# ἄγγελος
## Ancient Greek
### Etymology

Cognate with Mycenaean Greek 𐀀𐀐𐀫 (a-ke-ro), with further origin uncertain. Probably a loanword, likely related to ἄγγᾰρος (ángăros, “Persian mounted courier”) (whence Latin angarius), which is perhaps from Old Persian or some other Asian language. Klein suggests a Semitic origin; note 𐡀𐡍‬𐡂𐡓𐡕‬𐡀 (’engirtā, “missive, letter; contract”) and ܐܓܪܬܐ (ˀeggarṯā, “letter, document”, from Akkadian 𒂊𒄈𒌓 (egertu, “inscribed tablet; contract”)). Compare also Sanskrit अजिर (ajira, “agile, swift”), अञ्जि (añji, “commander, sender”) and अञ्जस् (añjas, “speed, velocity”).
The religious sense is a semantic loan from Biblical Hebrew מַלְאָךְ (malʾāḵ).

### Pronunciation

* IPA: /áŋ.ɡe.los/ → /ˈaɲ.ɟe.los/ → /ˈaɲ.ɟe.los/
* (5th BCE Attic) IPA: /áŋ.ɡe.los/
* (1st CE Egyptian) IPA: /ˈaŋ.ɡe.los/
* (4th CE Koine) IPA: /ˈaɲ.ɟe.los/
* (10th CE Byzantine) IPA: /ˈaɲ.ɟe.los/
* (15th CE Constantinopolitan) IPA: /ˈaɲ.ɟe.los/

### Noun

ἄγγελος • (ángelos) m (genitive ᾰ̓γγέλου); second declension (Epic, Attic, Ionic, Doric, Koine)
* a messenger
* one that announces
* (later) angel, heavenly spirit

#### Derived terms

* ἀγγελία (angelía)
* ἀγγέλλω (angéllō)
* ἀρχάγγελος (arkhángelos)
* εὐαγγελίζω (euangelízō)
* εὐαγγέλιον (euangélion)
* κατάγγελος (katángelos)
* ψευδάγγελος (pseudángelos)

#### Descendants

* Greek: άγγελος (ángelos)
* → Aghwan: 𐔰𐕎𐔲𐔴𐔾𐕒𐕚 (angelos)
* → Aramaic: אנגליא (ˀnglyˀ)
* → Gothic: 𐌰𐌲𐌲𐌹𐌻𐌿𐍃 (aggilus)
* → Coptic: ⲁⲅⲅⲉⲗⲟⲥ (aggelos)
* → Latin: angelus (see there for further descendants)
* → Old Church Slavonic: анг҄елъ (angʹjelŭ) (see there for further descendants)
* → Old Georgian: ანგელოზი (angelozi) (see there for further descendants)
* → Ukrainian: я́нгол (jánhol)

### References

* ↑ Beekes, Robert S. P. (2010) “ἄγγελος”, in Etymological Dictionary of Greek (Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series; 10), volume I, with the assistance of Lucien van Beek, Leiden, Boston: Brill, →ISBN, page 9

### Further reading

* “ἄγγελος”, in Liddell & Scott (1940) A Greek–English Lexicon, Oxford: Clarendon Press
* “ἄγγελος”, in Liddell & Scott (1889) An Intermediate Greek–English Lexicon, New York: Harper & Brothers
* “ἄγγελος”, in Autenrieth, Georg (1891) A Homeric Dictionary for Schools and Colleges, New York: Harper and Brothers
* ἄγγελος in Bailly, Anatole (1935) Le Grand Bailly: Dictionnaire grec-français, Paris: Hachette
* ἄγγελος in Cunliffe, Richard J. (1924) A Lexicon of the Homeric Dialect: Expanded Edition, Norman: University of Oklahoma Press, published 1963
* ἄγγελος in the Diccionario Griego–Español en línea (2006–2025)
* “ἄγγελος”, in Slater, William J. (1969) Lexicon to Pindar, Berlin: Walter de Gruyter
* G32 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. announcer idem, page 30.apostle idem, page 34.bearer idem, page 67.courier idem, page 178.emissary idem, page 268.envoy idem, page 279.forerunner idem, page 337.harbinger idem, page 385.herald idem, page 397.messenger idem, page 527.reporter idem, page 697.
* Frisk, Hjalmar (1960–1972) “ἄγγελος”, in Griechisches etymologisches Wörterbuch (in German), Heidelberg: Carl Winter
* Klein, Dr. Ernest, A Comprehensive Etymological Dictionary of the English Language, Amsterdam: Elsevier Scientific Publishing Co., 1971.
* John A. Simpson and Edmund S. C. Weiner, editors (1989), “ἄγγελος”, in The Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd edition, Oxford: Clarendon Press, →ISBN.