Genitive Case
Possession and 'of' relationships
The genitive case primarily expresses possession or the relationship "of."
In "the house of the king," "of the king" would be genitive.
Beyond possession, the genitive has many uses:
• Partitive genitive: "some of the wine" (part of a whole)
• Genitive of separation: "away from the city"
• Genitive of comparison: "wiser than Socrates"
• With certain prepositions: ἀπό, ἐκ, πρό (from, out of, before)
Common genitive endings:
• First declension: -ας, -ης
• Second declension: -ου
• Third declension: -ος
Examples from Texts
Here are some words showing the genitive case in actual Greek texts:
ἐπίβδης
ἐπίβδα
the day after a festival
noun
genitive
feminine
singular
ὀρθοτάτης
ὀρθός
straight
noun
genitive
feminine
singular
φλοίσβων
φλοῖσβος
any confused roaring noise
noun
genitive
masculine
plural
ἀνδραγαθίας
ἀνδραγαθία
bravery, manly virtue
noun
genitive
feminine
singular
ἀγκυρίου
ἀγκύριον
anchor-cables
noun
genitive
neuter
singular
στραγγαλᾶν
στραγγάλη
ligature
noun
genitive
feminine
plural
πιλωτῶν
πιλωτός
of felt
noun
genitive
masculine
plural
δικαίου
δίκαιος
observant of custom
noun
genitive
masculine
singular