σκύλος

Ancient Greek

Etymology

From Proto-Indo-European *(s)kewH- (“to cover”). Cognates include Sanskrit स्कुनाति (skunā́ti, “to cover”) and Old English scēo (“sky”) and scuwa (“shade, darkness, protection”). Related to σκῦτος (skûtos, “hide, leather”) and ἐπισκύνιον (episkúnion, “skin over the brows”).

Alternatively, Beekes suggests derivation from σκύλλω (skúllō, “I lacerate, skin”).

Pronunciation

Noun

σκῠ́λος • (skúlos) n (genitive σκῠ́λεος or σκῠ́λους); third declension

1. skin, hide

Inflection

Related terms

References

• “σκύλος”, in Liddell & Scott (1940) A Greek–English Lexicon, Oxford: Clarendon Press
• σκύλος in Bailly, Anatole (1935) Le Grand Bailly: Dictionnaire grec-français, Paris: Hachette
• Beekes, Robert S. P. (2010) Etymological Dictionary of Greek (Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series; 10), volume II, with the assistance of Lucien van Beek, Leiden, Boston: Brill, →ISBN, page 1361
• σκύλος - ΛΟΓΕΙΟΝ (since 2011) Dictionaries for Ancient Greek and Latin (in English, French, Spanish, German, Dutch) University of Chicago.

Greek

Etymology

Related to Ancient Greek σκύλαξ (skúlax).

Greek Wikipedia has an article on:

Σκύλος

Wikipedia ^el

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈsci.los/
• Hyphenation: σκύ‧λος

Noun

σκύλος • (skýlos) m (plural σκύλοι, feminine σκύλα, neuter σκυλί)

1. dog (Canis lupus familiaris) (general term for both sexes or more specifically, a male)

   Θα γυρίσω σε λίγο, πρέπει να πάω βόλτα τον σκύλο μου.

   Tha gyríso se lígo, prépei na páo vólta ton skýlo mou.

   I'll be back in a while, I have to go walk my dog.

2. (derogatory, figuratively) beast, brute (violent person with wild behaviour)

   Μην αφήσεις αυτόν τον σκύλο κοντά στα παιδιά σου!

   Min afíseis aftón ton skýlo kontá sta paidiá sou!

   Don't let that beast get close to your kids!

3. (figuratively) hard worker (someone who works tirelessly and with great success)

   Αυτός είναι σκύλος στη δουλειά του.

   Aftós eínai skýlos sti douleiá tou.

   He is a tirelessly hard worker.

4. dogfish (any of various small sharks)

   Έπιασα έναν σκύλο στο δίχτυ μου.

   Épiasa énan skýlo sto díchty mou.

   I caught a dogfish in my net.

Declension

Synonyms

• σκυλί (skylí)

Synonyms

• (dog): κύων m or f (kýon) (Katharevousa)
• (dogfish): σκυλόψαρο n (skylópsaro)

Derived terms

• σαν τον σκύλο με τη γάτα (san ton skýlo me ti gáta, “at loggerheads, like cats and dogs”)
• σκύλος που γαβγίζει δεν δαγκώνει (skýlos pou gavgízei den dagkónei, “barking dogs seldom bite”)
• και την πίτα ολόκληρη και τον σκύλο χορτάτο (kai tin píta olókliri kai ton skýlo chortáto, “have one's cake and eat it too”) (literally: "both the whole pie and the dog fed")
• εγώ το λέω τού σκύλου μου και ο σκύλος στην ουρά του (egó to léo toú skýlou mou kai o skýlos stin ourá tou, “about things that never get accomplished”) (literally: "I tell my dog and my dog tells its tail")
• το φτηνό το κρέας το τρών' οι σκύλοι (to ftinó to kréas to trón' oi skýloi, “you get what you pay for”) (literally: "cheap meat gets eaten by the dogs")

Further reading

• σκύλος on the Greek Wikipedia.Wikipedia ^el
• σκύλος - Λεξικό της κοινής νεοελληνικής , 1998, by the "Triantafyllidis" Foundation.