βασιλικόν

Ancient Greek

Etymology

The meaning basil appears first attested in Aëtius of Amida and seems calqued from the Middle Persian term continued in contemporary Persian as شاهسپرم (šâhesparam), شاهسپرغم (šâhesparağm), from شاه (šâh, “king”) +‎ اسپرم (esparam, “fragrant herb”), as also Arabic calqued it as رَيْحَان الْمَلِك (rayḥān al-malik) from رَيْحَان (rayḥān, “fragrant herb”) and مَلِك (malik, “king”). See also the synonymous presumed Oriental borrowing ὤκῐμον (ṓkimon).

Pronunciation

 

• IPA^(key): /ba.si.li.kón/ → /βa.si.liˈkon/ → /va.si.liˈkon/

• (5^th BCE Attic) IPA^(key): /ba.si.li.kón/
• (1^st CE Egyptian) IPA^(key): /ba.si.liˈkon/
• (4^th CE Koine) IPA^(key): /βa.si.liˈkon/
• (10^th CE Byzantine) IPA^(key): /va.si.liˈkon/
• (15^th CE Constantinopolitan) IPA^(key): /va.si.liˈkon/

Adjective

βᾰσῐλῐκόν • (basilikón)

1. inflection of βᾰσῐλῐκός (basilikós):
   1. neuter nominative/accusative/vocative singular
   2. masculine accusative singular

Noun

βᾰσῐλῐκόν • (basilikón) n (genitive βᾰσῐλῐκοῦ); second declension

1. treasury, royal bank
2. palace
3. royal decree
4. name for various remedies, including: plaster and eyesalve
5. basil (Ocimum basilicum)

Declension

Second declension of τὸ βᾰσῐλῐκόν; τοῦ βᾰσῐλῐκοῦ (Attic)

Case / #	Singular	Dual	Plural
Nominative	τὸ βᾰσῐλῐκόν tò basilikón	τὼ βᾰσῐλῐκώ tṑ basilikṓ	τᾰ̀ βᾰσῐλῐκᾰ́ tà basiliká
Genitive	τοῦ βᾰσῐλῐκοῦ toû basilikoû	τοῖν βᾰσῐλῐκοῖν toîn basilikoîn	τῶν βᾰσῐλῐκῶν tôn basilikôn
Dative	τῷ βᾰσῐλῐκῷ tôi basilikôi	τοῖν βᾰσῐλῐκοῖν toîn basilikoîn	τοῖς βᾰσῐλῐκοῖς toîs basilikoîs
Accusative	τὸ βᾰσῐλῐκόν tò basilikón	τὼ βᾰσῐλῐκώ tṑ basilikṓ	τᾰ̀ βᾰσῐλῐκᾰ́ tà basiliká
Vocative	βᾰσῐλῐκόν basilikón	βᾰσῐλῐκώ basilikṓ	βᾰσῐλῐκᾰ́ basiliká
Notes:	This table gives Attic inflectional endings. For declension in other dialects, see Appendix:Ancient Greek dialectal declension.

Descendants

“basil”

• → Bulgarian: босилек (bosilek)
• → Hungarian: bosziók, busziók
  • → Romanian: busuioc
• → Latin: basilicum (see there for further descendants)
• → Macedonian: босилек (bosilek), босилок (bosilok)
  • → Albanian: borzilok
• → Russian: базили́к (bazilík)
• → Serbo-Croatian: bòsiljak
• → Sicilian: basilicò
• → Ottoman Turkish: فسلگن (fesleğen)
  • Turkish: fesleğen
  • → Armenian: ֆեսլիյեն (fesliyen)

• → English: basilicon (“ointment”)