ὅμηρος

See also: όμηρος, Όμηρος, and Ὅμηρος

Ancient Greek

Etymology

Probably a compound of ὁμοῦ (homoû, “together”) + the ᾰ̓ρ- (ăr-) found in ᾰ̓ρᾰρῐ́σκω (ărărĭ́skō, “to fasten; to join”), i.e. "joined together" > "one who is forced to accompany" > "pledge, hostage". For a similar sense development, albeit from different lexical roots, compare Latin obses (“pledge; security; hostage”).^[1] See also ὁμᾰρτέω (homărtéō), ὅμᾰδος (hómădos).

Pronunciation

(5^th BCE Attic) IPA^(key): /hó.mɛː.ros/
(1^st CE Egyptian) IPA^(key): /ˈ(h)o.me̝.ros/
(4^th CE Koine) IPA^(key): /ˈo.mi.ros/
(10^th CE Byzantine) IPA^(key): /ˈo.mi.ros/
(15^th CE Constantinopolitan) IPA^(key): /ˈo.mi.ros/

Noun

ὅμηρος • (hómēros) m (genitive ὁμήρου); second declension

pledge; surety; hostage
- 431 BCE – 404 BCE, Thucydides, History of the Peloponnesian War 1.108.3:
  Λοκρῶν τῶν Ὀπουντίων ἑκατὸν ἄνδρας ὁμήρους τοὺς πλουσιωτάτους ἔλαβον
  Lokrôn tôn Opountíōn hekatòn ándras homḗrous toùs plousiōtátous élabon
  from the Locrians of Opus [The Athenians] took as hostages a hundred of the richest men

Declension

Second declension of ὁ ὅμηρος; τοῦ ὁμήρου (Attic)

Case / #	Singular	Dual	Plural
Nominative	ὁ ὅμηρος ho hómēros	τὼ ὁμήρω tṑ homḗrō	οἱ ὅμηροι hoi hómēroi
Genitive	τοῦ ὁμήρου toû homḗrou	τοῖν ὁμήροιν toîn homḗroin	τῶν ὁμήρων tôn homḗrōn
Dative	τῷ ὁμήρῳ tōî homḗrōi	τοῖν ὁμήροιν toîn homḗroin	τοῖς ὁμήροις toîs homḗrois
Accusative	τὸν ὅμηρον tòn hómēron	τὼ ὁμήρω tṑ homḗrō	τοὺς ὁμήρους toùs homḗrous
Vocative	ὅμηρε hómēre	ὁμήρω homḗrō	ὅμηροι hómēroi
Notes:	This table gives Attic inflectional endings. For declension in other dialects, see Appendix:Ancient Greek dialectal declension.

Heteroclitic neuter plural:

Second declension of τᾰ̀ ὅμηρᾰ; τῶν ὁμήρων (Attic)

Case / #	Plural
Nominative	τᾰ̀ ὅμηρᾰ tằ hómēră
Genitive	τῶν ὁμήρων tôn homḗrōn
Dative	τοῖς ὁμήροις toîs homḗrois
Accusative	τᾰ̀ ὅμηρᾰ tằ hómēră
Vocative	ὅμηρᾰ hómēră
Notes:	This table gives Attic inflectional endings. For declension in other dialects, see Appendix:Ancient Greek dialectal declension.

Derived terms

ἐξομήρευσις (exomḗreusis)
ὁμηρεύω (homēreúō)

Related terms

ὁμᾰρτέω (homărtéō)

Descendants

Greek: όμηρος (ómiros)

References

^ Beekes, Robert S. P. (2010), “ὅμηρος”, in Etymological Dictionary of Greek (Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series; 10), with the assistance of Lucien van Beek, Leiden, Boston: Brill, →ISBN, page 1076