λαός

See also: ΛΑΟΣ, Λάος, ΛΑ.Ο.Σ, laos, Laos, and LAOS

Ancient Greek

Alternative forms

• λεώς (leṓs) — Attic
• ληός (lēós) — Ionic
• λαϝός (lawós) — Laconian, Corinthian

Etymology

From Proto-Hellenic *lāwós, with further origin uncertain:

• Possibly from Proto-Indo-European *leh₂wos (“people (under arms)”), from *leh₂w- (“military action”); in this case, cognate with Phrygian λαϝαγταει (lawagtaei, “military leader”), Hittite 𒆷𒄴𒄩𒀸 (laḫḫa-, “campaign”), and Old Irish láech (“warrior”).
• Beekes and Furnee take the word as Pre-Greek, as the related proper noun Λήϊτος (Lḗïtos) is difficult to explain in Indo-European terms.
  • According to Martin Bernal 2006, further substantiating a theory of Samuel Bochart in the 17th century, the specific borrowing is Semitic, exactly matching Hebrew לְאֹום (ləʔōm, “people”), with copious relations in Akkadian līm (“many”), the Arabic root ل ء م (l ʔ m), etc.

Pronunciation

 

• IPA^(key): /laː.ós/ → /laˈos/ → /laˈos/

• (5^th BCE Attic) IPA^(key): /laː.ós/
• (1^st CE Egyptian) IPA^(key): /laˈos/
• (4^th CE Koine) IPA^(key): /laˈos/
• (10^th CE Byzantine) IPA^(key): /laˈos/
• (15^th CE Constantinopolitan) IPA^(key): /laˈos/

Noun

λᾱός • (lāós) m (genitive λᾱοῦ); second declension

1. people, people assembled, the people of a country
2. the soldiers
3. common people (as opposed to leaders or priests); the subjects of a prince

Inflection

Second declension of ὁ λᾱός; τοῦ λᾱοῦ (Koine)

Case / #	Singular	Dual	Plural
Nominative	ὁ λᾱός ho lāós	τὼ λᾱώ tṑ lāṓ	οἱ λᾱοί hoi lāoí
Genitive	τοῦ λᾱοῦ toû lāoû	τοῖν λᾱοῖν toîn lāoîn	τῶν λᾱῶν tôn lāôn
Dative	τῷ λᾱῷ tôi lāôi	τοῖν λᾱοῖν toîn lāoîn	τοῖς λᾱοῖς toîs lāoîs
Accusative	τὸν λᾱόν tòn lāón	τὼ λᾱώ tṑ lāṓ	τοὺς λᾱούς toùs lāoús
Vocative	λᾱέ lāé	λᾱώ lāṓ	λᾱοί lāoí

Second declension of ὁ λᾱός; τοῦ λᾱοῖο (Doric)

Case / #	Singular	Dual	Plural
Nominative	ὁ λᾱός ho lāós	τὼ λᾱώ tṑ lāṓ	τοὶ λᾱοί toì lāoí
Genitive	τοῦ λᾱοῖο toû lāoîo	τοῖν λᾱοῖν toîn lāoîn	τῶν λᾱῶν tôn lāôn
Dative	τῷ λᾱῷ tôi lāôi	τοῖν λᾱοῖν toîn lāoîn	τοῖς λᾱοῖς toîs lāoîs
Accusative	τὸν λᾱόν tòn lāón	τὼ λᾱώ tṑ lāṓ	τοὺς λᾱούς toùs lāoús
Vocative	λᾱέ lāé	λᾱώ lāṓ	λᾱοί lāoí
Notes:	Dialects other than Attic are not well attested. Some forms may be based on conjecture. Use with caution.

