τύραννος

Ancient Greek

Etymology

Perhaps a borrowing of a Lydian word for “king” or a similar word in another language of Asia Minor, possibly cognate with Proto-Celtic *tigernos (e.g., Gildas' phrase "superbo tyranno Vortigerno").

Compare Hittite [script needed] (šarawanaš), [script needed] (tarawanaš), Philistine 𐤈𐤓𐤍 (ṭrn, “lord, ruler”), Τυρρηνός (Turrhēnós, “Etruscan”), τύρσις (túrsis, “tower”) and Etruscan 𐌕𐌖𐌓𐌏𐌍 (turon, “mistress, lady”), a surname of Venus, which is probably related.

The Hittite term is a compound with first part possibly Phoenician 𐤑𐤓 (ṣr /⁠tzor⁠/, “Tyre”) and second part cognate to Ancient Greek ἄναξ (ánax), Mycenaean Greek 𐀷𐀙𐀏 (wa-na-ka) i.e., a king who donned the Tyrean purple.

Beekes argued for a Pre-Greek origin.

Pronunciation

 

• IPA^(key): /tý.ran.nos/ → /ˈty.ran.nos/ → /ˈti.ra.nos/

• (5^th BCE Attic) IPA^(key): /tý.ran.nos/
• (1^st CE Egyptian) IPA^(key): /ˈty.ran.nos/
• (4^th CE Koine) IPA^(key): /ˈty.ran.nos/
• (10^th CE Byzantine) IPA^(key): /ˈty.ran.nos/
• (15^th CE Constantinopolitan) IPA^(key): /ˈti.ra.nos/

Noun

τῠ́ρᾰννος • (túrannos) m or f (genitive τῠρᾰ́ννου); second declension

1. absolute ruler (i.e. of gods, kings), initially applied to Lydian king Γύγης (Gúgēs)
2. (with negative connotation) tyrant, dictator, despot

Inflection

Second declension of ὁ, ἡ τῠ́ρᾰννος; τοῦ, τῆς τῠρᾰ́ννου (Attic)

Case / #	Singular	Dual	Plural
Nominative	ὁ, ἡ τῠ́ρᾰννος ho, hē túrannos	τὼ τῠρᾰ́ννω tṑ turánnō	οἱ, αἱ τῠ́ρᾰννοι hoi, hai túrannoi
Genitive	τοῦ, τῆς τῠρᾰ́ννου toû, tês turánnou	τοῖν τῠρᾰ́ννοιν toîn turánnoin	τῶν τῠρᾰ́ννων tôn turánnōn
Dative	τῷ, τῇ τῠρᾰ́ννῳ tôi, têi turánnōi	τοῖν τῠρᾰ́ννοιν toîn turánnoin	τοῖς, ταῖς τῠρᾰ́ννοις toîs, taîs turánnois
Accusative	τὸν, τὴν τῠ́ρᾰννον tòn, tḕn túrannon	τὼ τῠρᾰ́ννω tṑ turánnō	τοὺς, τᾱ̀ς τῠρᾰ́ννους toùs, tā̀s turánnous
Vocative	τῠ́ρᾰννε túranne	τῠρᾰ́ννω turánnō	τῠ́ρᾰννοι túrannoi
Notes:	This table gives Attic inflectional endings. For declension in other dialects, see Appendix:Ancient Greek dialectal declension.

Derived terms

• οἰκοτῠ́ρᾰννος (oikotúrannos)
• τῠραννεύω (turanneúō)
• τῠραννέω (turannéō)
• τῠραννίᾱ (turanníā)
• τῠραννῐκός (turannikós)
• τῠραννίς (turannís)

 

Descendants

• → Coptic: ⲧⲩⲣⲁⲛⲟⲥ (turanos)
• → Latin: tyrannus (see there for further descendants)
• → Lithuanian: tironas

Adjective

τῠ́ρᾰννος • (túrannos) m or f (neuter τῠ́ρᾰννον); second declension

1. kingly, royal, regal
2. imperious, despotic

Inflection

Second declension of τῠ́ρᾰννος; τῠ́ρᾰννον (Attic)

