# Διδάχος: meaning, use and etymology



## Sprocedato

It's a long post, please forgive me!

I've found the Greek name Διδάχος, cited as the possible source of the Spanish name “Diego”. I'm investigating a little on the Greek name.

Here are my questions.

1) I've found that Διδάχου is a rather common Greek surname. I understand that it is, in origin, a patronymic. Am I right?

2) If Διδάχου is in fact a patronymic, then Διδάχος is also a given name (μικρό όνομα), or at least it has been in the past. Is it true? Is it still used as a given name?

3) How is Διδάχου inflected as a surname?
- Γιώργος Διδάχου  *but*  Ο Διδάχος ?
- Ελένη Διδάχου    *and*  Η Διδάχου ?

4) I've found the word διδάχος in some texts, and only in one online dictionary, livepedia.gr, where it's explained as a synonym of δάσκαλος “teacher”. I understand, though, that it has a different shade of meaning. What does it mean exactly?

Here are two texts (with my own translations):«Ο Κριαράς δουλεύει με το κίνητρο του παιδαγωγού, του αναμορφωτή, του διδάχου. Μεγάλο μέρος του έργου του είναι αφιερωμένο στο έργο άλλων.»
(from a biography of Εμμανουήλ Κριαράς ο αρχειοθέτης)

«Kriara works with the motivation of the pedagogue, the reformer, the ***. Most of his work is devoted to the work of other people.»

«Φύση πλούσια, προικισμένη από τον Θεό με οξυδέρκεια και ευφυΐα, ο Διδάχος αυτός του Γένους, προσθέτοντας στα φυσικά του χαρίσματα, τα επίκτητα, που με κόπο και αγώνες κατώρθωσε να αποκτήσει, έδωσε τον εαυτόν του ολόκληρο στην υπηρεσία του Θεού και στη διακονία του ανθρώπου.»
(from a biography of Άγιος Κοσμάς ο Αίτολος)

«[Man of] a rich nature, endowed by God with acuteness and nimbleness, the *** of the Nation, adding to his natural gifts those, that with labour and struggle he managed to obtain, he gave himself entirely to the service of God and the ministerial office of man.»​I thought, at first, that διδάχος had a religious flavour, something like “preacher”, but the first sample contradicts my guess.

5) Etymology: διδάχος is apparently a medieval formation from διδαχή. What about the accent? I think it is analogical of διδάσκαλος. Why is it not *διδαχός? Would it seem more an adjective than a name?

Thank you for your patience.


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## olivia vava

1) I've found that Διδάχου is a rather common (not realy) Greek surname. I understand that it is, in origin, a patronymic. Am I right?

2) If Διδάχου is in fact a patronymic, then Διδάχος is also a given name (μικρό όνομα), or at least it has been in the past. Is it true? Is it still used as a given name? (never heard of it and I am quite sure that it isn't)

3) How is Διδάχου inflected as a surname?
- Γιώργος Διδάχος *but* Ο Διδάχος ?
- Ελένη Διδάχου *and* Η Διδάχου ?

4) I've found the word διδάχος in some texts, and only in one online dictionary, livepedia.gr, where it's explained as a synonym of δάσκαλος “teacher” (master). I understand, though, that it has a different shade of meaning. What does it mean exactly?

Here are two texts (with my own translations): 
«Ο Κριαράς δουλεύει με το κίνητρο του παιδαγωγού, του αναμορφωτή, του διδάχου (master). Μεγάλο μέρος του έργου του είναι αφιερωμένο στο έργο άλλων.»
(from a biography of Εμμανουήλ Κριαράς ο αρχειοθέτης)

«Kriara works with the motivation of the pedagogue, the reformer, the ***. Most of his work is devoted to the work of other people.»

