γωνία

Ancient Greek

Etymology

Inherited from Proto-Hellenic *gonwía, from *gónu (“knee”, whence γόνυ (gónu)), ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *ǵónu (“id”). The long ω (ō) is from the regular Doric development of an unattested *γονϝ-ία (*gonw-ía), as the paradigm of *ǵónu shows no lengthened grade (thus precluding a derivation from such an ablaut), while most mathematicians in Greek antiquity (who were most likely responsible for the word's formation) were Pythagorean (and thus wrote in Doric). Despite superficial and coincidental similarities, unrelated to Sanskrit कोण (koṇa, “corner, angle”).

Pronunciation

 

• IPA^(key): /ɡɔː.ní.aː/ → /ɣoˈni.a/ → /ɣoˈni.a/

• (5^th BCE Attic) IPA^(key): /ɡɔː.ní.aː/
• (1^st CE Egyptian) IPA^(key): /ɡoˈni.a/
• (4^th CE Koine) IPA^(key): /ɣoˈni.a/
• (10^th CE Medieval) IPA^(key): /ɣoˈni.a/
• (15^th CE Constantinopolitan) IPA^(key): /ɣoˈni.a/

Noun

γωνῐ́ᾱ • (gōnĭ́ā) f (genitive γωνῐ́ᾱς); first declension

1. (geometry) corner; angle
2. joiner's square
3. cornerstone

Declension

First declension of ἡ γωνῐ́ᾱ; τῆς γωνῐ́ᾱς (Attic)

	singular	dual	plural
nominative	ἡ γωνῐ́ᾱhē gōnĭ́ā	τὼ γωνῐ́ᾱtṑ gōnĭ́ā	αἱ γωνῐ́αιhai gōnĭ́ai
genitive	τῆς γωνῐ́ᾱςtês gōnĭ́ās	τοῖν γωνῐ́αινtoîn gōnĭ́ain	τῶν γωνῐῶνtôn gōnĭôn
dative	τῇ γωνῐ́ᾳtēî gōnĭ́āi	τοῖν γωνῐ́αινtoîn gōnĭ́ain	ταῖς γωνῐ́αιςtaîs gōnĭ́ais
accusative	τὴν γωνῐ́ᾱνtḕn gōnĭ́ān	τὼ γωνῐ́ᾱtṑ gōnĭ́ā	τᾱ̀ς γωνῐ́ᾱςtā̀s gōnĭ́ās
vocative	γωνῐ́ᾱgōnĭ́ā	γωνῐ́ᾱgōnĭ́ā	γωνῐ́αιgōnĭ́ai

• This table gives Attic inflectional endings. For declension in other dialects, see Appendix:Ancient Greek dialectal declension.

Derived terms

• ἄγωνος (ágōnos)
• ἀντιγώνιος (antigṓnios)
• ἀπειρόγωνος (apeirógōnos)
• γώνιος (gṓnios)
• διαγώνιος (diagṓnios)
• ἐγγώνιος (engṓnios)
• εἰκοσάγωνος (eikoságōnos)
• ἑκκαιδεκάγωνος (hekkaidekágōnos)
• ἑνδεκάγωνος (hendekágōnos)
• ἐννεάγωνος (enneágōnos)
• ἑξάγωνος (hexágōnos)
• ἐπιγώνιος (epigṓnios)
• ἑπτάγωνος (heptágōnos)
• εὐγώνιος (eugṓnios)
• ἡμιτετράγωνος (hēmitetrágōnos)
• ἡμιτρίγωνος (hēmitrígōnos)
• ἰσοτετράγωνος (isotetrágōnos)
• κοιλογώνιος (koilogṓnios)
• ὀκτάγωνος (oktágōnos)
• ὀξυγώνιος (oxugṓnios)
• ὁσάγωνος (hoságōnos)
• παραγώνιος (paragṓnios)
• πεντάγωνος (pentágōnos)
• πολύγωνος (polúgōnos)
• τεσσαρεσκαιδεκάγωνος (tessareskaidekágōnos)
• τετράγωνος (tetrágōnos)
• τρεισκαιδεκάγωνος (treiskaidekágōnos)
• τρίγωνος (trígōnos)
• φιλογώνιος (philogṓnios)
• χιλιάγωνος (khiliágōnos)

Descendants

• Greek: γωνία (gonía)
• → Persian: گونیا (guniyâ) (or via Syriac)
  • → Ottoman Turkish: گونیه (günye, gönye)
    • Turkish: gönye
    • → Azerbaijani: günya
    • → Romanian: ghiunie
    • → Serbo-Croatian:

      Cyrillic script: ђу̀нија

      Latin script: đùnija

• → Classical Syriac: ܓܘܢܝܐ (gōnyā)

Further reading

• “γωνία”, in Liddell & Scott (1940), A Greek–English Lexicon, Oxford: Clarendon Press
• “γωνία”, in Liddell & Scott (1889), An Intermediate Greek–English Lexicon, New York: Harper & Brothers
• “γωνία” in Bailly, Anatole (1935), Le Grand Bailly: Dictionnaire grec-français, Paris: Hachette
• “γωνία” in the Diccionario Griego–Español en línea (2006–2026)
• Strong, James (1979), “G1137”, in Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance to the Bible
• Woodhouse, S. C. (1910), English–Greek Dictionary: A Vocabulary of the Attic Language‎^[1], London: Routledge & Kegan Paul Limited.
  • angle idem, page 29.
  • corner idem, page 174.
  • square idem, page 807.

Greek

Etymology

Inherited from Ancient Greek γωνία (gōnía).

Noun

γωνία • (gonía) f (plural γωνίες)

1. (geometry) angle
2. corner
3. viewpoint

Declension

Declension of γωνία

	singular	plural
nominative	γωνία (gonía)	γωνίες (goníes)
genitive	γωνίας (gonías)	γωνιών (gonión)
accusative	γωνία (gonía)	γωνίες (goníes)
vocative	γωνία (gonía)	γωνίες (goníes)

Coordinate terms

Angle descriptors

• αμβλεία f (amvleía, “obtuse”)
• ανάκλασης f (anáklasis, “reflex”)
• ευθύς f (efthýs, “straight”)
• οξεία f (oxeía, “acute”)
• ορθός f (orthós, “right”)
• περιγώνια f (perigónia, “perigon”)

Related terms

• see: αγκωνή f (agkoní, “corner”)

Descendants

• Ottoman Turkish: گونیه (günye)

Further reading

• γωνία on the Greek Wikipedia.Wikipedia ^el