Learn Greek › C1 › όμηρος
όμηρος
hostage /ˈo.mi.ros/
nounC1#3515 most common
Also: pledge (person held as surety)
Example sentences
Ο άντρας είναι όμηρος.
The man is a hostage.
Οι τρομοκράτες πήραν έναν όμηρο.
The terrorists took a hostage.
Η αστυνομία απελευθέρωσε τον όμηρο χωρίς βία.
The police freed the hostage without violence.
Οι όμηροι κρατήθηκαν τρεις μέρες μέσα στο κτίριο.
The hostages were held for three days inside the building.
Η κυβέρνηση αρνήθηκε να διαπραγματευτεί με τους απαγωγείς των ομήρων.
The government refused to negotiate with the hostages' captors.
Η τύχη των ομήρων παρέμεινε άγνωστη επί μήνες, καθώς οι διαπραγματεύσεις είχαν φτάσει σε αδιέξοδο.
The fate of the hostages remained unknown for months, as negotiations had reached a deadlock.
Declension
| Case | Singular | Plural |
|---|---|---|
| Nominative | ο όμηρος | οι όμηροι |
| Genitive | του ομήρου | των ομήρων |
| Accusative | τον όμηρο | τους ομήρους |
| Vocative | όμηρε | όμηροι |
Word family
ομηρίαthe state of being held hostage
ομηρόληψηhostage-taking
ομηρολήπτηςhostage-taker
παίρνω όμηροto take hostage
Etymology
Modern Greek όμηρος continues Ancient Greek ὅμηρος, a person handed over as a pledge or hostage to guarantee that an agreement would be kept. Scholars do not agree on the word's deeper origin, so no PIE root can be given with confidence. It is a separate word from the proper name Όμηρος (Homer, the poet); the two look alike but their connection is uncertain and debated rather than established.
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