Greek words for love

The Greek language distinguishes at least four differentways as to how the word love is used. Ancient Greekhas four distinct words for love: agápe, éros, philía, andstorgē. However, as with other languages, it has been his-torically difficult to separate the meanings of these wordswhen used outside of their respective contexts. Nonethe-less, the senses in which these words were generally usedare as follows:

• Agápe (ἀγάπη agápē[1]) means “love: esp. broth-erly love, charity; the love of God for man and ofman for God.”[2] Agape is used in the biblical pas-sage known as the “love chapter,” 1 Corinthians 13,and is described there and throughout the New Tes-tament as brotherly love, affection, good will, love,and benevolence.[3] Whether the love given is re-turned or not, the person continues to love (evenwithout any self-benefit). Agape is also used in an-cient texts to denote feelings for one’s children andthe feelings for a spouse, and it was also used to referto a love feast.[3] It can also be described as the feel-ing of being content or holding one in high regard.Agape is used by Christians to express the uncondi-tional love of God for his children. This type of lovewas further explained by Thomas Aquinas as “to willthe good of another.”[4]

• Éros (ἔρως érōs) means “love, mostly of the sex-ual passion.”[5] The Modern Greek word "erotas"means “intimate love.” It can also apply to datingrelationships as well as marriage. Plato refined hisown definition: Although eros is initially felt for aperson, with contemplation it becomes an appreci-ation of the beauty within that person, or even be-comes appreciation of beauty itself. Plato does nottalk of physical attraction as a necessary part of love,hence the use of the word platonic to mean, “withoutphysical attraction.” In the Symposium, the most fa-mous ancient work on the subject, Plato has Socratesargue that eros helps the soul recall knowledge ofbeauty, and contributes to an understanding of spir-itual truth, the ideal “Form” of youthful beauty thatleads us humans to feel erotic desire – thus suggest-ing that even that sensually based love aspires to thenon-corporeal, spiritual plane of existence; that is,finding its truth, just like finding any truth, leads totranscendence.[6] Lovers and philosophers are all in-spired to seek truth through the means of eros.

• Philia (φιλία philía) means “affectionate regard,friendship,” usually “between equals.”[7] It is a

dispassionate virtuous love, a concept developedby Aristotle.[8] In his best-known work on ethics,Nicomachean Ethics, philia is expressed variouslyas loyalty to friends, family, and community, andrequires virtue, equality, and familiarity. Further-more, in the same text philos denotes a generaltype of love, used for love between family, betweenfriends, a desire or enjoyment of an activity, as wellas between lovers.

• Storge (στοργή storgē) means “love, affection” and“especially of parents and children”[9] It is naturalaffection, like that felt by parents for offspring.[10]Rarely used in ancient works, and then almost exclu-sively as a descriptor of relationships within the fam-ily. It is also known to express mere acceptance orputting up with situations, as in “loving” the tyrant.

1 See also

• Diotima of Mantinea

• The Four Loves by C. S. Lewis

• Greek love

• Intellectual virtue – Greek words for knowledge

• Love styles

• Restoration of Peter

2 References

[1] ἀγάπη, Henry George Liddell, Robert Scott, A Greek-English Lexicon, on Perseus

[2] H. G. Liddell; Robert Scott (October 2010). An Inter-mediate Greek-English Lexicon: Founded Upon the Sev-enth Edition of Liddell and Scott’s Greek-English Lexicon.Benediction Classics. p. 4. ISBN 978-1-84902-626-0.

[3] “Greek Lexicon”. GreekBible.com. The Online GreekBible. Retrieved 24 August 2014.

[4] “St. Thomas Aquinas, STh I-II, 26, 4, corp. art”. Newad-vent.org. Retrieved 2010-10-30.

[5] ἔρως, Henry George Liddell, Robert Scott, A Greek-English Lexicon, on Perseus

1

2 3 EXTERNAL LINKS

[6] translated from the Greek by Walter Hamilton, Plato(1973). The Symposium (Repr. ed.). Harmondsworth,Eng.: Penguin. ISBN 9780140440249.

[7] φιλία, Henry George Liddell, Robert Scott, A Greek-English Lexicon, on Perseus

[8] “Philosophy of Love (Philia)". Internet Encyclopedia ofPhilosophy. Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy. Re-trieved 24 August 2014.

[9] στοργή, Henry George Liddell, Robert Scott, A Greek-English Lexicon, on Perseus

[10] Strong B, Yarber WL, Sayad BW, Devault C (2008). Hu-man sexuality: diversity in contemporary America (6thed.). New York: McGraw-Hill. p. 228. ISBN 978-0-07-312911-2.

3 External links• English-to-Greek word search results for love, onPerseus

• Greek phrases for love

• The Ancient Greeks’ 6 Words for Love

• Definitions

3

4 Text and image sources, contributors, and licenses

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