ἄπειρος

See also: άπειρος

Ancient Greek

Etymology 1

From ἀ- (a-, “not”) +‎ πεῖρα (peîra, “trial, attempt”). Compare with Latin peritus.

Pronunciation

 

• IPA^(key): /á.peː.ros/ → /ˈa.pi.ros/ → /ˈa.pi.ros/

• (5^th BCE Attic) IPA^(key): /á.peː.ros/
• (1^st CE Egyptian) IPA^(key): /ˈa.pi.ros/
• (4^th CE Koine) IPA^(key): /ˈa.pi.ros/
• (10^th CE Byzantine) IPA^(key): /ˈa.pi.ros/
• (15^th CE Constantinopolitan) IPA^(key): /ˈa.pi.ros/

Adjective

ᾰ̓́πειρος • (ắpeiros) m or f (neuter ᾰ̓́πειρον); second declension

1. without trial or experience, not used to, ignorant of, unacquainted with
   • 6th century BC, Theognis of Megara, Elegies 1007
   • 522 BCE – 443 BCE, Pindar, Isthmian Ode 8.154
   • 460 BCE – 420 BCE, Herodotus, Histories 5.92.1
   • 460 BCE – 420 BCE, Herodotus, Histories 8.1
   • 460 BCE – 420 BCE, Herodotus, Histories 9.58
   • 458 BCE, Aeschylus, The Libation Bearers 371
   • 525 BCE – 455 BCE, Aeschylus, Fragments 281
   • 442 BCE, Sophocles, Antigone 1250
   • 480 BCE – 411 BCE, Antiphon of Rhamnus, Collected Works 111.34
   • 460 BCE – 395 BCE, Thucydides, 1 141
   • 400 BCE – 387 BCE, Plato, Apology 26D
   • 484 BCE – 425 BCE, Herodotus, 2 111
   • 431 BCE, Euripides, Medea 672
   1. (absolute) inexperienced, ignorant
      • 522 BCE – 443 BCE, Pindar, Isthmian Ode 8.106

Inflection

Second declension of ᾰ̓́πειρος; ᾰ̓́πειρον (Attic)

Number		Singular			Dual			Plural
Case/Gender		Masculine / Feminine	Neuter		Masculine / Feminine	Neuter		Masculine / Feminine	Neuter
Nominative		ᾰ̓́πειρος ắpeiros	ᾰ̓́πειρον ắpeiron		ᾰ̓πείρω ăpeírō	ᾰ̓πείρω ăpeírō		ᾰ̓́πειροι ắpeiroi	ᾰ̓́πειρᾰ ắpeiră
Genitive		ᾰ̓πείρου ăpeírou	ᾰ̓πείρου ăpeírou		ᾰ̓πείροιν ăpeíroin	ᾰ̓πείροιν ăpeíroin		ᾰ̓πείρων ăpeírōn	ᾰ̓πείρων ăpeírōn
Dative		ᾰ̓πείρῳ ăpeírōi	ᾰ̓πείρῳ ăpeírōi		ᾰ̓πείροιν ăpeíroin	ᾰ̓πείροιν ăpeíroin		ᾰ̓πείροις ăpeírois	ᾰ̓πείροις ăpeírois
Accusative		ᾰ̓́πειρον ắpeiron	ᾰ̓́πειρον ắpeiron		ᾰ̓πείρω ăpeírō	ᾰ̓πείρω ăpeírō		ᾰ̓πείρους ăpeírous	ᾰ̓́πειρᾰ ắpeiră
Vocative		ᾰ̓́πειρε ắpeire	ᾰ̓́πειρον ắpeiron		ᾰ̓πείρω ăpeírō	ᾰ̓πείρω ăpeírō		ᾰ̓́πειροι ắpeiroi	ᾰ̓́πειρᾰ ắpeiră
Derived forms		Adverb			Comparative			Superlative
		ᾰ̓πείρως ăpeírōs			ᾰ̓πειρότερος ăpeiróteros			ᾰ̓πειρότᾰτος ăpeirótătos
Notes:		This table gives Attic inflectional endings. For declension in other dialects, see Appendix:Ancient Greek dialectal declension.

