Κύπρος

Hello, you have come here looking for the meaning of the word Κύπρος. In DICTIOUS you will not only get to know all the dictionary meanings for the word Κύπρος, but we will also tell you about its etymology, its characteristics and you will know how to say Κύπρος in singular and plural. Everything you need to know about the word Κύπρος you have here. The definition of the word Κύπρος will help you to be more precise and correct when speaking or writing your texts. Knowing the definition ofΚύπρος, as well as those of other words, enriches your vocabulary and provides you with more and better linguistic resources.
See also: κύπρος

Ancient Greek

English Wikipedia has an article on:
Wikipedia

Etymology

A Northwest Semitic goddess name from the root כ־ב־ר / ك ب ر (k-b-r) which is attested as Arabic الْكُبْرَى (al-kubrā, literally “the great”) in a variant reading of Sura 62, Aya 9, where جُمْعَة (jumʕa, “Friday”) has a more archaic version عَرُوبَة (ʕarūba, “Friday”), and الْعَرُوبَةِ الْكُبْرَى (al-ʕarūbati l-kubrā).[1][n 1]

The association of the island with the goddess resounds mythologically in king Cinyras being the founder of Paphos and its fane of Aphrodite. Her very first temple was according to Herodotus I, 105 erected in Asqalon by the Semitic Phoenicians. The very locality is known to be related to the goddess Δερκετώ (Derketṓ), identical to Ugaritic 𐎄𐎗𐎋𐎚 f (drkt, “rule, power”) – recalling the idea of greatness, Arabic الْكُبْرَى (al-kubrā).

The island taking its relevance from being the major source of copper during the Near East’s Bronze Age, the name of a local cult became associated—in no discernible order!—with the metal and with the island itself. It spread, notably to Sumerian 𒌓𒅗𒁇 (ud-ka-bar /⁠zabar, kabar⁠/, “bronze, copper”), Eblaite 𒂵𒁀𒈝 (ga-ba-lum /⁠kabalum⁠/, “copper”), Hurrian (kabali, kābli, “copper”), and Latin aes Cyprium (“Cypriot copper”), later cuprum.

Hence copper is connected by alchemists and astrologers through one symbol ♀ to the planet Venus, the interpretatio romana of Aphrodite, of repute as a Cyprian goddess, Cypria, Cypris.

Before that, a time is known where ancient Cyprus did not have the present name, in view of its division into kingdoms which usually served for more specific names; the name for the whole island is just barely known in Phoenician as 𐤀𐤋𐤔𐤉 (ʾlšy /⁠ʾalašiya⁠/) and Ugaritic 𐎀𐎍𐎘𐎊 (ảlṯy /⁠ʔalaṯiya⁠/). Nonetheless Mycenaean Greek attests the adjective 𐀓𐀠𐀪𐀍 (ku-pi-ri-jo, “Cypriot”).

To be kept apart from the word for the Mediterranean cypress (Cupressus sempervirens) κυπάρισσος and the word for the plant henna (Lawsonia alba) κύπρος (kúpros) though it also colour in red (as copper does).

Pronunciation

 

Proper noun

Κῠ́προς • (Kúpros) f (genitive Κῠ́πρου); second declension

  1. Cyprus (an island in the Mediterranean Sea)

Inflection

Second declension of ἡ Κῠ́προς; τῆς Κῠ́πρου (Attic)
Case / # Singular
Nominative ἡ Κῠ́προς
hē Kúpros
Genitive τῆς Κῠ́πρου
tês Kúprou
Dative τῇ Κῠ́πρῳ
têi Kúprōi
Accusative τὴν Κῠ́προν
tḕn Kúpron
Vocative Κῠ́πρε
Kúpre
Notes:

Derived terms

Descendants

  • → Arabic: قبرص (qubruṣ)
  • → Latin: Cyprus

Notes

  1. ^ The weekday names in Arab antiquity, like in European languages, come from theonyms, which were used in greater variety to express similar ideas and idioms of different tribes, before suffering unification by monotheism. In polytheist times there was a main or preferred female deity in each tribe. The same idea, with subtle distinction, could be termed Arabic الْكُبْرَى (al-kubrā, literally “the great”) as well as in Mecca الْعُزَّى (al-ʕuzzā, literally “the most powerful”), rendered Ancient Greek Ναζαία (Nazaía), عَرُوبَة (ʕarūba, literally “the one who enables love”), and اللَات (al-lāt), now provided but by اللّٰه (allāh). Either occurred in the takbir and basmala:[2] beside the present male given name عَبْد اللّٰه (ʕabd allāh, literally “slave of god”) we also had عَبْد الْعزّى, عَبْد الشَّمْس (ʕabd aš-šams, “slave of the Sun”), عَبْد الْمَسِيح (ʕabd al-masīḥ, “slave of the Messiah”), عَبْد اللَّات (ʕabd al-lāt, “slave of Allat”), and just as one now says بِسْمِ ٱللّٰه (bismi llāh), there are variants of this invocation like بِسْمِكَ ٱللّٰهُمَّ (bismika llāhumma), and we should imagine that ancient Arabs shouted اللَّاتُ كُبْرَى (al-lātu kubrā) instead of اللّٰهُ أَكْبَر (allāhu ʔakbar) as a set phrase, functionally equivalent. To return to the interpretation of Greek history and historiography, in the Greek pantheon any such Oriental female god equates to Aphrodite (interpretatio graeca).

References

  1. ^ Rotter, Gernot (1993) “Der dies veneris im vorislamischen Mekka, eine neue Deutung des Namens „Europa“ und eine Erklärung für kobar = Venus”, in Der Islam‎ (in German), volume 70, number 1, →DOI, pages 122–129
  2. ^ Alhatlani, Abdullah Saad, Al‐Otibi, Ajab Mohammad (2023) “A Palaeo‐Arabic inscription from the Ḥismā Desert (Tabūk region)”, in Arabian Archaeology and Epigraphy, volume 34, number 1, →DOI, pages 183–193

Further reading

Greek

Etymology

Inherited from Ancient Greek Κύπρος (Kúpros), already with connections to Sumerian 𒌓𒅗𒁇 (ud-ka-bar /⁠zabar, kabar⁠/, “bronze, copper”) for the island's copper mines at the time (see Latin Cyprius) and an Mycenaean Greek adjective 𐀓𐀠𐀪𐀍 (ku-pi-ri-jo, “Cypriot”).[1] For more, see the etymology of ancient Κύπρος (Kúpros).

Pronunciation

This entry needs an audio pronunciation. If you are a native speaker with a microphone, please record this word. The recorded pronunciation will appear here when it's ready.

Proper noun

Κύπρος • (Kýpros) f

  1. Cyprus

Declension

  Κύπρος
case     \     number singular
nominative Κύπρος •
genitive Κύπρου •
accusative Κύπρο •
vocative Κύπρε •  Κύπρο •

In the Cypriot dialect, alsto in Standard Modern Greek:

References

  1. ^ Κύπρος - Babiniotis, Georgios (2010) Ετυμολογικό λεξικό της νέας ελληνικής γλώσσας Etymologikó lexikó tis néas ellinikís glóssas [Etymological Dictionary of Modern Greek language] (in Greek), Athens: Lexicology Centre

Further reading

Wikious
Boobota
Sagapedia