«Φύση πλούσια, προικισμένη από τον Θεό με οξυδέρκεια και ευφυΐα, ο Διδάχος αυτός του Γένους, προσθέτοντας στα φυσικά του χαρίσματα, τα επίκτητα, που με κόπο και αγώνες κατώρθωσε να αποκτήσει, έδωσε τον εαυτόν του ολόκληρο στην υπηρεσία του Θεού και στη διακονία του ανθρώπου.»
(from a biography of Άγιος Κοσμάς ο Αίτωλος)

«[Man of] a rich nature, endowed by God with acuteness and nimbleness, the *** of the Nation, adding to his natural gifts those, that with labour and struggle he managed to obtain, he gave himself entirely to the service of God and the ministerial office of man.»​I thought, at first, that διδάχος had a religious flavour, something like “preacher”  (and a master something like spiritual leader, from the old greek tradition when the preachers were at the same time techers as the only educated people among illiterates, mostly during the turkish ocupation. Lately, as you can understand fron Kriaras biografy that word refers to a person with not only a wide and profaund education but to someone who is let say like a intellectual guide for the others) but the first sample contradicts my guess.

5) Etymology: διδάχος is apparently a medieval formation from διδαχή. What about the accent? I think it is analogical of διδάσκαλος. Why is it not *διδαχός? Would it seem more an adjective than a name? (sorry, no idea)


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## orthophron

A surname, as a word, usually denotes one's characteristic (profession, origin etc).
Women's surnames have genitive form. eg. η [Ελένη] Διδάχου (meaning η Ελένη, κόρη/σύζυγος του Διδάχου).
Most men's surnames agree in case with the given name (ο [Γιώργος] Διδάχος), but there are occurences where a man's surname is in genitive (ο Διδάχου). 

Declension of a name with the surname in genitive.
Only the article with the determined name (if present) is inflected while the surname stands unchanged (in genitive).
eg. _gen_. της [Ελένης] Διδάχου, _accus_. την [Ελένη] Διδάχου

In the other case, all (article, name, surname) are inflected so as to agree in case.
eg. _gen_. του [Γιώργου] Διδάχου, _accus_. το [Γιώργο] Διδάχο

etymology of "διδάχος"
διδάχος / διδαχός < διδαχή (noun) < διδάσκω (= teach)


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## Sprocedato

Thank you olivia and orthophron, you've been very kind and precise.

Patronymics are used in Russian in a regular way, so e.g. you'll often find the name of the famous writer in the full form _Lev Nikolaevič Tolstoj_ and you're likely to remember that his father's given name was _Nikolaj. _At least more likely than to remember that, say, William Shakespeare's father was called _John_.

Are they used in Greek?

From what you wrote, I deduce that Διδάχος, as a family name, is not likely to derive from a patronymic. It derives more probably from an epithet/title/nickname.


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## orthophron

If father's name is to be mentioned, there are two ways to do it. e.g. If Ιωάννης (John) is father's name then we have EITHER: a) Γιώργος Ιωάννη Διδάχος OR: b) Γιώργος Διδάχος του Ιωάννη (or Διδάχος Γιώργος του Ιωάννη) {"[του] Ιωάννη" is of course "genitive"}.


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## olivia vava

...or  Γιώργος Ι. Διδάχος (using only the inicial letter of fathers name) but this way is mostely used to avoid misundersandings in between people with more common name and surname than Διδάχος e.g. Γιώργος Ι. Παπαδόπουλος / Γιώργος Β. Παπαδόπουλος (The first is Γιώργος Παπαδόπουλος son of Ιωάννης and the second is also Γιώργος Παπαδόπουλος but son of Βασίλειος).


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## Traduita

Patronymics are used in Greek as Olivia and orthophron say, and mainly when you want to distinguish yourself from another person, as stated in the previous post, or in official documents. 
This is formal use, though. Patronymics are not nearly as commonly used as in  Russian, where, as far as I know,  they are also part of everyday speech, in combination with the first name, as a way to adress or refer to a person:
"What's up, Lev Nikolayevich?"
"Good, Fiodor Mikhailovich. I 've sent you and Ana Grigorevna my new book, I hope you both enjoy it."
We do not have this kind of usage in Greek. Some writers sign their books including their patronymic or husband's name, but the majority doesn't.


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## Sprocedato

> "What's up, Lev Nikolayevich?"
> "Good, Fiodor Mikhailovich. I 've sent you and Ana Grigorevna my new book, I hope you both enjoy it."


That's exactly what I meant, Traduita. Very nice example! 

And thank you all!


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