Synonyms

• ἀπείρητος (apeírētos)

Etymology 2

From ἀ- (a-, “not”) +‎ πεῖραρ (peîrar), πέρας (péras, “end, limit”).

Alternative forms

• ᾰ̓πείρων (ăpeírōn)
• ᾰ̓πειρέσῐος (ăpeirésĭos)

Pronunciation

 

• IPA^(key): /á.peː.ros/ → /ˈa.pi.ros/ → /ˈa.pi.ros/

• (5^th BCE Attic) IPA^(key): /á.peː.ros/
• (1^st CE Egyptian) IPA^(key): /ˈa.pi.ros/
• (4^th CE Koine) IPA^(key): /ˈa.pi.ros/
• (10^th CE Byzantine) IPA^(key): /ˈa.pi.ros/
• (15^th CE Constantinopolitan) IPA^(key): /ˈa.pi.ros/

Adjective

ᾰ̓́πειρος • (ắpeiros) m or f (neuter ᾰ̓́πειρον); second declension

1. boundless, unlimited, infinite
   • 522 BCE – 443 BCE, Pindar, Fragments 95.8
   • 522 BCE – 443 BCE, Pindar, Fragments 935
   • 386 BCE – 367 BCE, Plato, Parmenides 144A
   • 380 BCE, Plato, The Republic 525A
   • 428 BCE – 347 BCE, Plato, Laws 910B
   • 384 BCE – 322 BCE, Aristotle, Physics 3.4.9
   1. (in Tragedy, often of garments) in which one is entangled past escape, endless, without outlet
      • 458 BCE, Aeschylus, Agamemnon 1382
      • 497 BCE – 405 BCE, Sophocles, Fragments 473
      • 408 BCE, Euripides, Orestes 25
   2. endless, circular
      • 384 BCE – 322 BCE, Aristotle, Physics 3.6.10

Inflection

Second declension of ᾰ̓́πειρος; ᾰ̓́πειρον (Attic)

Number		Singular			Dual			Plural
Case/Gender		Masculine / Feminine	Neuter		Masculine / Feminine	Neuter		Masculine / Feminine	Neuter
Nominative		ᾰ̓́πειρος ắpeiros	ᾰ̓́πειρον ắpeiron		ᾰ̓πείρω ăpeírō	ᾰ̓πείρω ăpeírō		ᾰ̓́πειροι ắpeiroi	ᾰ̓́πειρᾰ ắpeiră
Genitive		ᾰ̓πείρου ăpeírou	ᾰ̓πείρου ăpeírou		ᾰ̓πείροιν ăpeíroin	ᾰ̓πείροιν ăpeíroin		ᾰ̓πείρων ăpeírōn	ᾰ̓πείρων ăpeírōn
Dative		ᾰ̓πείρῳ ăpeírōi	ᾰ̓πείρῳ ăpeírōi		ᾰ̓πείροιν ăpeíroin	ᾰ̓πείροιν ăpeíroin		ᾰ̓πείροις ăpeírois	ᾰ̓πείροις ăpeírois
Accusative		ᾰ̓́πειρον ắpeiron	ᾰ̓́πειρον ắpeiron		ᾰ̓πείρω ăpeírō	ᾰ̓πείρω ăpeírō		ᾰ̓πείρους ăpeírous	ᾰ̓́πειρᾰ ắpeiră
Vocative		ᾰ̓́πειρε ắpeire	ᾰ̓́πειρον ắpeiron		ᾰ̓πείρω ăpeírō	ᾰ̓πείρω ăpeírō		ᾰ̓́πειροι ắpeiroi	ᾰ̓́πειρᾰ ắpeiră
Derived forms		Adverb			Comparative			Superlative
		ᾰ̓πείρως ăpeírōs			ᾰ̓πειρότερος ăpeiróteros			ᾰ̓πειρότᾰτος ăpeirótătos
Notes:		This table gives Attic inflectional endings. For declension in other dialects, see Appendix:Ancient Greek dialectal declension.

Descendants

• Greek: άπειρος (ápeiros), άπειρο (ápeiro)
• English: apeiro-

Etymology 3

See ἤπειρος (ḗpeiros).

