Learn Greek › B1 › έλεος
έλεος
mercy /ˈe.le.os/
nounB1#1341 most common
Also: pity, compassion
Example sentences
Ο Θεός έχει έλεος.
God has mercy.
Έλεος! Μη φωνάζεις άλλο.
Enough! Stop shouting.
Ζήτησε έλεος από τον βασιλιά.
He asked the king for mercy.
Το δικαστήριο δεν έδειξε κανένα έλεος στον κατηγορούμενο.
The court showed no mercy to the defendant.
Η αυτοκρατορία επέβαλε την εξουσία της χωρίς το παραμικρό έλεος.
The empire imposed its power without the slightest mercy.
Η έκταση του ελέους που επέδειξε ο ηγέτης εξέπληξε ακόμη και τους πιο σκληρούς επικριτές του.
The extent of the mercy the leader showed surprised even his harshest critics.
Declension
| Case | Singular | Plural |
|---|---|---|
| Nominative | το έλεος | τα ελέη |
| Genitive | του ελέους | των ελεών |
| Accusative | το έλεος | τα ελέη |
| Vocative | έλεος | ελέη |
Word family
ελεώto have mercy on, to pity
ελεημοσύνηalms, charity
ελεεινόςpitiful, wretched
ελεήμωνmerciful, compassionate
ανελέητοςmerciless, pitiless
Etymology
Έλεος continues Ancient Greek ἔλεος, already common in Homer with the sense of pity or compassion shown toward someone in a weaker position. Its further origin is not settled. Standard reference works treat it as a word without a secure Indo-European derivation, and some scholars suspect a pre-Greek source. The word entered Christian liturgy through the phrase Κύριε, ελέησον, 'Lord, have mercy,' which passed into Latin-rite worship as the Kyrie eleison and from there into English as a liturgical and musical term.
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