰ lḗthārga
Vocative		λήθᾱργε lḗthārge	λήθᾱργον lḗthārgon		ληθᾱ́ργω lēthā́rgō	ληθᾱ́ργω lēthā́rgō		λήθᾱργοι lḗthārgoi	λήθᾱργᾰ lḗthārga
Derived forms		Adverb			Comparative			Superlative
		ληθᾱ́ργως lēthā́rgōs			ληθᾱργότερος lēthārgóteros			ληθᾱργότᾰτος lēthārgótatos
Notes:		This table gives Attic inflectional endings. For declension in other dialects, see Appendix:Ancient Greek dialectal declension.

Derived terms

• ληθᾱργῐ́ᾱ (lēthārgíā, noun)
• ληθᾱργέω (lēthārgéō, verb)

Noun

λήθᾱργος • (lḗthārgos) m or f (genitive ληθᾱ́ργου); second declension

1. lethargy
2. (medicine) lethargic fever

Inflection

Second declension of ὁ, ἡ λήθᾱργος; τοῦ, τῆς ληθᾱ́ργου (Attic)

Case / #	Singular	Dual	Plural
Nominative	ὁ, ἡ λήθᾱργος ho, hē lḗthārgos	τὼ ληθᾱ́ργω tṑ lēthā́rgō	οἱ, αἱ λήθᾱργοι hoi, hai lḗthārgoi
Genitive	τοῦ, τῆς ληθᾱ́ργου toû, tês lēthā́rgou	τοῖν ληθᾱ́ργοιν toîn lēthā́rgoin	τῶν ληθᾱ́ργων tôn lēthā́rgōn
Dative	τῷ, τῇ ληθᾱ́ργῳ tôi, têi lēthā́rgōi	τοῖν ληθᾱ́ργοιν toîn lēthā́rgoin	τοῖς, ταῖς ληθᾱ́ργοις toîs, taîs lēthā́rgois
Accusative	τὸν, τὴν λήθᾱργον tòn, tḕn lḗthārgon	τὼ ληθᾱ́ργω tṑ lēthā́rgō	τοὺς, τᾱ̀ς ληθᾱ́ργους toùs, tā̀s lēthā́rgous
Vocative	λήθᾱργε lḗthārge	ληθᾱ́ργω lēthā́rgō	λήθᾱργοι lḗthārgoi
Notes:	This table gives Attic inflectional endings. For declension in other dialects, see Appendix:Ancient Greek dialectal declension.

Descendants

• → Latin: lēthārgus

Further reading

• “λήθαργος”, in Liddell & Scott (1940) A Greek–English Lexicon, Oxford: Clarendon Press
• “λήθαργος”, in Liddell & Scott (1889) An Intermediate Greek–English Lexicon, New York: Harper & Brothers
• λήθαργος in Bailly, Anatole (1935) Le Grand Bailly: Dictionnaire grec-français, Paris: Hachette