ξανθός

Ancient Greek

Etymology

Unknown. There are at least two possibilities:

1. Derived from Proto-Indo-European, through augmented *ḱsendʰ-, from root *ḱas- (“white, blond, grey”). If this is correct, then this word is akin to Latin cānus (“white”), from Proto-Italic *kaznos;
2. Of Pre-Greek origin, according to Beekes, which deems the comparison with Latin as gratuitous. Compare also Ancient Greek ξουθός (xouthós, “golden yellow”).

Moreover, the often asserted connection with Etruscan 𐌆𐌀𐌌𐌈𐌉𐌂 (zamθic, “golden”) is probably spurious.

Pronunciation

Adjective

ξᾰνθός • (xanthós) m (feminine ξᾰνθή, neuter ξᾰνθόν); first/second declension

1. yellow (of various shades), golden
2. fair, blond, flaxen, tawny, a golden-red fawn (of hair)
   • 630 BCE – 570 BCE, Sappho, Papyrus Fragments 23:

     ξάνθαι δ’ Ἐλέναι σ’ ἐίσ[κ]ην
     οὖδεν ἄεικες

     xánthai d’ Elénai s’ eís[k]ēn
     oûden áeikes

     Comparing you to golden Helen
     is not at all inappropriate

Inflection

Derived terms

Descendants

• Glosa: xanto
• Greek: ξανθός (xanthós)

See also

References

• “ξανθός”, in Liddell & Scott (1940) A Greek–English Lexicon, Oxford: Clarendon Press
• “ξανθός”, in Liddell & Scott (1889) An Intermediate Greek–English Lexicon, New York: Harper & Brothers
• “ξανθός”, in Autenrieth, Georg (1891) A Homeric Dictionary for Schools and Colleges, New York: Harper and Brothers
• ξανθός in Bailly, Anatole (1935) Le Grand Bailly: Dictionnaire grec-français, Paris: Hachette
• ξανθός in Cunliffe, Richard J. (1924) A Lexicon of the Homeric Dialect: Expanded Edition, Norman: University of Oklahoma Press, published 1963
• “ξανθός”, in Slater, William J. (1969) Lexicon to Pindar, Berlin: Walter de Gruyter
• Woodhouse, S. C. (1910) English–Greek Dictionary: A Vocabulary of the Attic Language‎, London: Routledge & Kegan Paul Limited.
  • auburn idem, page 52.
  • blonde idem, page 84.
  • brown idem, page 101.
  • buff idem, page 102.
  • flaxen idem, page 327.
  • golden idem, page 366.
  • orange idem, page 578.
  • russet idem, page 728.
  • sandy idem, page 733.
  • tawny idem, page 857.
  • yellow idem, page 995.
• 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, page 1033

Greek

Etymology

From Ancient Greek ξανθός (xanthós).

Adjective

ξανθός • (xanthós) m (feminine ξανθή or ξανθιά, neuter ξανθό)

1. blonde, blond, fair, flaxen, tawny

   ξανθά μαλλιά, όπως το μέλι ― xanthá malliá, ópos to méli ― blonde hair like honey

2. golden

   ξανθό στάχυ ― xanthó stáchy ― golden ear (of corn)

Declension

Derived terms

• ξανθή σταφίδα f (xanthí stafída, “sultana, golden raisin”)