διάνοια

Ancient Greek

Alternative forms

δῐᾰνοιĭ̈́ᾱ (dianoiḯā) — Aeolic
δῐᾰνοίᾱ (dianoíā) — poetic

Etymology

δια- (dia-, “across, through”) +‎ νόος (nóos, “mind”) +‎ -ια (-ia, abstract noun forming suffix). Compare διανοέομαι (dianoéomai).

Pronunciation

(5^th BCE Attic) IPA^(key): /di.á.noi̯.a/
(1^st CE Egyptian) IPA^(key): /diˈa.ny.a/
(4^th CE Koine) IPA^(key): /ðiˈa.ny.a/
(10^th CE Byzantine) IPA^(key): /ðiˈa.ny.a/
(15^th CE Constantinopolitan) IPA^(key): /ðiˈa.ni.a/

Noun

δῐᾰ́νοιᾰ • (diánoia) f (genitive δῐᾰνοίᾱς); first declension (Attic, Ionic, Koine)

intention, purpose
- 460 BCE – 420 BCE, Herodotus, Histories 1.46.2:
  μετὰ ὦν τὴν διάνοιαν ταύτην αὐτίκα ἀπεπειρᾶτο τῶν μαντείων τῶν τε ἐν Ἕλλησι καὶ τοῦ ἐν Λιβύῃ, διαπέμψας ἄλλους ἄλλῃ, τοὺς μὲν ἐς Δελφοὺς ἰέναι, τοὺς δὲ ἐς Ἄβας τὰς Φωκέων, τοὺς δὲ ἐς Δωδώνην
  metà ôn tḕn diánoian taútēn autíka apepeirâto tôn manteíōn tôn te en Héllēsi kaì toû en Libúēi, diapémpsas állous állēi, toùs mèn es Delphoùs iénai, toùs dè es Ábas tàs Phōkéōn, toùs dè es Dōdṓnēn
process of thinking
- 360 BCE, Plato, The Sophist 263e:
  οὐκοῦν διάνοια μὲν καὶ λόγος ταὐτόν: πλὴν ὁ μὲν ἐντὸς τῆς ψυχῆς πρὸς αὑτὴν διάλογος ἄνευ φωνῆς γιγνόμενος τοῦτ’ αὐτὸ ἡμῖν ἐπωνομάσθη, διάνοια;
  oukoûn diánoia mèn kaì lógos tautón: plḕn ho mèn entòs tês psukhês pròs hautḕn diálogos áneu phōnês gignómenos toût’ autò hēmîn epōnomásthē, diánoia?
capacity of thought: intelligence, understanding
- 380 BCE, Plato, The Republic 511d:
  διάνοιαν δὲ καλεῖν μοι δοκεῖς τὴν τῶν γεωμετρικῶν τε καὶ τὴν τῶν τοιούτων ἕξιν ἀλλ’ οὐ νοῦν, ὡς μεταξύ τι δόξης τε καὶ νοῦ τὴν διάνοιαν οὖσαν.
  diánoian dè kaleîn moi dokeîs tḕn tôn geōmetrikôn te kaì tḕn tôn toioútōn héxin all’ ou noûn, hōs metaxú ti dóxēs te kaì noû tḕn diánoian oûsan.
  You seem to call the habit of geometers and others like them understanding and not reason, as understanding is something intermediate between reason and opinion.

Declension

First declension of ἡ δῐᾰ́νοιᾰ; τῆς δῐᾰνοίᾱς (Attic)

Case / #	Singular	Dual	Plural
Nominative	ἡ δῐᾰ́νοιᾰ hē diánoia	τὼ δῐᾰνοίᾱ tṑ dianoíā	αἱ δῐᾰ́νοιαι hai diánoiai
Genitive	τῆς δῐᾰνοίᾱς tês dianoíās	τοῖν δῐᾰνοίαιν toîn dianoíain	τῶν δῐᾰνοιῶν tôn dianoiôn
Dative	τῇ δῐᾰνοίᾳ têi dianoíāi	τοῖν δῐᾰνοίαιν toîn dianoíain	ταῖς δῐᾰνοίαις taîs dianoíais
Accusative	τὴν δῐᾰ́νοιᾰν tḕn diánoian	τὼ δῐᾰνοίᾱ tṑ dianoíā	τᾱ̀ς δῐᾰνοίᾱς tā̀s dianoíās
Vocative	δῐᾰ́νοιᾰ diánoia	δῐᾰνοίᾱ dianoíā	δῐᾰ́νοιαι diánoiai
Notes:	This table gives Attic inflectional endings. For declension in other dialects, see Appendix:Ancient Greek dialectal declension.

Descendants

Greek: διάνοια (diánoia)