ἀγωνιστής

See also: αγωνιστής

Ancient Greek

Etymology

From ἀγωνίζομαι (agōnízomai, “I contend for a prize”), from ἀγών (agṓn, “contest”), +‎ -τής (-tḗs, masculine agentive suffix).

Pronunciation

 

• IPA^(key): /a.ɡɔː.nis.tɛ̌ːs/ → /a.ɣo.nisˈtis/ → /a.ɣo.nisˈtis/

• (5^th BCE Attic) IPA^(key): /a.ɡɔː.nis.tɛ̌ːs/
• (1^st CE Egyptian) IPA^(key): /a.ɡo.nisˈte̝s/
• (4^th CE Koine) IPA^(key): /a.ɣo.nisˈtis/
• (10^th CE Byzantine) IPA^(key): /a.ɣo.nisˈtis/
• (15^th CE Constantinopolitan) IPA^(key): /a.ɣo.nisˈtis/

Noun

ᾰ̓γωνῐστής • (ăgōnĭstḗs) m (genitive ᾰ̓γωνῐστοῦ); first declension

1. combatant, rival, contestant
2. pleader, advocate
3. actor
4. master
5. struggler, champion

Inflection

Case / #	Singular	Dual	Plural
Nominative	ὁ ᾰ̓γωνῐστής ho ăgōnĭstḗs	τὼ ᾰ̓γωνῐστᾱ́ tṑ ăgōnĭstā́	οἱ ᾰ̓γωνῐσταί hoi ăgōnĭstaí
Genitive	τοῦ ᾰ̓γωνῐστοῦ toû ăgōnĭstoû	τοῖν ᾰ̓γωνῐσταῖν toîn ăgōnĭstaîn	τῶν ᾰ̓γωνῐστῶν tôn ăgōnĭstôn
Dative	τῷ ᾰ̓γωνῐστῇ tôi ăgōnĭstêi	τοῖν ᾰ̓γωνῐσταῖν toîn ăgōnĭstaîn	τοῖς ᾰ̓γωνῐσταῖς toîs ăgōnĭstaîs
Accusative	τὸν ᾰ̓γωνῐστήν tòn ăgōnĭstḗn	τὼ ᾰ̓γωνῐστᾱ́ tṑ ăgōnĭstā́	τοὺς ᾰ̓γωνῐστᾱ́ς toùs ăgōnĭstā́s
Vocative	ᾰ̓γωνῐστᾰ́ ăgōnĭstắ	ᾰ̓γωνῐστᾱ́ ăgōnĭstā́	ᾰ̓γωνῐσταί ăgōnĭstaí
Notes:	This table gives Attic inflectional endings. For declension in other dialects, see Appendix:Ancient Greek dialectal declension.

First declension of ὁ ᾰ̓γωνῐστής; τοῦ ᾰ̓γωνῐστοῦ (Attic)

Derived terms

• ἀνταγωνιστής (antagōnistḗs)
• πρωταγωνιστής (prōtagōnistḗs)

Descendants

• → English: agonistes, agonist
• Greek: αγωνιστής (agonistís)
• Old Armenian: ագոնիստայք (agonistaykʻ)

Further reading

• “ἀγωνιστής”, in Liddell & Scott (1940) A Greek–English Lexicon, Oxford: Clarendon Press
• “ἀγωνιστής”, in Liddell & Scott (1889) An Intermediate Greek–English Lexicon, New York: Harper & Brothers
• ἀγωνιστής in Bailly, Anatole (1935) Le Grand Bailly: Dictionnaire grec-français, Paris: Hachette
• ἀγωνιστής in the Diccionario Griego–Español en línea (2006–2025)
• Woodhouse, S. C. (1910) English–Greek Dictionary: A Vocabulary of the Attic Language‎, London: Routledge & Kegan Paul Limited.
  • combatant idem, page 144.
  • competitor idem, page 151.
  • debater idem, page 199.
  • racer idem, page 667.