θέμα

Ancient Greek

Etymology

From τῐ́θημῐ (títhēmi, “to set, put, place”) +‎ -μᾰ (-ma, nominal suffix).

Pronunciation

 

• IPA^(key): /tʰé.ma/ → /ˈθe.ma/ → /ˈθe.ma/

• (5^th BCE Attic) IPA^(key): /tʰé.ma/
• (1^st CE Egyptian) IPA^(key): /ˈtʰe.ma/
• (4^th CE Koine) IPA^(key): /ˈθe.ma/
• (10^th CE Byzantine) IPA^(key): /ˈθe.ma/
• (15^th CE Constantinopolitan) IPA^(key): /ˈθe.ma/

Noun

θέμᾰ • (théma) n (genitive θέμᾰτος); third declension

1. That which is placed or laid down.
   1. Money deposited; (of grain) deposit; treasure.
   2. Pile. (of loaves)
   3. Coffer. Synonym: θήκη (thḗkē)
   4. Position, situation. (of land)
   5. (astrology) Nativity, horoscope.
   6. Common burial place or common land; private burial ground.
2. Something proposed as a prize.
3. Case proposed for discussion, theme of an argument.
   1. Proposition, premiss.
   2. (law) Case.
   3. Arbitrary determination.
   4. (grammar) Primary (nonderivative) element or form.
      • Etymologicum Magnum 88.13:

        “τὸ θέμα, ἀμύσσω: ὁ μέλλων, ἀμύξω

        “tò théma, amússō: ho méllōn, amúxō

        “The primary form [ie present tense] is ἀμύσσω [I scratch], the future is ἀμύξω [I will scratch].

   5. (logic, Stoic) Mode of reduction of an irregular syllogism.
4. A Theme, the regional unit of government of the Eastern Roman/Byzantine empire approximately from the 7th to the 11th century.

Inflection

Third declension of τὸ θέμᾰ; τοῦ θέμᾰτος (Attic)

Case / #	Singular	Dual	Plural
Nominative	τὸ θέμᾰ tò théma	τὼ θέμᾰτε tṑ thémate	τᾰ̀ θέμᾰτᾰ tà thémata
Genitive	τοῦ θέμᾰτος toû thématos	τοῖν θεμᾰ́τοιν toîn themátoin	τῶν θεμᾰ́των tôn themátōn
Dative	τῷ θέμᾰτῐ tôi thémati	τοῖν θεμᾰ́τοιν toîn themátoin	τοῖς θέμᾰσῐ / θέμᾰσῐν toîs thémasi(n)
Accusative	τὸ θέμᾰ tò théma	τὼ θέμᾰτε tṑ thémate	τᾰ̀ θέμᾰτᾰ tà thémata
Vocative	θέμᾰ théma	θέμᾰτε thémate	θέμᾰτᾰ thémata
Notes:	This table gives Attic inflectional endings. For declension in other dialects, see Appendix:Ancient Greek dialectal declension.

Descendants

• → Latin: thema
  • → English: theme
  • → German: Thema
    • → Hunsrik: Tema
    • → Japanese: テーマ (tēma)
    • → Russian: те́ма (téma)
      • → Georgian: თემა (tema)
      • → Uyghur: تېما (tëma)
      • → Uzbek: tema
    • → Esperanto: temo
  • → French: thème
  • → Italian: tema
  • → Dutch: thema
  • → Polish: temat (learned)
  • → Portuguese: teima, tema
  • → Romanian: temă
  • → Spanish: tema
• → Old Georgian: [Term?]
  • Georgian: თემი (temi)
    • → Bats: თემ (tem)

References

• “θέμα”, in Liddell & Scott (1940) A Greek–English Lexicon, Oxford: Clarendon Press
• θέμα in Bailly, Anatole (1935) Le Grand Bailly: Dictionnaire grec-français, Paris: Hachette
• Bauer, Walter et al. (2001) A Greek–English Lexicon of the New Testament and Other Early Christian Literature, Third edition, Chicago: University of Chicago Press
• θέμα in Trapp, Erich, et al. (1994–2007) Lexikon zur byzantinischen Gräzität besonders des 9.-12. Jahrhunderts [the Lexicon of Byzantine Hellenism, Particularly the 9th–12th Centuries], Verlag der Österreichischen Akademie der Wissenschaften
• “θέμα”, in ΛΟΓΕΙΟΝ [Logeion] Dictionaries for Ancient Greek and Latin (in English, French, Spanish, German, Dutch and Chinese), University of Chicago, since 2011

Greek

Etymology

From Ancient Greek θέμᾰ (théma).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈθema/
• Hyphenation: θέ‧μα

Noun

θέμα • (théma) n (plural θέματα)

1. subject, main topic (of conversation, etc)
2. affair
3. (music) theme
4. (linguistics) stem
5. theme, the regional unit of government of the Byzantine empire.

Declension

Declension of θέμα

	singular	plural
nominative	θέμα (théma)	θέματα (thémata)
genitive	θέματος (thématos)	θεμάτων (themáton)
accusative	θέμα (théma)	θέματα (thémata)
vocative	θέμα (théma)	θέματα (thémata)