Pronunciation

 

• IPA^(key): /ǎː.peː.ros/ → /ˈa.pi.ros/ → /ˈa.pi.ros/

• (5^th BCE Attic) IPA^(key): /ǎː.peː.ros/
• (1^st CE Egyptian) IPA^(key): /ˈa.pi.ros/
• (4^th CE Koine) IPA^(key): /ˈa.pi.ros/
• (10^th CE Byzantine) IPA^(key): /ˈa.pi.ros/
• (15^th CE Constantinopolitan) IPA^(key): /ˈa.pi.ros/

Noun

ᾱ̓́πειρος • (ā́peiros) m (genitive ᾱ̓πείρου); second declension

1. Doric form of ἤπειρος (ḗpeiros)

Declension

Second declension of ὁ ᾱ̓́πειρος; τοῦ ᾱ̓πείρου (Attic)

Case / #	Singular	Dual	Plural
Nominative	ὁ ᾱ̓́πειρος ho ā́peiros	τὼ ᾱ̓πείρω tṑ āpeírō	οἱ ᾱ̓́πειροι hoi ā́peiroi
Genitive	τοῦ ᾱ̓πείρου toû āpeírou	τοῖν ᾱ̓πείροιν toîn āpeíroin	τῶν ᾱ̓πείρων tôn āpeírōn
Dative	τῷ ᾱ̓πείρῳ tôi āpeírōi	τοῖν ᾱ̓πείροιν toîn āpeíroin	τοῖς ᾱ̓πείροις toîs āpeírois
Accusative	τὸν ᾱ̓́πειρον tòn ā́peiron	τὼ ᾱ̓πείρω tṑ āpeírō	τοὺς ᾱ̓πείρους toùs āpeírous
Vocative	ᾱ̓́πειρε ā́peire	ᾱ̓πείρω āpeírō	ᾱ̓́πειροι ā́peiroi
Notes:	This table gives Attic inflectional endings. For declension in other dialects, see Appendix:Ancient Greek dialectal declension.

References

• “ἄπειρος”, in Liddell & Scott (1940) A Greek–English Lexicon, Oxford: Clarendon Press
• “ἄπειρος”, in Liddell & Scott (1889) An Intermediate Greek–English Lexicon, New York: Harper & Brothers
• ἄπειρος in Bailly, Anatole (1935) Le Grand Bailly: Dictionnaire grec-français, Paris: Hachette
• ἄπειρος in the Diccionario Griego–Español en línea (2006–2025)
• “ἄπειρος”, in Slater, William J. (1969) Lexicon to Pindar, Berlin: Walter de Gruyter
• G552 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.
  • beginner idem, page 71.
  • blind idem, page 83.
  • boundless idem, page 91.
  • clumsy idem, page 140.
  • endless idem, page 273.
  • ignorant idem, page 414.
  • illimitable idem, page 416.
  • immeasurable idem, page 417.
  • incalculable idem, page 427.
  • inexperienced idem, page 436.
  • inextricable idem, page 436.
  • infinite idem, page 438.
  • interminable idem, page 451.
  • limitless idem, page 492.
  • measureless idem, page 521.
  • new idem, page 556.
  • novice idem, page 562.
  • raw idem, page 674.
  • recruit idem, page 684.
  • rude idem, page 724.
  • stranger idem, page 823.
  • tyro idem, page 905.
  • unaccustomed idem, page 906.
  • unacquainted idem, page 906.
  • unbounded idem, page 908.
  • unending idem, page 916.
  • unfamiliar idem, page 917.
  • unfathomable idem, page 918.
  • uninitiated idem, page 922.
  • unknowing idem, page 923.
  • unlimited idem, page 924.
  • unmeasured idem, page 925.
  • unpractised idem, page 927.
  • unskilful idem, page 932.
  • unskilled idem, page 932.
  • untrained idem, page 935.
  • untried idem, page 935.
  • untutored idem, page 935.
  • unused idem, page 935.
  • unversed in idem, page 936.
• ἄπειρος, in ΛΟΓΕΙΟΝ [Logeion] Dictionaries for Ancient Greek and Latin (in English, French, Spanish, German, Dutch and Chinese), University of Chicago, since 2011