πτερόν

Ancient Greek

Etymology

From Proto-Indo-European *péth₂r̥. Connected with πέτομαι (pétomai, “I fly”). Cognate with English feather.

Pronunciation

Noun

πτερόν • (pterón) n (genitive πτεροῦ); second declension

1. feather
2. wing
3. Any winged creature
4. Any wing-like object

Usage notes

• Usually plural.
• Along with ᾠόν (ōión), λουτρόν (loutrón), ζυγόν (zugón) and ἑρπετόν (herpetón), this is one of the very few neuter nouns that does not have a recessive accent.

Inflection

Derived terms

Descendants

• Greek: φτερό (fteró)
• → English: ptero-
• French: hélicoptère

Further reading

• “πτερόν”, in Liddell & Scott (1940) A Greek–English Lexicon, Oxford: Clarendon Press
• “πτερόν”, in Liddell & Scott (1889) An Intermediate Greek–English Lexicon, New York: Harper & Brothers
• “πτερόν”, in Autenrieth, Georg (1891) A Homeric Dictionary for Schools and Colleges, New York: Harper and Brothers
• πτερόν in Bailly, Anatole (1935) Le Grand Bailly: Dictionnaire grec-français, Paris: Hachette
• πτερόν in Cunliffe, Richard J. (1924) A Lexicon of the Homeric Dialect: Expanded Edition, Norman: University of Oklahoma Press, published 1963
• “πτερόν”, in Slater, William J. (1969) Lexicon to Pindar, Berlin: Walter de Gruyter
• Woodhouse, S. C. (1910) English–Greek Dictionary: A Vocabulary of the Attic Language‎, London: Routledge & Kegan Paul Limited.
  • arrow idem, page 42.
  • augury idem, page 52.
  • bolt idem, page 88.
  • feather idem, page 313.
  • omen idem, page 572.
  • pinion idem, page 614.
  • plume idem, page 621.
  • quill idem, page 667.
  • shaft idem, page 760.
  • sign idem, page 774.
  • wing idem, page 981.