Hello, you have come here looking for the meaning of the word
ὕσσωπος. In DICTIOUS you will not only get to know all the dictionary meanings for the word
ὕσσωπος, but we will also tell you about its etymology, its characteristics and you will know how to say
ὕσσωπος in singular and plural. Everything you need to know about the word
ὕσσωπος you have here. The definition of the word
ὕσσωπος will help you to be more precise and correct when speaking or writing your texts. Knowing the definition of
ὕσσωπος, as well as those of other words, enriches your vocabulary and provides you with more and better linguistic resources.
Ancient Greek
Etymology
From some Semitic source. Compare Akkadian 𒍪𒌑𒁍 (/zūpu/), Jewish Palestinian Aramaic אֵיזוֹבָא (ʾēzôḇa), Hebrew אֵזוֹב (ʾēzṓḇ), Classical Syriac ܙܘܦܐ (zōṗā).
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /ˈys.so.pos/ → /ˈi.so.pos/
Noun
ὕσσωπος • (hússōpos) f (genitive ὑσσώπου); second declension
- A species of Origanum
- (biblical) used to translate Biblical Hebrew אֵזוֹב (ʾēzôḇ), Origanum syriacum
Usage notes
- Although the taxonomic name Hyssopus is ultimately derived from this term, in Ancient Greek it doesn't refer to the same plant. Likewise, although biblical usage refers to Origanum syriacum, non-biblical usage such as in Dioscorides' De Materia Medica seems to refer to some other species of Origanum.
- Some scholars consider the occurrence in John 19:29 of the Christian New Testament to be a scribal error:
σκεῦος ἔκειτο ὄξους μεστόν· σπόγγον οὖν μεστὸν τοῦ ὄξους ὑσσώπῳ περιθέντες προσήνεγκαν αὐτοῦ τῷ στόματι.- skeûos ékeito óxous mestón; spóngon oûn mestòn toû óxous hussṓpōi perithéntes prosḗnenkan autoû tôi stómati.
- Now there was set a vessel full of vinegar: and they filled a sponge with vinegar, and put it upon hyssop, and put it to his mouth.
- In early manuscripts with no spacing between words and no diacritics, it would be very easy to repeat letters, so υσσωπεριθεντες might have been copied as υσσωπωπεριθεντες. A spear, ὑσσός (hussós) (dative singular ὑσσῷ (hussôi)), makes much more sense here than a low-growing herb, but the highly symbolic association of ὕσσωπος with the Passover would be too good for later scribes to question.
Inflection
Descendants
References