Σφίγξ

Ancient Greek

Alternative forms

• Φῑ́ξ (Phī́x) — Boeotian

Etymology

Uncertain. Possibly from σφίγγω (sphíngō, “to squeeze, to strangle”) (a Pre-Greek word) or from Egyptian

(šzp-ꜥnḫ, “living image”) or

(šzp, “image, statue, sphinx”).

Pronunciation

 

• IPA^(key): /spʰíŋks/ → /sɸiŋks/ → /sfiŋks/

• (5^th BCE Attic) IPA^(key): /spʰíŋks/
• (1^st CE Egyptian) IPA^(key): /spʰiŋks/
• (4^th CE Koine) IPA^(key): /sɸiŋks/
• (10^th CE Byzantine) IPA^(key): /sfiŋks/
• (15^th CE Constantinopolitan) IPA^(key): /sfiŋks/

Proper noun

Σφῐ́γξ • (Sphínx) f (genitive Σφῐγγός); third declension

1. Sphinx, sphinx

Inflection

Third declension of ἡ Σφῐ́γξ; τῆς Σφῐγγός (Attic)

Case / #	Singular	Dual	Plural
Nominative	ἡ Σφῐ́γξ hē Sphínx	τὼ Σφῐ́γγε tṑ Sphínge	αἱ Σφῐ́γγες hai Sphínges
Genitive	τῆς Σφῐγγός tês Sphingós	τοῖν Σφῐγγοῖν toîn Sphingoîn	τῶν Σφῐγγῶν tôn Sphingôn
Dative	τῇ Σφῐγγῐ́ têi Sphingí	τοῖν Σφῐγγοῖν toîn Sphingoîn	ταῖς Σφῐγξῐ́ / Σφῐγξῐ́ν taîs Sphinxí(n)
Accusative	τὴν Σφῐ́γγᾰ tḕn Sphínga	τὼ Σφῐ́γγε tṑ Sphínge	τᾱ̀ς Σφῐ́γγᾰς tā̀s Sphíngas
Vocative	Σφῐ́γξ Sphínx	Σφῐ́γγε Sphínge	Σφῐ́γγες Sphínges
Notes:	This table gives Attic inflectional endings. For declension in other dialects, see Appendix:Ancient Greek dialectal declension.

Descendants

• → Bulgarian: Сфинкс (Sfinks)
• → Catalan: Esfinx
• → Czech: Sfinga
• → Danish: Sfinks
• → Dutch: Sfinx
• → English: Sphinx
• → Estonian: Sphinx
• → Finnish: Sfinksi
• → French: Sphinx
• → German: Sphinx
• Greek: Σφιγξ (Sfinx), Σφίγγα (Sfínga)
• → Hebrew: ספינקס (Sfinqs)
• → Hungarian: Szfinx
• → Indonesian: Sphinx
• → Italian: Sfinge, sfinge
• → Japanese: スフィンクス (Sufinkusu)
• → Korean: 스핑크스 (seupingkeuseu)
• → Latin: Sphinx
• → Lithuanian: Sfinksas
• → Manx: Sphinx
• → Norwegian: Sfinks
• → Ossetian: Сфинкс (Sfinks) (Sfinks)
• → Polish: Sfinks
• → Portuguese: Esfinge
• → Romanian: Sfinx
• → Russian: Сфинкс (Sfinks)
• → Serbo-Croatian: Сфинга, Sfinga
• → Sicilian: svince
• → Spanish: Esfinge
• → Swedish: Sfinx
• → Thai: สฟิงซ์ (sà-fíng)
• → Ukrainian: Сфінкс (Sfinks)
• → Yiddish: ספֿינקס (sfinks)

References

• “Σφίγξ”, in Liddell & Scott (1940) A Greek–English Lexicon, Oxford: Clarendon Press
• Woodhouse, S. C. (1910) English–Greek Dictionary: A Vocabulary of the Attic Language‎^[1], London: Routledge & Kegan Paul Limited, page 1,025