ζῦθος

See also: ζύθος

Ancient Greek

FWOTD – 13 November 2018

Alternative forms

• (Egyptian beer brewed with barley): ζῦτος (zûtos)
• ζύθος (zúthos) — codical variant

Etymology

Unknown; suggested sources have included Egyptian, Proto-Scythian, Pre-Greek, or a native origin, in which case it would be related to ζύμη (zúmē, “yeast”) and ζέω (zéō, “to boil”). See even farther Angami zhūthō (“rice beer”) whence English zutho.

Pronunciation

 

• IPA^(key): /zdŷː.tʰos/ → /ˈzy.θos/ → /ˈzi.θos/

• (5^th BCE Attic) IPA^(key): /zdŷː.tʰos/
• (1^st CE Egyptian) IPA^(key): /ˈzy.tʰos/
• (4^th CE Koine) IPA^(key): /ˈzy.θos/
• (10^th CE Byzantine) IPA^(key): /ˈzy.θos/
• (15^th CE Constantinopolitan) IPA^(key): /ˈzi.θos/

Noun

ζῦθος • (zûthos) m (genitive ζῡ́θου); second declension
ζῦθος • (zûthos) n (genitive ζῡ́θους); third declension

1. an Egyptian kind of beer, brewed with barley
   • 371 BCE – 287 BCE, Theophrastus, On the Causes of Plants 6.11.2
   • 40 CE – 90 CE, Dioscorides, Materia medica 2.87
   • 64 BCE – 24 CE, Strabo, Geography 17.1.14:

     ἅπασα μὲν ἡ χώρα αὕτη οὐκ εὔοινος, πλείω δεχομένου τοῦ κεράμου θάλατταν ἢ οἶνον ὃν δὴ καλοῦσι Λιβυκόν, ᾧ δὴ καὶ τῷ ζύθῳ τὸ πολὺ φῦλον χρῆται τῶν Ἀλεξανδρέων·

     hápasa mèn hē khṓra haútē ouk eúoinos, pleíō dekhoménou toû kerámou thálattan ḕ oînon hòn dḕ kaloûsi Libukón, hôi dḕ kaì tôi zúthōi tò polù phûlon khrêtai tôn Alexandréōn;

   • 36 BCE – 30 BCE, Diodorus Siculus, Historical Library 1.34
2. beer of northern nations
   • Posidon. 15.J.
   • 64 BCE – 24 CE, Strabo, Geography 3.3.7:

     χρῶνται δὲ καὶ ζύθει·

     khrôntai dè kaì zúthei;

   • 36 BCE – 30 BCE, Diodorus Siculus, Historical Library 5.26
   • a. AD 893, Photius, Lexicon
   • 40 CE – 115 CE, Dio Chrysostom, Collected Works 32.82
   • Colum. 10.116

Declension

Second declension of ὁ ζῦθος; τοῦ ζῡ́θου (Attic)

Case / #	Singular	Dual	Plural
Nominative	ὁ ζῦθος ho zûthos	τὼ ζῡ́θω tṑ zū́thō	οἱ ζῦθοι hoi zûthoi
Genitive	τοῦ ζῡ́θου toû zū́thou	τοῖν ζῡ́θοιν toîn zū́thoin	τῶν ζῡ́θων tôn zū́thōn
Dative	τῷ ζῡ́θῳ tôi zū́thōi	τοῖν ζῡ́θοιν toîn zū́thoin	τοῖς ζῡ́θοις toîs zū́thois
Accusative	τὸν ζῦθον tòn zûthon	τὼ ζῡ́θω tṑ zū́thō	τοὺς ζῡ́θους toùs zū́thous
Vocative	ζῦθε zûthe	ζῡ́θω zū́thō	ζῦθοι zûthoi
Notes:	This table gives Attic inflectional endings. For declension in other dialects, see Appendix:Ancient Greek dialectal declension.

Third declension of τὸ ζῦθος; τοῦ ζῡ́θους (Attic)

Case / #	Singular	Dual	Plural
Nominative	τὸ ζῦθος tò zûthos	τὼ ζῡ́θει tṑ zū́thei	τᾰ̀ ζῡ́θη tà zū́thē
Genitive	τοῦ ζῡ́θους toû zū́thous	τοῖν ζῡθοῖν toîn zūthoîn	τῶν ζῡθῶν tôn zūthôn
Dative	τῷ ζῡ́θει tôi zū́thei	τοῖν ζῡθοῖν toîn zūthoîn	τοῖς ζῡ́θεσῐ / ζῡ́θεσῐν toîs zū́thesi(n)
Accusative	τὸ ζῦθος tò zûthos	τὼ ζῡ́θει tṑ zū́thei	τᾰ̀ ζῡ́θη tà zū́thē
Vocative	ζῦθος zûthos	ζῡ́θει zū́thei	ζῡ́θη zū́thē
Notes:	This table gives Attic inflectional endings. For declension in other dialects, see Appendix:Ancient Greek dialectal declension.

Coordinate terms

• κάμον (kámon), κερβησία (kerbēsía)

Derived terms

• ζῡτηρά (zūtērá)
• ζῡτοποιέω (zūtopoiéō)
• ζῡτοποιΐα (zūtopoiḯa)
• ζῡτοποιός (zūtopoiós)
• ζῡθοπώλης (zūthopṓlēs)
• ζῡτοπώλῐον (zūtopṓlion)
• ζῡτόπωλῐς (zūtópōlis)
• ζῡτουργεῖον (zūtourgeîon)

Descendants

• Greek: ζύθος (zýthos)
• Latin: zȳthum

Further reading

• “ζῦθος”, in Liddell & Scott (1940) A Greek–English Lexicon, Oxford: Clarendon Press