γνωριμία vs. γνωστός

ehsawy

ehsawy

Senior Member
Greenville, SC
American English
What's the difference between γνωριμία and γνωστός in terms of an acquaintance? Are they complete synonyms for that meaning?
 
    • This is the sentence where I found it: Χάρηκα για τη γνωριμία.

    Wiktionary said γνωριμία can mean "acquaintance".

    Then I typed in "He's just an acquaintance" in Google translate and it came up with - Είναι απλά ένας γνωστός

    So I looked up 'acquaintance' in the WR Greek dictionary, and it said both words mean 'acquaintance', so I'm actually just wondering how the two words compare for this meaning in general. The meaning of the words that I'm asking about is the context.
     
    Γνωριμία means indeed both the person we know and the relation (knowing someone).
    I think it's a similar case with English "contact", which is used for both the person and the relation.
     

    γνωριμία vs. γνωστός​

    Here’s my contribution:
    It’s correct, as already said, that Γνωριμία means indeed both the person we know and the relation (knowing someone). But, look what’s happening in a more analytic way.
    Γνωριμία is a noun, whereas γνωστός is a nominalised adjective. "Χάρηκα για τη γνωριμία" literally means “I ‘m glad to have made your acquaintance”, when meeting sb for the first time. Here, γνωριμία is a “pure” noun, as it also happens with the English “acquaintance [that is the state of being acquainted]” above. After I have made the γνωριμία of someone, from then on s/he is a γνωστός/γνωστή of mine, that is someone becomes and remains γνωστός after the relevant acquaintance. But, there are cases where this noun, γνωριμία, can be used -although not the usual usage- in lieu of the nominalised adjective, e.g. “Μια γνωριμία μου μού είπε ότι...= An acquaintance [person known] of mine told me that…”. However, the usual -by far- word for this structure in MG is the one with the nominalised adjective “ Ένας γνωστός μου μού είπε ότι…” and not “Μια γνωριμία μου μού είπε ότι...”.

    If you look up γνωστός in the above dictionary, you’ll see more adjectival meanings.
     
    Because the γνωριμία happened once and momentarily in the past. At this instantaneous moment, εγώ χάρηκα για την γνωριμία. After this instantaneous moment the γνωριμία is not happening sequentially, so I don't continuously χαίρομαι για την γνωριμία.

    Look at the following antithesis:

    Εγώ καθημερινά χαίρομαι για τις νέες γνωριμίες που κάνω στην ρεσεψιόν του ξενοδοχείου.
     
    As an English speaker, I think of the moment that I say "Nice to meet you" and shake hands with someone as the moment I meet them. Are you saying in the Greek mindset it happens before that?
     
    ehsawy said:
    As an English speaker, I think of the moment that I say "Nice to meet you" and shake hands with someone as the moment I meet them. Are you saying in the Greek mindset it happens before that?
    Click to expand...
    Here we should resolve a misunderstanding. There are two relevant expressions.
    1. Greeks, when they meet someone for the first time and shake hands, say "Χαίρω πολύ or χαίρω πολύ για τη γνωριμία - I'm very glad or I'm very glad to acquaint you", equivalent to the English "Nice to meet you". (Χαίρω is the ancient form for MG χαίρομαι [=rejoice at...] and is typically used in this situation).
    2. When departing, after a possible - shorter or longer- conversation, they say "Χάρηκα για τη γνωριμία", equivalent to the English "I'm glad to have made your acquaintance". (Χάρηκα is the past tense of χαίρομαι and is used at the end of the meeting, when the meeting is rather considered to belong to the past; the same "past", I believe, is implied by "to have made your acquaintance).
    3. Let's note this: When the meeting is very limited to a momentary introduction on the part of a common acquaintance and among many other such meetings, say in a party, then the Greeks (and everyone in the world, I think) remain in a typical "Χαίρω πολύ" (Nice to meet you).
     
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