ὁπλίτης

See also: οπλίτης

Ancient Greek

Ἀθηναῖος ὁπλίτης μεθ' ὅπλου.

Alternative forms

• ὁπλῑ́τᾱς (hoplī́tās) — Doric, Arcadocypriot

Etymology

From ὅπλον (hóplon, “large shield”) +‎ -ῑ́της (-ī́tēs).

Pronunciation

 

• IPA^(key): /ho.plǐː.tɛːs/ → /oˈpli.tis/ → /oˈpli.tis/

• (5^th BCE Attic) IPA^(key): /ho.plǐː.tɛːs/
• (1^st CE Egyptian) IPA^(key): /(h)oˈpli.te̝s/
• (4^th CE Koine) IPA^(key): /oˈpli.tis/
• (10^th CE Byzantine) IPA^(key): /oˈpli.tis/
• (15^th CE Constantinopolitan) IPA^(key): /oˈpli.tis/

Noun

ὁπλῑ́της • (hoplī́tēs) m (genitive ὁπλῑ́του); first declension (Attic, Ionic)

1. one who is armed, heavily armored
   • 522 BCE – 443 BCE, Pindar I.I.32
2. a heavily armored foot soldier, man-at-arms, who carried a pike (δόρυ (dóru)) and a large shield (ὅπλον (hóplon))
   • 460 BCE – 420 BCE, Herodotus, Histories 9.30

Declension

First declension of ὁ ὁπλῑ́της; τοῦ ὁπλῑ́του (Attic)

Case / #	Singular	Dual	Plural
Nominative	ὁ ὁπλῑ́της ho hoplī́tēs	τὼ ὁπλῑ́τᾱ tṑ hoplī́tā	οἱ ὁπλῖται hoi hoplîtai
Genitive	τοῦ ὁπλῑ́του toû hoplī́tou	τοῖν ὁπλῑ́ταιν toîn hoplī́tain	τῶν ὁπλῑτῶν tôn hoplītôn
Dative	τῷ ὁπλῑ́τῃ tôi hoplī́tēi	τοῖν ὁπλῑ́ταιν toîn hoplī́tain	τοῖς ὁπλῑ́ταις toîs hoplī́tais
Accusative	τὸν ὁπλῑ́την tòn hoplī́tēn	τὼ ὁπλῑ́τᾱ tṑ hoplī́tā	τοὺς ὁπλῑ́τᾱς toùs hoplī́tās
Vocative	ὁπλῖτᾰ hoplîta	ὁπλῑ́τᾱ hoplī́tā	ὁπλῖται hoplîtai
Notes:	This table gives Attic inflectional endings. For declension in other dialects, see Appendix:Ancient Greek dialectal declension.

First declension of ὁ ὁπλῑ́της; τοῦ ὁπλῑ́τεω (Ionic)

Case / #	Singular	Dual	Plural
Nominative	ὁ ὁπλῑ́της ho hoplī́tēs	τὼ ὁπλῑ́τᾱ tṑ hoplī́tā	οἱ ὁπλῖται hoi hoplîtai
Genitive	τοῦ ὁπλῑ́τεω / ὁπλῑ́τω toû hoplī́teō / hoplī́tō	τοῖν ὁπλῑ́ταιν toîn hoplī́tain	τῶν ὁπλῑτέων / ὁπλῑτῶν tôn hoplītéōn / hoplītôn
Dative	τῷ ὁπλῑ́τῃ tôi hoplī́tēi	τοῖν ὁπλῑ́ταιν toîn hoplī́tain	τοῖσῐ / τοῖσῐν ὁπλῑ́τῃσῐ / ὁπλῑ́τῃσῐν toîsi(n) hoplī́tēisi(n)
Accusative	τὸν ὁπλῑ́την tòn hoplī́tēn	τὼ ὁπλῑ́τᾱ tṑ hoplī́tā	τοὺς ὁπλῑ́τᾱς toùs hoplī́tās
Vocative	ὁπλῖτᾰ hoplîta	ὁπλῑ́τᾱ hoplī́tā	ὁπλῖται hoplîtai
Notes:	Dialects other than Attic are not well attested. Some forms may be based on conjecture. Use with caution.

First declension of ὁ ὁπλῑ́τᾱς; τοῦ ὁπλῑ́τᾱ (Laconian)

Case / #	Singular	Dual	Plural
Nominative	ὁ ὁπλῑ́τᾱς ho hoplī́tās	τὼ ὁπλῑ́τᾱ tṑ hoplī́tā	τοὶ ὁπλῖται toì hoplîtai
Genitive	τοῦ ὁπλῑ́τᾱ toû hoplī́tā	τοῖν ὁπλῑ́ταιν toîn hoplī́tain	τῶν ὁπλῑτᾶν tôn hoplītân
Dative	τῷ ὁπλῑ́τᾳ tôi hoplī́tāi	τοῖν ὁπλῑ́ταιν toîn hoplī́tain	τοῖς ὁπλῑ́ταις toîs hoplī́tais
Accusative	τὸν ὁπλῑ́τᾱν tòn hoplī́tān	τὼ ὁπλῑ́τᾱ tṑ hoplī́tā	τὼς ὁπλῑ́τᾱς tṑs hoplī́tās
Vocative	ὁπλῑ́τᾱ hoplī́tā	ὁπλῑ́τᾱ hoplī́tā	ὁπλῖται hoplîtai
Notes:	Dialects other than Attic are not well attested. Some forms may be based on conjecture. Use with caution.

Antonyms

• ψῑλός (psīlós)

Derived terms

• ὁπλῑτᾰγωγός (hoplītagōgós)

Descendants

• Greek: οπλίτης m (oplítis, “soldier”)

See also

• πελταστής (peltastḗs, “light-armed foot soldier”)

Further reading

• “ὁπλίτης”, in Liddell & Scott (1940) A Greek–English Lexicon, Oxford: Clarendon Press
• “ὁπλίτης”, in Liddell & Scott (1889) An Intermediate Greek–English Lexicon, New York: Harper & Brothers
• Woodhouse, S. C. (1910) English–Greek Dictionary: A Vocabulary of the Attic Language‎^[1], London: Routledge & Kegan Paul Limited.
  • heavy-armed idem, page 393.
  • hoplite idem, page 406.
  • soldier idem, page 792.
  • warrior idem, page 964.