Learn Greek › B1 › ναός
ναός
temple /naˈos/
nounB1#1696 most common
Also: church (as a building), shrine
Example sentences
Ο ναός είναι μεγάλος.
The temple is big.
Πηγαίνουμε στον ναό την Κυριακή.
We go to church on Sunday.
Ο Παρθενώνας είναι αρχαίος ναός αφιερωμένος στη θεά Αθηνά.
The Parthenon is an ancient temple dedicated to the goddess Athena.
Οι αρχαιολόγοι ανακάλυψαν τα ερείπια ενός ναού κοντά στη θάλασσα.
Archaeologists discovered the ruins of a temple near the sea.
Οι ναοί της αρχαίας Ελλάδας χτίστηκαν με μαρμάρινες κολώνες που άντεξαν στον χρόνο.
The temples of ancient Greece were built with marble columns that withstood time.
Η αρχιτεκτονική των ναών αντανακλούσε τη θρησκευτική και πολιτική ισχύ των πόλεων-κρατών.
The architecture of the temples reflected the religious and political power of the city-states.
Declension
| Case | Singular | Plural |
|---|---|---|
| Nominative | ναός | ναοί |
| Genitive | ναού | ναών |
| Accusative | ναό | ναούς |
| Vocative | ναέ | ναοί |
Word family
ναΐσκοςsmall temple, wayside shrine
προναόςpronaos, forecourt of a temple
ναοδόμοςtemple builder
ναΰδριοsmall church, chapel (diminutive)
Etymology
Ναός goes back to Ancient Greek ναός, built on the verb ναίω, meaning to dwell or inhabit. The idea was that a temple is the dwelling place of a god. Beekes and other scholars trace ναίω to the Proto-Indo-European root for returning home safely. The word has kept its core sense for over two thousand years, and Modern Greek still uses it for both ancient temples and church buildings.
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