# Θεοτόκος



## larshgf

According to Βικιπαίδεια:
*Θεοτόκος* είναι μια ελληνική λέξη, θρησκευτική προσαγόρευση, που σημαίνει "Εκείνη που τίκτει Θεό", (το δεύτερο συνθετικό -τόκος προέρχεται από το ρήμα τίκτω που σημαίνει γεννώ).

I wonder how this word Θεοτόκος was created. How did they come from the verb _τίκτω_ to the suffix _τόκος_?


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## Perseas

The stem of the verb is "*τεκ*". It's about a sound change: "*τεκ*" --> "*τοκ*".
The stem "*τεκ*" is visible in ἔ-*τεκ*-ον (aorist of the verb τί-*κτ*-ω).
Also, the present tense "τί-*κτ*-ω" was created from "τί-*τκ*-ω"(mutual change position of  τ and κ ) < τί-*τεκ*-ω.
The Greek word, the English _thane_, the German _Degen_ and the Icelandic _þegn _share all the same I.E. root "*tek".


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## larshgf

Then the - ος suffix on τοκ is the way in which you turn a verb to a substantive?


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## Perseas

larshgf said:


> Then the - ος suffix on τοκ is the way in which you turn a verb to a substantive?


In that case, the noun was formed by the verb's stem and the ending -ος.


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## larshgf

Thank you - και καλό Σαββατοκύριακο!


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## Perseas

larshgf said:


> Thank you - και καλό Σαββατοκύριακο!


Παρακαλώ, επίσης!


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## fdb

This is what we call ablaut: e-grade tek, o-grade tok, zero-grade tk metathesized to kt. The strong aorist e-tek-on has e-grade, while the noun tok-os has o-grade, just like leg-ō vs. log-os.

tokos means “offspring”. theo-tokos is a bahuvrihi compound: “whose offspring is God”.


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## Armas

Whence does the -ετός come in τοκετός?


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## Perseas

Armas said:


> Whence does the -ετός come in τοκετός?


Exactly: "τοκ" + suffix "ετός"--> "τοκετός"; cf. "πάγ-ος"-->"παγ-ετός".


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## Armas

But what is that suffix? It's very rare I believe.


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## Perseas

Armas said:


> But what is that suffix? It's very rare I believe.


There aren't many words that are formed with it, but some of them are very common in Greek: _αετός, εμετός, κοπετός, οχετός, παγετός, πυρετός, συρφετός, τοκετός, υετός, σκελετός..._


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