πλόος

Ancient Greek

Alternative forms

• πλοῦς (ploûs) — Attic

Etymology

An o-grade verbal noun from the root of πλέω (pléō, “to sail”) + -ος (-os).

Pronunciation

 

• IPA^(key): /pló.os/ → /ˈplo.os/ → /ˈplo.os/

• (5^th BCE Attic) IPA^(key): /pló.os/
• (1^st CE Egyptian) IPA^(key): /ˈplo.os/
• (4^th CE Koine) IPA^(key): /ˈplo.os/
• (10^th CE Byzantine) IPA^(key): /ˈplo.os/
• (15^th CE Constantinopolitan) IPA^(key): /ˈplo.os/

Noun

πλόος • (plóos) m (genitive πλόου); second declension (Epic, Ionic, Doric)

1. sailing, voyage
   • 800 BCE – 600 BCE, Homer, Odyssey 3.169:

     ἐν Λέσβῳ δ’ ἔκιχεν δολιχὸν πλόον ὁρμαίνοντας

     en Lésbōi d’ ékikhen dolikhòn plóon hormaínontas

     on Lesbos [Menelaus] overtook [us] while we were pondering the long voyage

   • 460 BCE – 420 BCE, Herodotus, Histories 2.29.3:

     τὸ δὲ χωρίον τοῦτο ἐστὶ ἐπ’ ἡμέρας τέσσερας πλόος

     tò dè khōríon toûto estì ep’ hēméras tésseras plóos

     This area is a four days' journey by boat

2. The intended course or way on which one is traveling
   • 522 BCE – 443 BCE, Pindar, Pythian Ode 11.39–40:

     ἤ μέ τις ἄνεμος ἔξω πλόου
     ἔβαλεν […]

     ḗ mé tis ánemos éxō plóou
     ébalen […]

     or some wind threw me off course

   • 428 BCE – 347 BCE, Plato, Laws 803b:

     ποίᾳ μηχανῇ καὶ τίσιν ποτὲ τρόποις συνόντες τὸν βίον ἄριστα διὰ τοῦ πλοῦ τούτου τῆς ζωῆς διακομισθησόμεθα

     poíāi mēkhanêi kaì tísin potè trópois sunóntes tòn bíon árista dià toû ploû toútou tês zōês diakomisthēsómetha

     • 1967 translation by R.G. Bury

       by what means and by what modes of living we shall best navigate our barque of life through this voyage of existence

3. The time for sailing
   • 750 BCE – 650 BCE, Hesiod, Works and Days 630:

     αὐτὸς δ’ ὡραῖον μίμνειν πλόον, εἰς ὅ κεν ἔλθῃ

     autòs d’ hōraîon mímnein plóon, eis hó ken élthēi

     Wait for the right sailing season to come

   • 750 BCE – 650 BCE, Hesiod, Works and Days 678:

     ἄλλος δ’ εἰαρινὸς πέλεται πλόος ἀνθρώποισιν

     állos d’ eiarinòs péletai plóos anthrṓpoisin

     Another sailing season for men is in the spring.

Declension

Second declension of ὁ πλόος; τοῦ πλόου (Attic)

Case / #	Singular	Dual	Plural
Nominative	ὁ πλόος ho plóos	τὼ πλόω tṑ plóō	οἱ πλόοι hoi plóoi
Genitive	τοῦ πλόου toû plóou	τοῖν πλόοιν toîn plóoin	τῶν πλόων tôn plóōn
Dative	τῷ πλόῳ tôi plóōi	τοῖν πλόοιν toîn plóoin	τοῖς πλόοις toîs plóois
Accusative	τὸν πλόον tòn plóon	τὼ πλόω tṑ plóō	τοὺς πλόους toùs plóous
Vocative	πλόε plóe	πλόω plóō	πλόοι plóoi
Notes:	This table gives Attic inflectional endings. For declension in other dialects, see Appendix:Ancient Greek dialectal declension.

Derived terms

• δεύτερος πλόος (deúteros plóos)
• διέκπλοος (diékploos)
• ἔκπλοος (ékploos)
• παράπλοος (paráploos)

References

• πλόος in Cunliffe, Richard J. (1924) A Lexicon of the Homeric Dialect: Expanded Edition, Norman: University of Oklahoma Press, published 1963
• “πλόος”, in Liddell & Scott (1940) A Greek–English Lexicon, Oxford: Clarendon Press