σπάδιξ

Ancient Greek

Etymology

A Semitic borrowing, related to Arabic سُبَاط (subāṭ), سُبَاطَة (subāṭa, “female inflorescence of the palm tree”), on which see Arabic سِبْط (sibṭ, “staff”), Armenian ճիպոտ (čipot, “cane, stick”) for more family. Connected by popular etymology to σπάω (spáō, “to tear”).

Pronunciation

(5^th BCE Attic) IPA^(key): /spǎː.diːks/
(1^st CE Egyptian) IPA^(key): /ˈspa.diks/
(4^th CE Koine) IPA^(key): /ˈspa.ðiks/
(10^th CE Byzantine) IPA^(key): /ˈspa.ðiks/
(15^th CE Constantinopolitan) IPA^(key): /ˈspa.ðiks/

Noun

σπᾱ́δῑξ • (spā́dīx) f (genitive σπᾱ́δῑκος); third declension

(botany) branch torn off of a tree, especially a palm frond

Inflection

Third declension of ἡ σπᾱ́δῑξ; τῆς σπᾱ́δῑκος (Attic)

Case / #	Singular	Dual	Plural
Nominative	ἡ σπᾱ́δῑξ hē spā́dīx	τὼ σπᾱ́δῑκε tṑ spā́dīke	αἱ σπᾱ́δῑκες hai spā́dīkes
Genitive	τῆς σπᾱ́δῑκος tês spā́dīkos	τοῖν σπᾱδῑ́κοιν toîn spādī́koin	τῶν σπᾱδῑ́κων tôn spādī́kōn
Dative	τῇ σπᾱ́δῑκῐ têi spā́dīki	τοῖν σπᾱδῑ́κοιν toîn spādī́koin	ταῖς σπᾱ́δῑξῐ / σπᾱ́δῑξῐν taîs spā́dīxi(n)
Accusative	τὴν σπᾱ́δῑκᾰ tḕn spā́dīka	τὼ σπᾱ́δῑκε tṑ spā́dīke	τᾱ̀ς σπᾱ́δῑκᾰς tā̀s spā́dīkas
Vocative	σπᾱ́δῑξ spā́dīx	σπᾱ́δῑκε spā́dīke	σπᾱ́δῑκες spā́dīkes
Notes:	This table gives Attic inflectional endings. For declension in other dialects, see Appendix:Ancient Greek dialectal declension.

Descendants

→ Latin: spādīx

References

“šbṭ⁴”, in The Comprehensive Aramaic Lexicon Project, Cincinnati: Hebrew Union College, 1986–
“σπάδιξ”, in Liddell & Scott (1940) A Greek–English Lexicon, Oxford: Clarendon Press
Hehn, Victor with Schrader, Otto (1911) Kulturpflanzen und Haustiere in ihrem Übergang aus Asien nach Griechenland und Italien sowie in das übrige Europa‎ (in German), 8^th edition, Berlin: Gebrüder Borntraeger, pages 606–607
Löw, Immanuel (1924) Die Flora der Juden‎ (in German), volume 2, Wien und Leipzig: R. Löwit, page 333