ἄρρητα

Ancient Greek

Etymology

Neuter plural of ἄρρητος (árrhētos).

Pronunciation

(5^th BCE Attic) IPA^(key): /ár̥.r̥ɛː.ta/
(1^st CE Egyptian) IPA^(key): /ˈar.re̝.ta/
(4^th CE Koine) IPA^(key): /ˈar.ri.ta/
(10^th CE Byzantine) IPA^(key): /ˈar.ri.ta/
(15^th CE Constantinopolitan) IPA^(key): /ˈa.ri.ta/

Noun

ἄρρητᾰ • (árrhētă) n pl (genitive ἀρρήτων); second declension

(religion, moral) things not to be spoken; secrets, taboos, mysteries
especially of sacred or ritually forbidden matters
- 429 BCE, Sophocles, Oedipus Rex 301:
  διδακτά τε ἄρρητά τ’
  didaktá te árrhētá t’
  both things that may be taught and things not to be spoken.
- 423 BCE, Aristophanes, The Clouds 302:
  σέβας ἀρρήτων ἱερῶν
  sébas arrhḗtōn hierôn
  reverence for unspeakable sacred rites.
(mathematics, philosophy) irrational numbers, surds
- 390 BCE, Plato, Hippias Major 303b:
  τὰ ἄρρητα καὶ τὰ ῥητά
  tà árrhēta kaì tà rhētá
  the irrational and the rational [numbers].

Declension

Second declension of τᾰ̀ ἄρρητᾰ; τῶν ἀρρήτων (Attic)

Case / #	Plural
Nominative	τᾰ̀ ἄρρητᾰ tằ árrētă
Genitive	τῶν ἀρρήτων tôn arrḗtōn
Dative	τοῖς ἀρρήτοις toîs arrḗtois
Accusative	τᾰ̀ ἄρρητᾰ tằ árrētă
Vocative	ἄρρητᾰ árrētă
Notes:	This table gives Attic inflectional endings. For declension in other dialects, see Appendix:Ancient Greek dialectal declension.

Usage notes

The neuter plural ἄρρητα (árrhēta) is frequently substantivized in Greek. In religious and moral contexts it denotes matters forbidden to be spoken, while in mathematical and philosophical texts it refers to irrational quantities, opposed to ῥητά (rhētá).

Related terms

ἀρρητοποιέω (arrhētopoiéō)
ἄρρητος (árrhētos)
ἀρρητουργέω (arrhētourgéō)
ῥητός (rhētós)

References

“ἄρρητα”, in Liddell & Scott (1940), A Greek–English Lexicon, Oxford: Clarendon Press
ἄρρητα in the Diccionario Griego–Español en línea (2006–2026)