σάρξ

See also: σαρξ

Ancient Greek

Alternative forms

σύρξ (súrx) — Aeolic

Etymology

From Proto-Hellenic *súrks, *swə́rks, originally meaning a piece of meat, it derives from Proto-Indo-European *twerḱ- (“to cut”).

Pronunciation

(5^th BCE Attic) IPA^(key): /sárks/
(1^st CE Egyptian) IPA^(key): /sarks/
(4^th CE Koine) IPA^(key): /sarks/
(10^th CE Byzantine) IPA^(key): /sarks/
(15^th CE Constantinopolitan) IPA^(key): /sarks/

Noun

σάρξ • (sárx) f (genitive σαρκός); third declension

The material which covers the bones of a creature; flesh
body
the edible flesh of a fruit
The seat of animalistic, immoral desires and thoughts, such as lust
(Christianity) The physical or natural order, which is opposed to the spiritual

Usage notes

Homer uses σάρξ almost entirely in the plural, with the singular usage specifying a specific part of the body. Later writers use the singular without this distinction.

Inflection

Third declension of ἡ σᾰ́ρξ; τῆς σᾰρκός (Attic)

Case / #	Singular	Dual	Plural
Nominative	ἡ σᾰ́ρξ hē sárx	τὼ σᾰ́ρκε tṑ sárke	αἱ σᾰ́ρκες hai sárkes
Genitive	τῆς σᾰρκός tês sarkós	τοῖν σᾰρκοῖν toîn sarkoîn	τῶν σᾰρκῶν tôn sarkôn
Dative	τῇ σᾰρκῐ́ têi sarkí	τοῖν σᾰρκοῖν toîn sarkoîn	ταῖς σᾰρξῐ́ / σᾰρξῐ́ν taîs sarxí(n)
Accusative	τὴν σᾰ́ρκᾰ tḕn sárka	τὼ σᾰ́ρκε tṑ sárke	τᾱ̀ς σᾰ́ρκᾰς tā̀s sárkas
Vocative	σᾰ́ρξ sárx	σᾰ́ρκε sárke	σᾰ́ρκες sárkes
Notes:	This table gives Attic inflectional endings. For declension in other dialects, see Appendix:Ancient Greek dialectal declension.

Third declension of σᾰ́ρξ; σᾰρκός (Epic)

Case / #	Singular	Dual	Plural
Nominative	σᾰ́ρξ sárx	σᾰ́ρκε sárke	σᾰ́ρκες sárkes
Genitive	σᾰρκός sarkós	σᾰρκοῖῐν sarkoîin	σᾰρκῶν sarkôn
Dative	σᾰρκῐ́ sarkí	σᾰρκοῖῐν sarkoîin	σᾰρξῐ́ / σᾰρξῐ́ν / σᾰ́ρκεσσῐ / σᾰ́ρκεσσῐν / σᾰ́ρκεσῐ / σᾰ́ρκεσῐν sarxí(n) / sárkessi(n) / sárkesi(n)
Accusative	σᾰ́ρκᾰ sárka	σᾰ́ρκε sárke	σᾰ́ρκᾰς sárkas
Vocative	σᾰ́ρξ sárx	σᾰ́ρκε sárke	σᾰ́ρκες sárkes
Notes:	Dialects other than Attic are not well attested. Some forms may be based on conjecture. Use with caution.

Derived terms

ἄσᾰρκος (ásarkos)
σαρκοκόλλα (sarkokólla)
σᾰρκολᾰβῐ́ς (sarkolabís)
σᾰρκόμφᾰλον (sarkómphalon)
σαρκοφάγος (sarkophágos)
σαρκάζω (sarkázō)
- σαρκασμός (sarkasmós)
σαρκικός (sarkikós)

Descendants

→ Coptic: ⲥⲁⲣⲝ (sarks)
Greek: σάρκα (sárka, “flesh”)
Albanian: shark

References

“σάρξ”, in Liddell & Scott (1940) A Greek–English Lexicon, Oxford: Clarendon Press
σάρξ in Bailly, Anatole (1935) Le Grand Bailly: Dictionnaire grec-français, Paris: Hachette
Bauer, Walter et al. (2001) A Greek–English Lexicon of the New Testament and Other Early Christian Literature, Third edition, Chicago: University of Chicago Press
σάρξ in Cunliffe, Richard J. (1924) A Lexicon of the Homeric Dialect: Expanded Edition, Norman: University of Oklahoma Press, published 1963
G4561 in Strong, James (1979) Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance to the Bible
Woodhouse, S. C. (1910) English–Greek Dictionary: A Vocabulary of the Attic Language‎, London: Routledge & Kegan Paul Limited.
- carrion idem, page 115.
- flesh idem, page 327.
The PIE root *tu̯erk̑-