αβγό

Greek

Alternative forms

• αυγό (avgó)

Etymology

Back-formation from the plural αβγά (avgá), itself extracted from τ' αβγά (t' avgá, “the eggs”), a regular phonological development of Ancient Greek τὰ ᾠά (tà ōiá):

/ta.oˈa/ → /tau̯ˈa/ → /tau̯ˈɣa/ → /tavˈɣa/.

Ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *h₂ōwyóm via Proto-Hellenic *ōyyón.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /aˈvɣo/
• Hyphenation: α‧βγό

Noun

αβγό • (avgó) n (plural αβγά)

1. (zoology) egg (spherical or ellipsoidal body produced by birds, reptiles, insects and other animals, housing the embryo during its development)

   Το αβγό της χελώνας είναι μικρό και ολοστρόγγυλο.

   To avgó tis chelónas eínai mikró kai olostróngylo.

   A turtle's egg is small and totally round.

2. (more specifically) egg (of a hen, used as food)

   Για να φτιάξεις μπισκότα χρειάζεσαι αβγά, αλεύρι και βούτυρο.

   Gia na ftiáxeis biskóta chreiázesai avgá, alévri kai voútyro.

   To make biscuits, you need eggs, flour and butter.

3. (figuratively) egg (anything shaped like an egg)

   Το Πάσχα στην Ευρώπη τρώνε σοκολατένια αβγά.

   To Páscha stin Evrópi tróne sokolaténia avgá.

   At Easter in Europe, chocolate eggs are eaten.

4. (biology) egg, ovum (female primary cell)

   Synonym: ωάριο (oário)

   Δύο άντρες χρειάζονται το αβγό μιας γυναίκας για να έχουν ένα παιδί.

   Dýo ántres chreiázontai to avgó mias gynaíkas gia na échoun éna paidí.

   Two men need a woman's egg to have a child.

Usage notes

• Spelling: In accordance with Georgios Hatzidakis and Manolis Triantafyllidis, Babiniotis considers αβγό the correct spelling:

  The ‑β‑ in the word originated from phonetic development and there is no justification for writing it with the diphthong ‑αυ‑, as though it has always existed in the word.

The αυγό spelling is found in other dictionaries. (Similarly: αφτί ~ αυτί (aftí, “ear”)).

Declension

Declension of αβγό

	singular	plural
nominative	αβγό •	αβγά •
genitive	αβγού •	αβγών •
accusative	αβγό •	αβγά •
vocative	αβγό •	αβγά •

Derived terms

• αβγό μάτι n (avgó máti, “fried egg”)
• αβγό ποσέ n (avgó posé, “poached egg”)
• αβγοειδής (avgoeidís, “egg shaped”, adjective)
• αβγοθήκη f (avgothíki, “egg cup”)
• αβγολέμονο n (avgolémono, “egg and lemon sauce”)
• αβγοτάραχο n (avgotáracho, “fish roe”)
• αβγότσουφλο n (avgótsouflo, “egg shell”)
• αβγουλάκι n (avgouláki, diminutive)
• αβγουλάς m (avgoulás, egg seller)
• αβγουλατός (avgoulatós, “egg shaped”, adjective)
• αβγούλι n (avgoúli, diminutive)
• αβγουλιέρα f (avgouliéra, “egg cup”)
• αβγουλωτός (avgoulotós, “egg shaped”, adjective)
• αυγοσαλάτα f (avgosaláta, “egg salad”)
• βραστό αβγό n (vrastó avgó, “boiled egg”)
• κόκκινο αβγό n (kókkino avgó, “red egg”)
• μελάτο αβγό n (meláto avgó, “soft-boiled egg”)
• σφιχτό αβγό n (sfichtó avgó, “hard-boiled egg”)
• τηγανητό αβγό n (tiganitó avgó, “fried egg”)
• χτυπητά αβγά n pl (chtypitá avgá, “scrambled eggs”)

• αβγά κουρεύουμε; (avgá kourévoume?, “Do you think I'm/we're stupid?”, literally “Are we shaving eggs?”)
• αβγά σού καθαρίζουν; (avgá soú katharízoun?, “Why are you laughing? What's so funny?”, literally “Are they cleaning your eggs?”)
• ακόμη δεν βγήκε απ' τ' αβγό (akómi den vgíke ap' t' avgó, “don't try to teach grandma how to suck eggs”, literally “he/she's not even out of the egg yet”)
• κάθομαι στ' αβγά μου (káthomai st' avgá mou, “to mind one's own business, to not get involved”, literally “sit on one's eggs”)
• παίρνω με τ' αβγά (paírno me t' avgá, “to egg someone”, literally “take them with the eggs”)
• πιάσ' τ' αβγό και κούρευ' το (piás' t' avgó kai koúref' to, “get blood out of a stone”, literally “Catch the egg and shave it”)
• σιγά τ' αβγά (sigá t' avgá, “as if, give me a break”, literally “slowly the eggs (so they won't break)”)
• το αβγό του Κολόμβου (to avgó tou Kolómvou, “egg of Columbus”)
• χάνω τ' αβγά και τα καλάθια (cháno t' avgá kai ta kaláthia, “to lose everything, to lose one's mind”, literally “lose the eggs and the baskets”)
• χάνω τ' αβγά και τα πασχάλια (cháno t' avgá kai ta paschália, “to lose everything, to lose one's mind”, literally “lose the eggs and the calendar”)
• χρυσό αβγό (chrysó avgó, “golden goose”, literally “golden egg”)

Further reading

• αβγό on the Greek Wikipedia.Wikipedia ^el