χάος

Ancient Greek

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Chaos (mythology)

Wikipedia

Pronunciation

 

• IPA^(key): /kʰá.os/ → /ˈxa.os/ → /ˈxa.os/

• (5^th BCE Attic) IPA^(key): /kʰá.os/
• (1^st CE Egyptian) IPA^(key): /ˈkʰa.os/
• (4^th CE Koine) IPA^(key): /ˈxa.os/
• (10^th CE Byzantine) IPA^(key): /ˈxa.os/
• (15^th CE Constantinopolitan) IPA^(key): /ˈxa.os/

Etymology 1

Likely related to χαῦνος (khaûnos, “porous, loose-grained”) (via an earlier form χάος (kháos) < *χάϝος (*kháwos)), with original meaning "hole, empty space, yawning opening"; from this spring the traditional connections with χάσκω (kháskō, “I gape, yawn”), χήμη (khḗmē, “gaping; clam”). If so, then likely from Proto-Indo-European *gʰeh₂- (“to yawn, gape”); cognates thus include Proto-Germanic *gōmô (“gum, palate”) and Lithuanian gomurỹs (“palate”) (< *gʰéh₂mr̥/n-). The Germanic and Baltic terms probably originally referred to "mouth" before shifting to "palate".^[1]

An alternative theory by Furnee connects the word with Proto-Georgian-Zan *qew- (“ravine”).^[2]

The oft-compared χώρα (khṓra, “open space, place”) is likely not related.

Noun

χᾰ́ος • (kháos) n (genitive χᾰ́εος or χᾰ́ους); third declension (singular only, uncountable)

1. chaos, the primordial state of existence
2. space, air
3. abyss, chasm
4. infinite darkness

Declension

Normally, only in singular; but χάη occasionally found.

Case / #	Singular
Nominative	τὸ χᾰ́ος tò kháos
Genitive	τοῦ χᾰ́ους toû kháous
Dative	τῷ χᾰ́ει tôi kháei
Accusative	τὸ χᾰ́ος tò kháos
Vocative	χᾰ́ος kháos
Notes:	This table gives Attic inflectional endings. For declension in other dialects, see Appendix:Ancient Greek dialectal declension.

Third declension of τὸ χᾰ́ος; τοῦ χᾰ́ους (Attic)

Descendants

• Greek: χάος (cháos)
• → English: chaos
• → Armenian: քաոս (kʻaos)
• → Danish: kaos
• → Dutch: gas
• → Georgian: ქაოსი (kaosi)
• → Latin: chaos
  • French: chaos
  • Italian: caos, caosse, cao
  • Portuguese: caos
  • Romanian: haos, caos
  • Spanish: caos
• → Russian: ха́о́с (xáós)
• → Old Ruthenian: хаосъ (xaos)
  • Belarusian: хао́с (xaós)
  • Carpathian Rusyn: ха́ос (xáos)
  • Ukrainian: ха́о́с (xáós)
• → Norwegian: kaos
• → Danish: kaos
• → Polish: chaos
• → Swedish: kaos
• → Finnish: kaaos
• → Japanese: カオス
• → Turkish: kaos

Etymology 2

See the etymology of the corresponding lemma form.