Second declension of ὁ λᾱϝός; τοῦ λᾱϝῶ (Laconian)

Case / #	Singular	Dual	Plural
Nominative	ὁ λᾱϝός ho lāwós	τὼ λᾱϝώ tṑ lāwṓ	τοὶ λᾱϝοί toì lāwoí
Genitive	τοῦ λᾱϝῶ toû lāwô	τοῖν λᾱϝοῖν toîn lāwoîn	τῶν λᾱϝῶν tôn lāwôn
Dative	τῷ λᾱϝῷ tôi lāwôi	τοῖν λᾱϝοῖν toîn lāwoîn	τοῖς λᾱϝοῖς toîs lāwoîs
Accusative	τὸν λᾱϝόν tòn lāwón	τὼ λᾱϝώ tṑ lāwṓ	τὼς λᾱϝώς tṑs lāwṓs
Vocative	λᾱϝέ lāwé	λᾱϝώ lāwṓ	λᾱϝοί lāwoí
Notes:	Dialects other than Attic are not well attested. Some forms may be based on conjecture. Use with caution.

Second declension of λᾱός; λᾱοῦ (Epic)

Case / #	Singular	Dual	Plural
Nominative	λᾱός lāós	λᾱώ lāṓ	λᾱοί lāoí
Genitive	λᾱοῦ / λᾱοῖο / λᾱόο lāoû / lāoîo / lāóo	λᾱοῖῐν lāoîĭn	λᾱῶν lāôn
Dative	λᾱῷ lāôi	λᾱοῖῐν lāoîĭn	λᾱοῖσῐ / λᾱοῖσῐν / λᾱοῖς lāoîsĭ(n) / lāoîs
Accusative	λᾱόν lāón	λᾱώ lāṓ	λᾱούς lāoús
Vocative	λᾱέ lāé	λᾱώ lāṓ	λᾱοί lāoí
Notes:	Dialects other than Attic are not well attested. Some forms may be based on conjecture. Use with caution.

Derived terms

• Ἀγέλᾱος (Agélāos)
• Ἀγησίλᾱος (Agēsílāos)
• Αἰτωλός (Aitōlós)
• Ἑρμόλᾱος (Hermólāos)
• Λᾱέρτης (Lāértēs)
• λᾱϊκός (lāïkós)
• Λᾱοθόη (Lāothóē)
• Λᾱομέδων (Lāomédōn)
• λειτουργός (leitourgós)
• Λεωσθένης (Leōsthénēs)
• Λεωτῠχῐ́δης (Leōtŭkhĭ́dēs)
• λήϊτον (lḗïton)
• Μενέλᾱος (Menélāos)
• Νῑκόλᾱος (Nīkólāos)
• Πρωτεσῐ́λᾱος (Prōtesĭ́lāos)
• Σθενέλᾱος (Sthenélāos)
• Φιλόλᾱος (Philólāos)

Descendants

• → Coptic: ⲗⲁⲟⲥ (laos)
• Greek: λαός (laós)

Further reading

• “λαός”, in Liddell & Scott (1940) A Greek–English Lexicon, Oxford: Clarendon Press
• “λαός”, in Liddell & Scott (1889) An Intermediate Greek–English Lexicon, New York: Harper & Brothers
• “λαός”, in Autenrieth, Georg (1891) A Homeric Dictionary for Schools and Colleges, New York: Harper and Brothers
• λαός in Bailly, Anatole (1935) Le Grand Bailly: Dictionnaire grec-français, Paris: Hachette
• λαός in Cunliffe, Richard J. (1924) A Lexicon of the Homeric Dialect: Expanded Edition, Norman: University of Oklahoma Press, published 1963
• “λαός”, in Slater, William J. (1969) Lexicon to Pindar, Berlin: Walter de Gruyter
• G2992 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.
  • commons idem, page 149.
  • people idem, page 604.
• Mallory, J. P., Adams, D. Q., editors (1997), Encyclopedia of Indo-European Culture, London, Chicago: Fitzroy Dearborn Publishers, page 31a

Greek

Etymology

From Ancient Greek λαός (laós).

Noun

λαός • (laós) m (plural λαοί)

1. people, the mass of a community as distinguished from a special class (elite); the commonalty; the populace; the vulgar; the common crowd; the citizens.

Declension

Declension of λαός

	singular	plural
nominative	λαός (laós)	λαοί (laoí)
genitive	λαού (laoú)	λαών (laón)
accusative	λαό (laó)	λαούς (laoús)
vocative	λαέ (laé)	λαοί (laoí)

Descendants

→ Aromanian: lao