διαθήκη

Ancient Greek

Etymology

From δῐᾰτῐ́θημῐ (dĭătĭ́thēmĭ); also analyzable as δια- (dia-) +‎ -θήκη (-thḗkē)

Pronunciation

 

• IPA^(key): /di.a.tʰɛ̌ː.kɛː/ → /ði.aˈθi.ci/ → /ði.aˈθi.ci/

• (5^th BCE Attic) IPA^(key): /di.a.tʰɛ̌ː.kɛː/
• (1^st CE Egyptian) IPA^(key): /di.aˈtʰe̝.ke̝/
• (4^th CE Koine) IPA^(key): /ði.aˈθi.ci/
• (10^th CE Byzantine) IPA^(key): /ði.aˈθi.ci/
• (15^th CE Constantinopolitan) IPA^(key): /ði.aˈθi.ci/

Noun

δῐᾰθήκη • (dĭăthḗkē) f (genitive δῐᾰθήκης); first declension

1. testament, will (legal document)
2. covenant

Inflection

Case / #	Singular	Dual	Plural
Nominative	ἡ δῐᾰθήκη hē dĭăthḗkē	τὼ δῐᾰθήκᾱ tṑ dĭăthḗkā	αἱ δῐᾰθῆκαι hai dĭăthêkai
Genitive	τῆς δῐᾰθήκης tês dĭăthḗkēs	τοῖν δῐᾰθήκαιν toîn dĭăthḗkain	τῶν δῐᾰθηκῶν tôn dĭăthēkôn
Dative	τῇ δῐᾰθήκῃ têi dĭăthḗkēi	τοῖν δῐᾰθήκαιν toîn dĭăthḗkain	ταῖς δῐᾰθήκαις taîs dĭăthḗkais
Accusative	τὴν δῐᾰθήκην tḕn dĭăthḗkēn	τὼ δῐᾰθήκᾱ tṑ dĭăthḗkā	τᾱ̀ς δῐᾰθήκᾱς tā̀s dĭăthḗkās
Vocative	δῐᾰθήκη dĭăthḗkē	δῐᾰθήκᾱ dĭăthḗkā	δῐᾰθῆκαι dĭăthêkai
Notes:	This table gives Attic inflectional endings. For declension in other dialects, see Appendix:Ancient Greek dialectal declension.

First declension of ἡ δῐᾰθήκη; τῆς δῐᾰθήκης (Attic)

Derived terms

• Καινὴ Διαθήκη (Kainḕ Diathḗkē)
• Παλαιὰ Διαθήκη (Palaià Diathḗkē)
• συγγραφοδιαθήκη (sungraphodiathḗkē)
• ὑπερδιαθήκη (huperdiathḗkē)

Further reading

• “διαθήκη”, in Liddell & Scott (1940) A Greek–English Lexicon, Oxford: Clarendon Press
• “διαθήκη”, in Liddell & Scott (1889) An Intermediate Greek–English Lexicon, New York: Harper & Brothers
• διαθήκη in Bailly, Anatole (1935) Le Grand Bailly: Dictionnaire grec-français, Paris: Hachette
• διαθήκη in the Diccionario Griego–Español en línea (2006–2025)
• G1242 in Strong, James (1979) Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance to the Bible
• Woodhouse, S. C. (1910) English–Greek Dictionary: A Vocabulary of the Attic Language‎, London: Routledge & Kegan Paul Limited.
  • bequest idem, page 74.
  • disposition idem, page 237.
  • testament idem, page 863.
  • will idem, page 979.

Greek

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ðiaˈθici/
• Hyphenation: δι‧α‧θή‧κη

Noun

διαθήκη • (diathíki) f (plural διαθήκες)

1. (law) will, testament (document)

Declension

Declension of διαθήκη

	singular	plural
nominative	διαθήκη (diathíki)	διαθήκες (diathíkes)
genitive	διαθήκης (diathíkis)	διαθηκών (diathikón)
accusative	διαθήκη (diathíki)	διαθήκες (diathíkes)
vocative	διαθήκη (diathíki)	διαθήκες (diathíkes)

Derived terms

• Καινή Διαθήκη f (Kainí Diathíki, “New Testament”)
• Κιβωτός της Διαθήκης f (Kivotós tis Diathíkis, “Arc of the Covenent”)
• Παλαιά Διαθήκη f (Palaiá Diathíki, “Old Testament”)