basileus

English

Etymology

Etymology tree

Proto-Hellenic *gʷatiléus

Ancient Greek βασιλεύς (basileús)bor.

English basileus

Borrowed from Ancient Greek βασιλεύς (basileús, “chief, king”).

Pronunciation

• (UK) IPA^(key): /ˌbæsɪˈleɪəs/

Noun

basileus (plural basilei or basileis)

1. A title of the Byzantine emperor.
   • 1978, Славяни, volume 34, page 3:

     For two centuries its towers and domes were to rise in the heavens, drawing the attention of Emperors and Basilei, of Popes and Patriarchs.

   • 1990, Ernst Kitzinger, The Mosaics of St. Mary’s of the Admiral in Palermo, Washington, D.C.: Dumbarton Oaks Research Library and Collection, →ISBN, page 192:

     Although portrayals of basileis of the eleventh century wearing the loros in the traditional manner are not lacking, I cannot cite a Byzantine example of metropolitan origin later than 1100.

   • 2003, Victor Spinei, The Great Migrations in the East and South East of Europe from the Ninth to the Thirteenth Century, Romanian Cultural Institute, →ISBN, page 193:

     The revitalization of the Byzantine Empire during the reigns of the energetic and capable basilei of the Comnens dynasty: Alexios I (1081-1118), John II (1118-1143) and Manuel (1143-1180), and the wars with a Rum Sultanate troubled by dynastic fights drastically diminished its possessions in Anatolia.

   • 2007, Transylvanian Review, volume 16, Romanian Cultural Foundation, page 16:

     It is quite easy to establish the identity of these “Roman princes” who reoccupied Pannonia after Attila’s death: they were the basilei from Constantinople who, after the fall of the Western Roman Empire, claimed to be the only successors of the Caesars (around the turn of the 9^th century they began to call themselves “basilei of the Romans”—“basileis ton Romanon” or “Romaion”).

   • 2017, Michael Martin, City of the Sun: Development and Popular Resistance in the Pre-Modern West, New York, N.Y.: Algora Publishing, →ISBN, page 64:

     In our third example, the tyrant Nabis usurped power from the traditional, dual basileis of Sparta, then had them executed.

   • 2020, David B. Small, “Institutional Evolution of Ancient Greece”, in Dmitri M[ikhailovich] Bondarenko, Stephen A. Kowalewski, David B. Small, editors, The Evolution of Social Institutions: Interdisciplinary Perspectives (World-Systems Evolution and Global Futures), Springer Nature, →ISBN, page 274:

     The basileis of the Iron Age were now replaced with various appointed and elected magistrates.

   • 2020, Tsvetelin Stepanov, translated by Daria Manova, Waiting for the End of the World: European Dimensions, 950–1200 (East Central and Eastern Europe in the Middle Ages, 450–1450; 57), Leiden: Brill, →ISBN, page 251:

     It would probably be worth seeking a possible connection-and-overlay between the name of one of the Byzantine basilei of the 9th century and the godfather of Boris I, Michael III, and that of the Bulgarian ruler Boris-Michael himself, who also lived in that age.

   • 2023, Christian Raffensperger, Rulers and Rulership in the Arc of Medieval Europe, 1000-1200, Abingdon, Oxon; New York, N.Y.: Routledge, →ISBN:

     “Peter and Maria basilei of Bugaria,” “Peter and Maria in Christ autocrats of the Bulgarians,” and “Peter and Maria in Christ august autocrats and basilei.”

Related terms

• Basil
• basilean
• basileolatry
• basilica
• basilisk
• basilolatry

Further reading

• basileus on Wikipedia.Wikipedia

Anagrams

• issuable, suasible

Finnish

Etymology

< Ancient Greek βασιλεύς (basileús, “chief, king”)

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈbɑsileus/, [ˈbɑ̝s̠iˌle̞us̠]
• Rhymes: -eus
• Syllabification^(key): ba‧si‧le‧us
• Hyphenation^(key): ba‧si‧le‧us

Noun

basileus

1. basileus (title of the Byzantine emperor)

Declension

Inflection of basileus (Kotus type 39/vastaus, no gradation)
nominative		basileus	basileukset
genitive		basileuksen	basileusten basileuksien
partitive		basileusta	basileuksia
illative		basileukseen	basileuksiin
		singular	plural
nominative		basileus	basileukset
accusative	nom.	basileus	basileukset
	gen.	basileuksen
genitive		basileuksen	basileusten basileuksien
partitive		basileusta	basileuksia
inessive		basileuksessa	basileuksissa
elative		basileuksesta	basileuksista
illative		basileukseen	basileuksiin
adessive		basileuksella	basileuksilla
ablative		basileukselta	basileuksilta
allative		basileukselle	basileuksille
essive		basileuksena	basileuksina
translative		basileukseksi	basileuksiksi
abessive		basileuksetta	basileuksitta
instructive		—	basileuksin
comitative		See the possessive forms below.

