Aidos
/ˈaɪ.dɒs/noun
In ancient Greek thought, aidos was a feeling of shame, reverence, or respectful restraint before gods, elders, guests, or social obligations.
Did you know?Aidos was treated as a divine power in Greek culture: Hesiod portrays Aidos and Nemesis leaving humanity when moral restraint and justice disappear.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European (proposed)
PIE
*h₂eydʰ-
“A proposed root connected with burning or kindling; its relationship to Greek aidos remains debated.”
Mycenaean Greek, 2nd millennium BCE
Mycenaean Greek
𐀀𐀂𐀅𐀚 (possible)
“A possible early form has been proposed, but the identification is not certain.”
Ancient Greek, 8th–5th Century BCE
Greek
αἰδώς (aidōs)
“Shame, modesty, reverence, or a powerful sense of moral restraint.”
Classical Greek
Greek
Αἰδώς (Aidōs)
“A personified divine force of reverence and moral inhibition, sometimes described alongside Nemesis.”
19th–20th Century
English
aidos
“An English scholarly borrowing used in classics, anthropology, and philosophy for the Greek concept.”
Modern English
English
aidos
“A specialized term for culturally shaped shame, honor, reverence, or ethical self-restraint.”