ἑταίρα

Ancient Greek

Alternative forms

• ἑταίρη (hetaírē) — Ionic
• ἑτᾰ́ρη (hetárē) — Epic
• ἑταιρίς (hetairís)
• ἑταῖρα (hetaîra)

Etymology

From ἑταῖρος (hetaîros, “companion”).

Pronunciation

 

• IPA^(key): /he.tǎi̯.raː/ → /eˈtɛ.ra/ → /eˈte.ra/

• (5^th BCE Attic) IPA^(key): /he.tǎi̯.raː/
• (1^st CE Egyptian) IPA^(key): /(h)eˈtɛ.ra/
• (4^th CE Koine) IPA^(key): /eˈtɛ.ra/
• (10^th CE Byzantine) IPA^(key): /eˈte.ra/
• (15^th CE Constantinopolitan) IPA^(key): /eˈte.ra/

Noun

ἑταίρᾱ • (hetaírā) f (genitive ἑταίρᾱς); first declension

1. (euphemistic) courtesan, escort, cultivated prostitute

Usage notes

In ancient Greece and Rome, the upper-class ἑταίρα was distinguished from the unrefined πόρνη and expected to be further skilled in conversation, music, philosophy, etc.

Inflection

First declension of ἡ ἑταίρᾱ; τῆς ἑταίρᾱς (Attic)

Case / #	Singular	Dual	Plural
Nominative	ἡ ἑταίρᾱ hē hetaírā	τὼ ἑταίρᾱ tṑ hetaírā	αἱ ἑταῖραι hai hetaîrai
Genitive	τῆς ἑταίρᾱς tês hetaírās	τοῖν ἑταίραιν toîn hetaírain	τῶν ἑταιρῶν tôn hetairôn
Dative	τῇ ἑταίρᾳ têi hetaírāi	τοῖν ἑταίραιν toîn hetaírain	ταῖς ἑταίραις taîs hetaírais
Accusative	τὴν ἑταίρᾱν tḕn hetaírān	τὼ ἑταίρᾱ tṑ hetaírā	τᾱ̀ς ἑταίρᾱς tā̀s hetaírās
Vocative	ἑταίρᾱ hetaírā	ἑταίρᾱ hetaírā	ἑταῖραι hetaîrai
Notes:	This table gives Attic inflectional endings. For declension in other dialects, see Appendix:Ancient Greek dialectal declension.

Related terms

• ἑταῖρος (hetaîros)

Further reading

• “ἑταίρα”, in Liddell & Scott (1940) A Greek–English Lexicon, Oxford: Clarendon Press
• “ἑταίρα”, in Liddell & Scott (1889) An Intermediate Greek–English Lexicon, New York: Harper & Brothers
• ἑταίρα 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^[1], London: Routledge & Kegan Paul Limited.
  • courtesan idem, page 179.
  • mistress idem, page 536.