σφήξ

Ancient Greek

Alternative forms

σφᾱ́ξ (sphā́x) — Doric

Etymology

Generally considered to be from Proto-Indo-European *bʰey- (“bee”).^[1] Beekes rejects this in favor of a Pre-Greek origin possibly shared with ψήν (psḗn, “gall-insect”). Or, possible connection with σφάκελος (sphákelos, “necrosis, spasm, convulsion”), referring to the sting, though the sense remains uncertain.^[2]

Compare Latin fūcus (“drone, bee”).

Pronunciation

(5^th BCE Attic) IPA^(key): /spʰɛ̌ːks/
(1^st CE Egyptian) IPA^(key): /spʰe̝ks/
(4^th CE Koine) IPA^(key): /sɸiks/
(10^th CE Byzantine) IPA^(key): /sfiks/
(15^th CE Constantinopolitan) IPA^(key): /sfiks/

Noun

σφήξ • (sphḗx) m (genitive σφηκός); third declension

wasp

Inflection

Third declension of ὁ σφήξ; τοῦ σφηκός (Attic)

Case / #	Singular	Dual	Plural
Nominative	ὁ σφήξ ho sphḗx	τὼ σφῆκε tṑ sphêke	οἱ σφῆκες hoi sphêkes
Genitive	τοῦ σφηκός toû sphēkós	τοῖν σφηκοῖν toîn sphēkoîn	τῶν σφηκῶν tôn sphēkôn
Dative	τῷ σφηκῐ́ tôi sphēkí	τοῖν σφηκοῖν toîn sphēkoîn	τοῖς σφηξῐ́ / σφηξῐ́ν toîs sphēxí(n)
Accusative	τὸν σφῆκᾰ tòn sphêka	τὼ σφῆκε tṑ sphêke	τοὺς σφῆκᾰς toùs sphêkas
Vocative	σφήξ sphḗx	σφῆκε sphêke	σφῆκες sphêkes
Notes:	This table gives Attic inflectional endings. For declension in other dialects, see Appendix:Ancient Greek dialectal declension.

Derived terms

σφηκισμός (sphēkismós)

Descendants

Greek: σφήκα (sfíka)
Translingual (genus name): Sphex
→ English: sphex

References

“σφήξ”, in Liddell & Scott (1940) A Greek–English Lexicon, Oxford: Clarendon Press
σφήξ in Bailly, Anatole (1935) Le Grand Bailly: Dictionnaire grec-français, Paris: Hachette
σφήξ in Cunliffe, Richard J. (1924) A Lexicon of the Homeric Dialect: Expanded Edition, Norman: University of Oklahoma Press, published 1963
Woodhouse, S. C. (1910) English–Greek Dictionary: A Vocabulary of the Attic Language‎, London: Routledge & Kegan Paul Limited.
- wasp idem, page 964.
Edward Ross Wharton (1890) Etyma Graeca: an etymological lexicon of classical Greek, New York: Rivingtons

^ Mallory, J. P., Adams, D. Q. (2006) The Oxford introduction to Proto-Indo-European and the Proto-Indo-European world, Oxford University Press
^ 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

[1] Mallory, J. P., Adams, D. Q. (2006) The Oxford introduction to Proto-Indo-European and the Proto-Indo-European world, Oxford University Press

[2] 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

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