ξίφος

Ancient Greek

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Xiphos

Alternative forms

σκῐ́φος (skíphos) — Aeolic

Etymology

Already in Late Mycenaean Greek (Ta-716 from Pylos), attested in the dual 𐀥𐀯𐀟𐀁 (qi-si-pe-e, “two swords”) (mostly ideographically as 𐃉). Probably of Pre-Greek origin,^[1] related to and perhaps borrowed from Egyptian zft (“sword, knife”).^[2] If the Greek isn't borrowed directly from the Egyptian, perhaps both are from an Old Semitic saïf or sêf,^[3] or from a Libyan or "Sea Peoples" word.^[4]

Pronunciation

(5^th BCE Attic) IPA^(key): /ksí.pʰos/
(1^st CE Egyptian) IPA^(key): /ˈksi.pʰos/
(4^th CE Koine) IPA^(key): /ˈksi.ɸos/
(10^th CE Byzantine) IPA^(key): /ˈksi.fos/
(15^th CE Constantinopolitan) IPA^(key): /ˈksi.fos/

Noun

ξῐ́φος • (xíphos) n (genitive ξῐ́φεος or ξῐ́φους); third declension

sword, the short, straight, double-edged sword of the Iron Age and Classical Antiquity.
- 800 BCE – 600 BCE, Homer, Iliad 1.194
1. the sword-shaped bone of the cuttlefish
  - 384 BCE – 322 BCE, Aristotle, History of Animals 4.1.21
  1. swordfish
    - 384 BCE – 322 BCE, Aristotle, Fragments 306
2. corn-flag (Gladiolus italicus)
  Synonym: ξίφιον (xíphion)
  - 371 BCE – 287 BCE, Theophrastus, Enquiry into Plants 7.13.1

Inflection

Third declension of τὸ ξῐ́φος; τοῦ ξῐ́φους (Attic)

Case / #	Singular	Dual	Plural
Nominative	τὸ ξῐ́φος tò xíphos	τὼ ξῐ́φει tṑ xíphei	τᾰ̀ ξῐ́φη tà xíphē
Genitive	τοῦ ξῐ́φους toû xíphous	τοῖν ξῐφοῖν toîn xiphoîn	τῶν ξῐφῶν tôn xiphôn
Dative	τῷ ξῐ́φει tôi xíphei	τοῖν ξῐφοῖν toîn xiphoîn	τοῖς ξῐ́φεσῐ / ξῐ́φεσῐν toîs xíphesi(n)
Accusative	τὸ ξῐ́φος tò xíphos	τὼ ξῐ́φει tṑ xíphei	τᾰ̀ ξῐ́φη tà xíphē
Vocative	ξῐ́φος xíphos	ξῐ́φει xíphei	ξῐ́φη xíphē
Notes:	This table gives Attic inflectional endings. For declension in other dialects, see Appendix:Ancient Greek dialectal declension.

Derived terms

ξιφήρης (xiphḗrēs)
ξῐφῐ́ᾱς (xiphíās)
ξῐ́φῐον (xíphion)
ξιφισμός (xiphismós)
ξῐφοδρέπᾰνον (xiphodrépanon)
ξῐφοθήκη (xiphothḗkē)
ξῐφομᾰ́χαιρᾰ (xiphomákhaira)
ξῐφουργός (xiphourgós)

Descendants

Greek: ξίφος (xífos)
Mariupol Greek: пси́фус (psífus)

References

^ Beekes, Robert S. P. (2010) “ξῐ́φος”, in Etymological Dictionary of Greek (Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series; 10), with the assistance of Lucien van Beek, Leiden, Boston: Brill, →ISBN, pages 1036-7
^ Černý, Jaroslav (1976) Coptic Etymological Dictionary, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, →ISBN
^ Johannes Dümichen, Historische Inschriften altägyptischer Denkmäler vol. 1, Leipzig (1867), 26-27.
^ John Linton Myres, Who were the Greeks?, University of California Press, 1930, p. 590

Greek

Etymology

From the Ancient Greek ξίφος (xíphos, s-stem).

Pronunciation

IPA^(key): /ˈksi.fos/

Noun

ξίφος • (xífos) n

sword

Declension

Declension of **ξίφος**
	singular	plural
nominative	ξίφος (xífos)	ξίφη (xífi)
genitive	ξίφους (xífous)	ξιφών (xifón)
accusative	ξίφος (xífos)	ξίφη (xífi)
vocative	ξίφος (xífos)	ξίφη (xífi)

Synonyms

σπαθί n (spathí)

Derived terms

ξιφασχία f (xifaschía, “fencing”)
ξιφίας m (xifías, “swordfish”)
ξιφίδιο n (xifídio, “dagger”)
ξιφιός m (xifiós, “swordfish”)
ξιφοθήκη f (xifothíki, “scabbard”)
ξιφολόγχη f (xifolónchi, “bayonet”)
ξιφομαχία f (xifomachía, “sword fight”)
ξιφομάχος m (xifomáchos, “swordsman, fencer”)
ξιφομαχώ (xifomachó, “to fence, to fight with swords”)
ξιφουλκώ (xifoulkó, “to draw your sword”)
ξιφοφόρος m (xifofóros, “swordsman”)

ξίφος

Ancient Greek

Alternative forms

Etymology

Pronunciation

Noun

Inflection

Derived terms

Descendants

References

Further reading

Greek

Etymology

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Noun

Declension

Synonyms

Derived terms

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