σπύραθος

Ancient Greek

Alternative forms

• πύραθος (púrathos), σπύρας (spúras), σφυράδες (sphurádes)

Etymology

The formation is similar to ὄνθος (ónthos), σπέλεθος (spélethos) and ψάμαθος (psámathos). Similar words are found in Lithuanian spìros (“droppings of goats”) and Icelandic sparð (“droppings”). The alternations could very well point to a Pre-Greek origin.

Pronunciation

 

• IPA^(key): /spý.ra.tʰos/ → /ˈspy.ra.θos/ → /ˈspi.ra.θos/

• (5^th BCE Attic) IPA^(key): /spý.ra.tʰos/
• (1^st CE Egyptian) IPA^(key): /ˈspy.ra.tʰos/
• (4^th CE Koine) IPA^(key): /ˈspy.ra.θos/
• (10^th CE Byzantine) IPA^(key): /ˈspy.ra.θos/
• (15^th CE Constantinopolitan) IPA^(key): /ˈspi.ra.θos/

Noun

σπύραθος • (spúrathos) m or f (genitive σπυράθου); second declension

1. (in the plural) droppings of goats and sheep

Inflection

Second declension of ὁ, ἡ σπύραθος; τοῦ, τῆς σπυράθου (Attic)

Case / #	Singular	Dual	Plural
Nominative	ὁ, ἡ σπύραθος ho, hē spúrathos	τὼ σπυράθω tṑ spuráthō	οἱ, αἱ σπύραθοι hoi, hai spúrathoi
Genitive	τοῦ, τῆς σπυράθου toû, tês spuráthou	τοῖν σπυράθοιν toîn spuráthoin	τῶν σπυράθων tôn spuráthōn
Dative	τῷ, τῇ σπυράθῳ tôi, têi spuráthōi	τοῖν σπυράθοιν toîn spuráthoin	τοῖς, ταῖς σπυράθοις toîs, taîs spuráthois
Accusative	τὸν, τὴν σπύραθον tòn, tḕn spúrathon	τὼ σπυράθω tṑ spuráthō	τοὺς, τᾱ̀ς σπυράθους toùs, tā̀s spuráthous
Vocative	σπύραθε spúrathe	σπυράθω spuráthō	σπύραθοι spúrathoi
Notes:	This table gives Attic inflectional endings. For declension in other dialects, see Appendix:Ancient Greek dialectal declension.

Derived terms

• σπυράθιον (spuráthion)
• σπυραθώδης (spurathṓdēs)

 

Further reading

• “σπύραθος”, in Liddell & Scott (1940) A Greek–English Lexicon, Oxford: Clarendon Press
• σπύραθος in Bailly, Anatole (1935) Le Grand Bailly: Dictionnaire grec-français, Paris: Hachette
• Beekes, Robert S. P. (2010) Etymological Dictionary of Greek (Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series; 10), with the assistance of Lucien van Beek, Leiden, Boston: Brill, →ISBN