σφαῖρα

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See also: σφαίρα

Ancient Greek

Etymology

Connections with σπαίρω (spaírō, to gasp) or Proto-Indo-European *sperH- (to kick, rebound, move convulsively, the original sense would be "something that rebounds") have been suggested, but the aspiration of σπ- to σφ- is unexplained and the semantic development is dubious.[1][2] Nikolayev instead suggests derivation from a Proto-Hellenic *skʷʰə́řřa, from a putative Proto-Indo-European *sgʷʰer- (to be round); compare Avestan 𐬰𐬔𐬆𐬭𐬆𐬯𐬥𐬀 (zgərəsna, round) and Hittite  pl (/⁠šū̆rita⁠/, skeins of wool) (a borrowing from Luwian).[3]

Pronunciation

 

Noun

σφαῖρᾰ (sphaîraf (genitive σφαίρᾱς); first declension

  1. ball, globe, sphere[4][5][6][7]

Inflection

Derived terms

Descendants

  • Greek: σφαίρα f (sfaíra)
  • Latin: sphaera f (see there for further descendants)
  • Old Armenian: սփէր (spʻēr)

References

  1. ^ Beekes, Robert S. P. (2010) “σφαῖρα”, in Etymological Dictionary of Greek (Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series; 10), with the assistance of Lucien van Beek, Leiden, Boston: Brill, →ISBN, page 1427
  2. ^ Roberts, Edward A. (2014) A Comprehensive Etymological Dictionary of the Spanish Language with Families of Words based on Indo-European Roots, Xlibris Corporation, →ISBN, page 906
  3. ^ Alexander Nikolaev (2017) “Luvian (síg)šūrita ‘balls of yarn’”, in Usque ad Radices: Indo-European studies in honour of Birgit Anette Olsen, Museum usculanum Press, pages 567-574
  4. ^ σφαῖρα”, in Liddell & Scott (1940) A Greek–English Lexicon, Oxford: Clarendon Press
  5. ^ σφαῖρα in Bailly, Anatole (1935) Le Grand Bailly: Dictionnaire grec-français, Paris: Hachette
  6. ^ σφαῖρα in Cunliffe, Richard J. (1924) A Lexicon of the Homeric Dialect: Expanded Edition, Norman: University of Oklahoma Press, published 1963
  7. ^ Woodhouse, S. C. (1910) English–Greek Dictionary: A Vocabulary of the Attic Language, London: Routledge & Kegan Paul Limited.

Further reading