See also: ιχθύς and ΙΧΘΥΣ

Ancient Greek edit

Alternative forms edit

Etymology edit

Perhaps from Proto-Indo-European *dʰǵʰu-, but the initial ἰ is unetymological and problematic.[1][2] Compare Old Armenian ձուկն (jukn) and Lithuanian žuvis.

Pronunciation edit

 

Noun edit

ἰχθῡ́ς (ikhthū́sm (genitive ἰχθῠ́ος); third declension

  1. fish
    • 800 BCE – 600 BCE, Homer, Iliad 24.82:
      ἔρχεται ὠμηστῇσιν ἐπ’ ἰχθύσι κῆρα φέρουσα
      érkhetai ōmēstêisin ep’ ikhthúsi kêra phérousa
      goeth down bearing death to the ravenous fishes
    1. (figuratively) stupid person
    2. (in the plural) fish market
      • 405 BCE, Aristophanes, The Frogs 1068:
        κἂν ταῦτα λέγων ἐξαπατήσῃ, παρὰ τοὺς ἰχθῦς ἀνέκυψεν.
        kàn taûta légōn exapatḗsēi, parà toùs ikhthûs anékupsen.
        And if he fooled 'em with that story, he'd pop up in the fish market.
    3. (in the plural) Pisces (constellation)

Inflection edit

Derived terms edit

Descendants edit

  • Greek: ιχθύς (ichthýs)
  • English: ichthys

References edit

  • ἰχθύς in Wilhelm Pape's Handwörterbuch der griechischen Sprache: Griechisch-deutsches Handwörterbuch. 1875. Vol I, pg. 582/1.
  1. ^ Pokorny, Julius (1959) Indogermanisches etymologisches Wörterbuch [Indo-European Etymological Dictionary] (in German), Bern, München: Francke Verlag
  2. ^ 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, pages 606-607

Further reading edit