Adjective

χᾰ́ος • (kháos) m or f (neuter χᾰ́ον); second declension

1. Alternative spelling of χάϊος (kháïos, “genuine, true”)

Declension

Number		Singular			Dual			Plural
Case/Gender		Masculine / Feminine	Neuter		Masculine / Feminine	Neuter		Masculine / Feminine	Neuter
Nominative		χᾰ́ος kháos	χᾰ́ον kháon		χᾰ́ω kháō	χᾰ́ω kháō		χᾰ́οι kháoi	χᾰ́ᾰ kháa
Genitive		χᾰ́ου kháou	χᾰ́ου kháou		χᾰ́οιν kháoin	χᾰ́οιν kháoin		χᾰ́ων kháōn	χᾰ́ων kháōn
Dative		χᾰ́ῳ kháōi	χᾰ́ῳ kháōi		χᾰ́οιν kháoin	χᾰ́οιν kháoin		χᾰ́οις kháois	χᾰ́οις kháois
Accusative		χᾰ́ον kháon	χᾰ́ον kháon		χᾰ́ω kháō	χᾰ́ω kháō		χᾰ́ους kháous	χᾰ́ᾰ kháa
Vocative		χᾰ́ε kháe	χᾰ́ον kháon		χᾰ́ω kháō	χᾰ́ω kháō		χᾰ́οι kháoi	χᾰ́ᾰ kháa
Derived forms		Adverb			Comparative			Superlative
		χᾰ́ως kháōs			χᾰώτερος khaṓteros			χᾰώτᾰτος khaṓtatos
Notes:		This table gives Attic inflectional endings. For declension in other dialects, see Appendix:Ancient Greek dialectal declension.

Second declension of χᾰ́ος; χᾰ́ον (Attic)

References

1. Beekes, Robert S. P. (2010) “χάος, έος, όυς”, in Etymological Dictionary of Greek (Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series; 10), with the assistance of Lucien van Beek, Leiden, Boston: Brill, →ISBN, page 1614
2. Furnée, Edzard Johan (1979) Vorgriechisch-Kartvelisches: Studien zum ostmediterranen Substrat nebst einem Versuch zu einer neuen pelasgischen Theorie (in German), Editions Peeters, →ISBN, page 34

Further reading

• “χάος”, in Liddell & Scott (1940) A Greek–English Lexicon, Oxford: Clarendon Press
• “χάος”, in Liddell & Scott (1889) An Intermediate Greek–English Lexicon, New York: Harper & Brothers
• χάος in Bailly, Anatole (1935) Le Grand Bailly: Dictionnaire grec-français, Paris: Hachette
• Woodhouse, S. C. (1910) English–Greek Dictionary: A Vocabulary of the Attic Language‎, London: Routledge & Kegan Paul Limited, page 1,006

Greek

Etymology

Learned borrowing from Ancient Greek χάος (kháos). For sense disorder, mess, semantic loan from French chaos (in that sense) from Latin chaos, from Ancient Greek χάος (kháos).^[1]

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈxa.os/
• Hyphenation: χά‧ος

Noun

χάος • (cháos) n

1. (singular only) chaos
2. (singular only, figuratively) disorder, mess
3. (singular only, mathematics) chaos

Usage notes

• Normally, there is no plural: no τα χάη (ta chái, “the chaoses”) outside of poetry.^[2]

1. • Kostas Karyotakis, poem «Φύγε, η καρδιά μου νοσταλγεί» ("Go, my heart is nostalgic") from collection Ελεγεία και Σάτιρες (Elegia and Satires), published in 1927. (Greek text)

     Φύγε κι ἄσε με μοναχό, ποὺ βλέπω νὰ πληθαίνη
     ἀπάνω ἡ νύχτα, καὶ βαθιὰ νὰ γίνωνται τὰ χάη.

     Fýge ki áse me monachó, pou vlépo na plithaíni
     apáno i nýchta, kai vathiá na gínontai ta chái.

     Go and leave me alone looking at the growing
     night upon [me], and the deepening chaoses.

Declension

case     \     number	singular
nominative	χάος •
genitive	χάους •
accusative	χάος •
vocative	χάος •
Plural χάη, as in literature.

  χάος

Synonyms

• (disorder, chaos): ακαταστασία f (akatastasía)

Derived terms

• η θεωρία του χάους (i theoría tou cháous, “the chaos theory”) (mathematics)
• χαοτικός (chaotikós, “chaotic”)

References

1. χάος, in Λεξικό της κοινής νεοελληνικής [Dictionary of Standard Modern Greek], Triantafyllidis Foundation, 1998 at the Centre for the Greek language
2. χάη in greek poetry at greek-language.gr retr:2018.09.24.

Further reading

• χάος on the Greek Wikipedia.Wikipedia ^el