# θεῖος
## Ancient Greek
### Etymology 1

From Proto-Hellenic *tʰḗhyos, from Proto-Indo-European *dʰéh₁s-yo-, from *dʰéh₁s. Equivalent to θεός (theós, “god”) +‎ -ιος (-ios, adjectival suffix). Cognate with Latin fēriae.

#### Alternative forms

* θέειος (théeios) — Epic
* θεήϊος (theḗïos) — Ionic
* θήϊος (thḗïos) — Aeolic
* σεῖος (seîos) — Laconic

#### Pronunciation

* IPA: /tʰêː.os/ → /ˈθi.os/ → /ˈθi.os/
* (5th BCE Attic) IPA: /tʰêː.os/
* (1st CE Egyptian) IPA: /ˈtʰi.os/
* (4th CE Koine) IPA: /ˈθi.os/
* (10th CE Byzantine) IPA: /ˈθi.os/
* (15th CE Constantinopolitan) IPA: /ˈθi.os/

#### Adjective

θεῖος • (theîos) m (feminine θείᾱ, neuter θεῖον); first/second declension
* of or from the gods or God, divine
** 86 CE – 160 CE, Arrian, Enchiridion of Epictetus 2.18.28:Μέγας ὁ ἀγών ἐστιν, θεῖον τὸ ἔργον, ὑπὲρ βασιλείᾱς, ὑπὲρ ἐλευθερίᾱς, ὑπὲρ εὐροίᾱς, ὑπὲρ ἀταραξίᾱς.Mégas ho agṓn estin, theîon tò érgon, hupèr basileíās, hupèr eleutheríās, hupèr euroíās, hupèr ataraxíās.Great is the struggle, divine the task; the prize is a kingdom, freedom, serenity, peace.
* (religion) belonging or sacred to a god, holy
* superhuman (used of heroic figures)
* imperial

##### Synonyms

* (of the gods): θεϊκός (theïkós), θεϊνός (theïnós)

##### Derived terms

* θεῖον (theîon)

##### Descendants

* Greek: θείος (theíos)

##### References

* “θεῖος (A)”, in Liddell & Scott (1940) A Greek–English Lexicon, Oxford: Clarendon Press

### Etymology 2

Traditionally derived from Proto-Indo-European *dʰeh₁(y)- (“to suck”); however, Beekes doesn't mention this etymology and instead takes the word as an independent onomatopoeic formation. Compare θῆλυς (thêlus, “female”), θηλή (thēlḗ, “teat”), τίτθη (títthē, “nurse”), τήθη (tḗthē, “grandmother”).

#### Noun

θεῖος • (theîos) m (genitive θείου); second declension
* the brother of one's father or mother, uncle

##### Descendants

* Greek: θείος (theíos)
* → Latin: thius (see there for further descendants)

### References

* ↑ Beekes, Robert S. P. (2010) “θεός (> DER > 3. θεῖος)”, in Etymological Dictionary of Greek (Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series; 10), with the assistance of Lucien van Beek, Leiden, Boston: Brill, →ISBN, page 540
* ↑ Beekes, Robert S. P. (2010) “θεῖος”, in Etymological Dictionary of Greek (Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series; 10), with the assistance of Lucien van Beek, Leiden, Boston: Brill, →ISBN, page 537

### Further reading

* “θεῖος (B)”, in Liddell & Scott (1940) A Greek–English Lexicon, Oxford: Clarendon Press
* “θεῖος”, in Liddell & Scott (1889) An Intermediate Greek–English Lexicon, New York: Harper & Brothers
* “θεῖος”, in Autenrieth, Georg (1891) A Homeric Dictionary for Schools and Colleges, New York: Harper and Brothers
* θεῖος in Bailly, Anatole (1935) Le Grand Bailly: Dictionnaire grec-français, Paris: Hachette
* θεῖος in Cunliffe, Richard J. (1924) A Lexicon of the Homeric Dialect: Expanded Edition, Norman: University of Oklahoma Press, published 1963
* “θεῖος”, in Slater, William J. (1969) Lexicon to Pindar, Berlin: Walter de Gruyter
* G2304 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. celestial idem, page 120.divine idem, page 244.ethereal idem, page 284.god-like idem, page 365.heaven-sent idem, page 393.heavenly idem, page 393.miraculous idem, page 532.preternatural idem, page 638.spiritual idem, page 802.superhuman idem, page 839.supernatural idem, page 839.uncle idem, page 909.unearthly idem, page 916.weird idem, page 973.
* Gerhard Köbler, Indogermanisches Wörterbuch, p. 232
* θεῖος, in ΛΟΓΕΙΟΝ [Logeion] Dictionaries for Ancient Greek and Latin (in English, French, Spanish, German, Dutch and Chinese), University of Chicago, since 2011