Uncertain. Has traditionally been connected with νήχω (nḗkhō, “I swim”) from Proto-Indo-European *(s)neh₂- (“to flow, to swim”). If its meaning “island” has developed from a more original meaning “headland, cape”, it may be, like Proto-Germanic *nasją (“foothill; headland, cape”) and Bulgarian нос (nos, “nose; cape, promontory”), a derivation from Proto-Indo-European *néh₂s (“nose”); in more landsman environments, compare the developments of Minaean 𐩱𐩬𐩰 (ʾnf, “wall of a city”) from “nose” and Arabic جَزِيرَة (jazīra, “island”) apparently from “bridge”.
However, in that case, the origin of -s-, which is not usually preserved in Greek, remains to be explained, possibly requiring a borrowing from another Indo-European language (though Furnée suspects a Pre-Greek origin, and Beekes Aegean).[1]
νῆσος • (nêsos) f (genitive νήσου); second declension
Case / # | Singular | Dual | Plural | ||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Nominative | ἡ νῆσος hē nêsos |
τὼ νήσω tṑ nḗsō |
αἱ νῆσοι hai nêsoi | ||||||||||
Genitive | τῆς νήσου tês nḗsou |
τοῖν νήσοιν toîn nḗsoin |
τῶν νήσων tôn nḗsōn | ||||||||||
Dative | τῇ νήσῳ têi nḗsōi |
τοῖν νήσοιν toîn nḗsoin |
ταῖς νήσοις taîs nḗsois | ||||||||||
Accusative | τὴν νῆσον tḕn nêson |
τὼ νήσω tṑ nḗsō |
τᾱ̀ς νήσους tā̀s nḗsous | ||||||||||
Vocative | νῆσε nêse |
νήσω nḗsō |
νῆσοι nêsoi | ||||||||||
Notes: |
|
Case / # | Singular | Dual | Plural | ||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Nominative | ἡ νῆσος hē nêsos |
τὼ νήσω tṑ nḗsō |
αἱ νῆσοι hai nêsoi | ||||||||||
Genitive | τῆς νήσου tês nḗsou |
τοῖν νήσοιν toîn nḗsoin |
τῶν νήσων tôn nḗsōn | ||||||||||
Dative | τῇ νήσῳ têi nḗsōi |
τοῖν νήσοιν toîn nḗsoin |
τῇσῐ / τῇσῐν νήσοισῐ / νήσοισῐν / νήσοις têisi(n) nḗsoisi(n) / nḗsois | ||||||||||
Accusative | τὴν νῆσον tḕn nêson |
τὼ νήσω tṑ nḗsō |
τᾱ̀ς νήσους tā̀s nḗsous | ||||||||||
Vocative | νῆσε nêse |
νήσω nḗsō |
νῆσοι nêsoi | ||||||||||
Notes: |
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