βάλλις

Ancient Greek

Alternative forms

βάλις (bális)

Etymology

Depending on the exact medicinal properties possibly related to βᾰ́λλω (bállō, “to throw; to strike; to tumble”). In Dioskurides it is given as another name of the squirting cucumber. Depending on the exterior appearance it can also be from βαλιός (baliós, “spotted, dappled”), itself suspected to be from Thracian, Illyrian, or Pre-Greek origin.

According to Beekes, it's together with βαλαύστιον (balaústion, “flower of the pomegranate”), βάλαρις (bálaris), βάλλαρις (bállaris, “uncertain plant”), βαλλωτή (ballōtḗ, “black horehound”) from Pre-Greek.

Pronunciation

(5^th BCE Attic) IPA^(key): /bál.lis/
(1^st CE Egyptian) IPA^(key): /ˈbal.lis/
(4^th CE Koine) IPA^(key): /ˈβal.lis/
(10^th CE Byzantine) IPA^(key): /ˈval.lis/
(15^th CE Constantinopolitan) IPA^(key): /ˈva.lis/

Noun

βᾰ́λλῐς • (bállis) f (genitive βᾰ́λλεως or βᾰ́λλιθος); third declension

a plant with wonderful medicinal properties
- Xanth. 16
- Xanth. 3
- Arc. 30.14
- Etymologicum Magnum 186.33.G.
- TheodGramm 94.17

Declension

Third declension of ἡ βᾰ́λλῐς; τῆς βᾰ́λλεως (Attic)

Case / #	Singular	Dual	Plural
Nominative	ἡ βᾰ́λλῐς hē bállis	τὼ βᾰ́λλει tṑ bállei	αἱ βᾰ́λλεις hai bálleis
Genitive	τῆς βᾰ́λλεως / βᾰ́λλιθος tês bálleōs / bállithos	τοῖν βᾰλλέοιν toîn balléoin	τῶν βᾰ́λλεων tôn bálleōn
Dative	τῇ βᾰ́λλει têi bállei	τοῖν βᾰλλέοιν toîn balléoin	ταῖς βᾰ́λλεσῐ / βᾰ́λλεσῐν taîs bállesi(n)
Accusative	τὴν βᾰ́λλῐν tḕn bállin	τὼ βᾰ́λλει tṑ bállei	τᾱ̀ς βᾰ́λλεις tā̀s bálleis
Vocative	βᾰ́λλῐ bálli	βᾰ́λλει bállei	βᾰ́λλεις bálleis
Notes:	This table gives Attic inflectional endings. For declension in other dialects, see Appendix:Ancient Greek dialectal declension.

References

“βάλλις”, in Liddell & Scott (1940) A Greek–English Lexicon, Oxford: Clarendon Press
βάλλις in the Diccionario Griego–Español en línea (2006–2024)
βάλλις in Trapp, Erich, et al. (1994–2007) Lexikon zur byzantinischen Gräzität besonders des 9.-12. Jahrhunderts, Verlag der Österreichischen Akademie der Wissenschaften
Beekes, Robert S. P. (2010) Etymological Dictionary of Greek (Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series; 10), with the assistance of Lucien van Beek, Leiden, Boston: Brill, →ISBN
Frisk, Hjalmar (1960) “βάλλις”, in Griechisches etymologisches Wörterbuch (in German), volume I, Heidelberg: Carl Winter, page 215
“σίκυς ἄγριος – Ecballium elaterium”, in Dioscórides Interactivo‎ (in Spanish), 2024

βάλλις

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