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The corpus record

τύραννος

turannos

absolute ruler, monarch, tyrant

Generated live from the audited corpus — every figure on this page is a database query, not prose from memory.

Where it lives

Densest 12 of 65 attested works shown, by occurrences per 10,000 attested tokens.

What it meant

1. τύραννος · tyrannos — Beekes

τύραννος [m.] ‘absolute ruler, monarch, tyrant’, rarely fem. ‘lady, princess’, also adj. ‘dictatorial, imperious, ruling’ (h. Mart., Pi., IA, etc.). *COMP μισοτύραννος ‘hating tyrants’ (IA), τυραννοκτόνος [m., f.] ‘killing tyrants’ (late). *DER 1. tupavv-ic (scil. ἀρχή) [f.] “autocracy, despotism, tyranny’ (Pi, IA since Archil.). 2. -ia [f.] ‘id’ (Xenoph,, late pap.). 3. -etov, often plur. -εἴα ‘residence of an … — [Beekes, s.v. τύραννος, p. 1570]

2. τύραννος · tyrannos — Chantraine

τύραννος + m. « maître absolu », dont le pouvoir n’est pas limité par des lois (ce τύραννος, le sens étant distingué de celui de βασιλεύς, se trouvant souvent désigné par un mouvement populaire, cf. aussi Bengtson, Gr. Geschichie 102 sqq. ; depuis l'H. à Arès où ie mot s'applique à un dieu, Pi., ion.-att., etc.), parfois employé au féminin, parfois comme adjectif; au pluriel, désigne la famille royale. Composés : au … — [Chantraine, s.v. τύραννος, p. 1165]

3. τύραννος · tyrannos — Frisk

τύραννος m. “unumschränkter Herrscher, Alleinherrscher, Tyraxın’, vereinzelt f. “Herrin, Fürstin’, auch als Ad). herrisch, gebieterisch, herrschend’ (seit ἢ. Mart., Pi., ion. att. usw.). τύρβη 947 Kompp., z.B. μισο-τύραννος “Tyrannen hassend’ (ion. att.), τυραννο-κτόνος m. f. "tyrannenmordend, Tyrannenmörder’ (sp.). — Davon 1. τυρανν-ἰς (ἀρχή Ὁ Schwyzer 465) f. “Alleinherrschaft, (Gewalt)herrschaft, Tyrannei’ (Pi., … — [Frisk, s.v. τύραννος, p. 1918]

4. τύραννος · tyrannos — Frisk

τύραννος. Zum Vergleich mit h. heth. tarwana- (s. Heubeck Praegraeca 69) auch Gusmani Studi Pisani I 511. — [Frisk, s.v. τύραννος, p. 2312]

5. τύραννος · tyrannos — LSJ

an absolute ruler, monarchs, chief, princeling, tyrants, monarchical party

an absolute ruler, unlimited by law or constitution, first in h.Mart. 5 (unless the hymn is late), where it is used of a god, Ἆρες, . . ἀντιβίοισι τύραννε; so ὁ τῶν θεῶν τ., of Zeus, A. Pr. 736, cf. Ar. Nu. 564 (lyr.); ὦ τύραννε τᾶς ἐμᾶς φρενός, i.e. Apollo, S. Tr. 217 (lyr.); σὺ δʼ ὦ τύραννε θεῶν τε κἀνθρώπων Ἔρως E. Fr. 136; Μὴν Τύραννος, a Phrygian deity worshipped in Attica, IG 2(2).1366.2 (i A. D.), al.; οὔ, τὴν τ. (perh. Hera), in an oath, Herod. 5.77: first used of monarchs in the time of

2 members of the rulerʼs family, the queen, the kingʼs daughter, princess

in a wider sense, of members of the rulerʼs family, οἱ τ. ‘the royal house’, Id. Tr. 316, cf. OC 851, Charito 1.2: ἡ τύραννος is used both of the queen herself and the kingʼs daughter, princess, E. Hec. 809, Med. 42, 877, 1356, cf. infr. II; πρέπει γὰρ ὡς τ. εἰσορᾶν, of Clytemnestra, S. El. 664; αὐτὴ . . τ. ἦ Φρυγῶν E. Andr. 204.

3 supreme

metaph., ἵνα Δίκη τ. ᾖ that Justice may be supreme, Critias 25.6D.; Ἔρως τ. ἀνδρῶν E. Hipp. 538 (lyr.); Πειθὼ τὴν τ. ἀνθρώποις μόνην Id. Hec. 816.

4 golden-crested wren, Regulus cristatus

golden-crested wren, Regulus cristatus, Arist. HA 592b23; cf. τροχίλος I.2.

II kingly, royal, as a king, the kingʼs, royal, the royal house

τύραννος, ον, as Adj., kingly, royal, τύραννα σκῆπτρα A. Pr. 761; τ. σχῆμα S. Ant. 1169; τύραννα δρᾶν to act as a king, Id. OT 588; ἡ τύραννος κόρη E. Med. 1125; τύραννον δῶμα the kingʼs palace, Id. Hipp. 843 (lyr.), etc.; τ. ἑστία Id. Andr. 3; τ. δόμος the royal house, Id. Hel. 478, etc.; ἐς τύραννʼ ἐγημάμην into the royal house, Id. Tr. 474.

2 imperious, despotic

imperious, despotic, τ. πόλις Th. 1.122, 124; αἱ τ. φύσεις Luc. Ner. 2. (Loan-word, prob. from Phrygian or Lydian.)

In the wild

6 of 575 attestations shown. Ask for more.

Where it came from

  • Beekes, Etymological Dictionary of Greek (Brill 2010) Treated in Beekes, Etymological Dictionary of Greek (Brill 2010) s.v. τύραννος (scan pp. 1570-1571; entry #6189).
  • Chantraine, Dictionnaire etymologique de la langue grecque Treated in Chantraine, Dictionnaire etymologique de la langue grecque s.v. τύραννος (scan p. 1165; entry #8183).
  • Frisk, Griechisches etymologisches Worterbuch Treated in Frisk, Griechisches etymologisches Worterbuch s.v. τύραννος (scan pp. 1918-1919; entry #5790).

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