Number		Singular			Dual			Plural
Case/Gender		Masculine / Feminine	Neuter		Masculine / Feminine	Neuter		Masculine / Feminine	Neuter
Nominative		τῠ́ρᾰννος túrannos	τῠ́ρᾰννον túrannon		τῠρᾰ́ννω turánnō	τῠρᾰ́ννω turánnō		τῠ́ρᾰννοι túrannoi	τῠ́ρᾰννᾰ túranna
Genitive		τῠρᾰ́ννου turánnou	τῠρᾰ́ννου turánnou		τῠρᾰ́ννοιν turánnoin	τῠρᾰ́ννοιν turánnoin		τῠρᾰ́ννων turánnōn	τῠρᾰ́ννων turánnōn
Dative		τῠρᾰ́ννῳ turánnōi	τῠρᾰ́ννῳ turánnōi		τῠρᾰ́ννοιν turánnoin	τῠρᾰ́ννοιν turánnoin		τῠρᾰ́ννοις turánnois	τῠρᾰ́ννοις turánnois
Accusative		τῠ́ρᾰννον túrannon	τῠ́ρᾰννον túrannon		τῠρᾰ́ννω turánnō	τῠρᾰ́ννω turánnō		τῠρᾰ́ννους turánnous	τῠ́ρᾰννᾰ túranna
Vocative		τῠ́ρᾰννε túranne	τῠ́ρᾰννον túrannon		τῠρᾰ́ννω turánnō	τῠρᾰ́ννω turánnō		τῠ́ρᾰννοι túrannoi	τῠ́ρᾰννᾰ túranna
Derived forms		Adverb			Comparative			Superlative
		τῠρᾰ́ννως turánnōs			τῠρᾰννότερος turannóteros			τῠρᾰννότᾰτος turannótatos
Notes:		This table gives Attic inflectional endings. For declension in other dialects, see Appendix:Ancient Greek dialectal declension.

References

• “τύραννος”, in Liddell & Scott (1940) A Greek–English Lexicon, Oxford: Clarendon Press
• “τύραννος”, in Liddell & Scott (1889) An Intermediate Greek–English Lexicon, New York: Harper & Brothers
• τύραννος 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
• “τύραννος”, in Slater, William J. (1969) Lexicon to Pindar, Berlin: Walter de Gruyter
• Woodhouse, S. C. (1910) English–Greek Dictionary: A Vocabulary of the Attic Language‎^[1], London: Routledge & Kegan Paul Limited.
  • autocrat idem, page 54.
  • despot idem, page 217.
  • despotic idem, page 217.
  • imperial idem, page 420.
  • imperious idem, page 420.
  • king idem, page 469.
  • kingly idem, page 470.
  • lord idem, page 500.
  • masterful idem, page 517.
  • princely idem, page 641.
  • princess idem, page 641.
  • queen idem, page 664.
  • queenly idem, page 664.
  • regal idem, page 686.
  • royal idem, page 724.
  • ruler idem, page 726.
  • tyrannical idem, page 905.
  • tyrant idem, page 905.
  • usurper idem, page 941.
• 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

Greek

Noun

τύραννος • (týrannos) m (plural τύραννοι)

1. tyrant
2. (historical) tyrant (an absolute ruler in ancient Greece)

Declension

Declension of τύραννος

	singular	plural
nominative	τύραννος •	τύραννοι •
genitive	τυράννου •	τυράννων •
accusative	τύραννο •	τυράννους •
vocative	τύραννε •	τύραννοι •

Synonyms

• δεσπότης m (despótis)
• αγάς m (agás)

Related terms

• τυραννία f (tyrannía, “tyranny”)
• τυραννικός (tyrannikós, “tyrannical”)
• τυραννώ (tyrannó, “to tyrannise”)

Further reading

• τύραννος on the Greek Wikipedia.Wikipedia ^el