ψόφος

Like ψεῦδος (pseûdos) and ψύθος (psúthos), it may originally be onomatopoeic and somehow belong with the interjection ψό (psó). Alternatively, Petersson derives the word from Proto-Indo-European *bʰes-, like ψύχω (psúkhō, “to breathe, blow”).

ψόφος • (psóphos) m (genitive ψόφου); second declension

1. sounds or noises not produced by the human voice: clattering, rattling, knocking, crashing

• Greek: ψόφος (psófos)

• “ψόφος”, in Liddell & Scott (1940) A Greek–English Lexicon, Oxford: Clarendon Press
• “ψόφος”, in Liddell & Scott (1889) An Intermediate Greek–English Lexicon, New York: Harper & Brothers
• ψόφος 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), with the assistance of Lucien van Beek, Leiden, Boston: Brill, →ISBN

• IPA^(key): /ˈpso.fos/
• Hyphenation: ψό‧φος

Inherited from Byzantine Greek ψόφος (psóphos, “loud noise”), from Ancient Greek ψοφῶ (psophô, “to make loud noise”). The senses, since mediaeval times.^[1] Also see ψοφάω (psofáo).

ψόφος • (psófos) m (plural ψόφοι) (usually in the singular)

1. (colloquial) death (especially for animals)
2. (colloquial) freezing cold, chill

   Κάνει ψόφο έξω!

   Kánei psófo éxo!

   It's freezing cold outside!

Found in the singular. Spuriously in the plural.

• (death): θάνατος m (thánatos), θανατικό n (thanatikó)
• (freezing cold): ψοφόκρυο m (psofókryo), παγωνιά f (pagoniá)

• κακό σκυλί ψόφο δεν έχει (kakó skylí psófo den échei, “a creaking door hangs longest”) (literally, 'a bad dog doesn't have death')
• κακό ψόφο να 'χεις (kakó psófo na 'cheis, “may you perish badly!”)

• see: ψοφάω (psofáo, “I die off”)

Learnedly, from Ancient Greek ψόφος (psóphos), from ψό (psó, “pshaw! interjection of contempt and disgust”), of uncertain etymon.

ψόφος • (psófos) m (plural ψόφοι)

1. (physiology, medicine or obsolete) noise ^[2]

   μυϊκός ψόφος ― myïkós psófos ― muscular noise

Not related to medicine or physiology:

• θόρυβος m (thóryvos, “noise”)
• φασαρία f (fasaría, “noise”)