τύραννος

Ancient Greek

Etymology

Perhaps a borrowing of a Lydian word for “king” or a similar word in another language of Asia Minor.[1][2]

Compare Hittite [script needed] (šarawanaš), [script needed] (tarawanaš), Philistine 𐤈𐤓𐤍 (ṭrn, “lord, ruler”),[3] Τυρρηνός (Turrhēnós, “Etruscan”), τύρσις (túrsis, “tower”) and Etruscan 𐌕𐌖𐌓𐌏𐌍 (turon, “mistress, lady”), a surname of Venus, which is probably related.[2]

Beekes argued for a Pre-Greek origin.

Pronunciation

(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

absolute ruler (i.e. of gods, kings), initially applied to Lydian king Γύγης (Gúgēs)
(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)
τῠραννίς (turannís)
τῠραννίᾱ (turanníā)
τῠραννῐκός (turannikós)

Descendants

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

Adjective

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

kingly, royal, regal
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
Derived forms	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, 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

Gregory Nagy, Homer the Preclassic (→ISBN), page 363: Even the Greek usage of the word turannos 'tyrant' is relevant, since it represents the Lydian word for 'king'.
Douglas Harper (2001–2024) “tyrant”, in Online Etymology Dictionary.
Nancy K. Sandars, The Sea Peoples: Warriors of the Ancient Mediterranean, 1250–1150 BC, Thames and Hudson, 1978

Greek

Noun

τύραννος • (týrannos) m (plural τύραννοι)

tyrant
(historical) tyrant (an absolute ruler in ancient Greece)

Declension

declension of τύραννος

case \ number	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”)

τύραννος

Ancient Greek

Etymology

Pronunciation

Noun

Inflection

Derived terms

Descendants

Adjective

Inflection

References

Greek

Noun

Declension

Synonyms

Related terms

Further reading