Possessive forms of basileus (Kotus type 39/vastaus, no gradation)

first-person singular possessor singular plural nominative basileukseni basileukseni accusative nom. basileukseni basileukseni gen. basileukseni genitive basileukseni basileusteni basileuksieni partitive basileustani basileuksiani inessive basileuksessani basileuksissani elative basileuksestani basileuksistani illative basileukseeni basileuksiini adessive basileuksellani basileuksillani ablative basileukseltani basileuksiltani allative basileukselleni basileuksilleni essive basileuksenani basileuksinani translative basileuksekseni basileuksikseni abessive basileuksettani basileuksittani instructive — — comitative — basileuksineni second-person singular possessor singular plural nominative basileuksesi basileuksesi accusative nom. basileuksesi basileuksesi gen. basileuksesi genitive basileuksesi basileustesi basileuksiesi partitive basileustasi basileuksiasi inessive basileuksessasi basileuksissasi elative basileuksestasi basileuksistasi illative basileukseesi basileuksiisi adessive basileuksellasi basileuksillasi ablative basileukseltasi basileuksiltasi allative basileuksellesi basileuksillesi essive basileuksenasi basileuksinasi translative basileukseksesi basileuksiksesi abessive basileuksettasi basileuksittasi instructive — — comitative — basileuksinesi first-person plural possessor singular plural nominative basileuksemme basileuksemme accusative nom. basileuksemme basileuksemme gen. basileuksemme genitive basileuksemme basileustemme basileuksiemme partitive basileustamme basileuksiamme inessive basileuksessamme basileuksissamme elative basileuksestamme basileuksistamme illative basileukseemme basileuksiimme adessive basileuksellamme basileuksillamme ablative basileukseltamme basileuksiltamme allative basileuksellemme basileuksillemme essive basileuksenamme basileuksinamme translative basileukseksemme basileuksiksemme abessive basileuksettamme basileuksittamme instructive — — comitative — basileuksinemme second-person plural possessor singular plural nominative basileuksenne basileuksenne accusative nom. basileuksenne basileuksenne gen. basileuksenne genitive basileuksenne basileustenne basileuksienne partitive basileustanne basileuksianne inessive basileuksessanne basileuksissanne elative basileuksestanne basileuksistanne illative basileukseenne basileuksiinne adessive basileuksellanne basileuksillanne ablative basileukseltanne basileuksiltanne allative basileuksellenne basileuksillenne essive basileuksenanne basileuksinanne translative basileukseksenne basileuksiksenne abessive basileuksettanne basileuksittanne instructive — — comitative — basileuksinenne third-person possessor singular plural nominative basileuksensa basileuksensa accusative nom. basileuksensa basileuksensa gen. basileuksensa genitive basileuksensa basileustensa basileuksiensa partitive basileustaan basileustansa basileuksiaan basileuksiansa inessive basileuksessaan basileuksessansa basileuksissaan basileuksissansa elative basileuksestaan basileuksestansa basileuksistaan basileuksistansa illative basileukseensa basileuksiinsa adessive basileuksellaan basileuksellansa basileuksillaan basileuksillansa ablative basileukseltaan basileukseltansa basileuksiltaan basileuksiltansa allative basileukselleen basileuksellensa basileuksilleen basileuksillensa essive basileuksenaan basileuksenansa basileuksinaan basileuksinansa translative basileuksekseen basileukseksensa basileuksikseen basileuksiksensa abessive basileuksettaan basileuksettansa basileuksittaan basileuksittansa instructive — — comitative — basileuksineen basileuksinensa

Latin

Alternative forms

• basileos, basilleus, vasileus

Etymology

Etymology tree

Proto-Hellenic *gʷatiléus

Ancient Greek βασιλεύς (basileús)bor.

Latin basileus

Borrowed from Ancient Greek βασιλεύς (basileús).

Noun

basileus m (genitive basileī); second declension

1. (Medieval Latin) king, emperor

Declension

Second-declension noun.

	singular	plural
nominative	basileus	basileī
genitive	basileī basileos	basileōrum basileōn
dative	basileō	basileīs
accusative	basileum basileon	basileōs
ablative	basileō	basileīs
vocative	basileu	basileī

References

• "basileus", in Charles du Fresne du Cange, Glossarium Mediæ et Infimæ Latinitatis (augmented edition with additions by D. P. Carpenterius, Adelungius and others, edited by Léopold Favre, 1883–1887)
• basileus in Bayerische Akademie der Wissenschaften (1967– ), Mittellateinisches Wörterbuch, Munich: C.H. Beck
• R. E. Latham, D. R. Howlett, & R. K. Ashdowne, editors (1975–2013), “basileus”, in Dictionary of Medieval Latin from British Sources‎^[1], London: Oxford University Press for the British Academy, →ISBN, →OCLC