κοντός

Ancient Greek

Etymology

From the o-grade κοντ‑ of the root κεντ‑ underlying κεντέω, -ῶ (kentéō, -ô, “prick”), κέντρον (kéntron, “centre”).^[1]

The Hellenistic Koine "short" sense is derived from the ancient "pole" sense, which referred to shorter kinds of spears, poles, hence "(short) pole" > "shortness". Compare κοντοφόρος (kontophóros, “carrying a (short) pole”) in contrast to δορῠφόρος (doruphóros, “carrying a (long) spear”).^[2]

Not related to ἀκόντιον (akóntion, “javelin”).

Pronunciation

(5^th BCE Attic) IPA^(key): /kon.tós/
(1^st CE Egyptian) IPA^(key): /konˈtos/
(4^th CE Koine) IPA^(key): /konˈtos/
(10^th CE Byzantine) IPA^(key): /konˈtos/
(15^th CE Constantinopolitan) IPA^(key): /konˈdos/

Adjective

κοντός • (kontós) m (feminine κοντή, neuter κοντόν); first/second declension (Koine)

short
Synonym: βρᾰχῠ́ς (brakhús)

Inflection

First and second declension of κοντός; κοντή; κοντόν (Attic)

Number	Singular			Dual			Plural
Case/Gender	Masculine	Feminine	Neuter	Masculine	Feminine	Neuter	Masculine	Feminine	Neuter
Nominative	κοντός kontós	κοντή kontḗ	κοντόν kontón	κοντώ kontṓ	κοντᾱ́ kontā́	κοντώ kontṓ	κοντοί kontoí	κονταί kontaí	κοντᾰ́ kontá
Genitive	κοντοῦ kontoû	κοντῆς kontês	κοντοῦ kontoû	κοντοῖν kontoîn	κονταῖν kontaîn	κοντοῖν kontoîn	κοντῶν kontôn	κοντῶν kontôn	κοντῶν kontôn
Dative	κοντῷ kontôi	κοντῇ kontêi	κοντῷ kontôi	κοντοῖν kontoîn	κονταῖν kontaîn	κοντοῖν kontoîn	κοντοῖς kontoîs	κονταῖς kontaîs	κοντοῖς kontoîs
Accusative	κοντόν kontón	κοντήν kontḗn	κοντόν kontón	κοντώ kontṓ	κοντᾱ́ kontā́	κοντώ kontṓ	κοντούς kontoús	κοντᾱ́ς kontā́s	κοντᾰ́ kontá
Vocative	κοντέ konté	κοντή kontḗ	κοντόν kontón	κοντώ kontṓ	κοντᾱ́ kontā́	κοντώ kontṓ	κοντοί kontoí	κονταί kontaí	κοντᾰ́ kontá
Derived forms	Adverb			Comparative			Superlative
Derived forms	κοντῶς kontôs			κοντότερος kontóteros			κοντότᾰτος kontótatos
Notes:	This table gives Attic inflectional endings. For declension in other dialects, see Appendix:Ancient Greek dialectal declension.

Alternative forms

κονδός (kondós)

Descendants

Medieval and Modern Greek: κοντός (kontós) (sense: short)

Noun

κοντός • (kontós) m (genitive κοντοῦ); second declension

pole
pike
(medicine) (in plural): crutch
goad

Inflection

Second declension of ὁ κοντός; τοῦ κοντοῦ (Attic)

Case / #	Singular	Dual	Plural
Nominative	ὁ κοντός ho kontós	τὼ κοντώ tṑ kontṓ	οἱ κοντοί hoi kontoí
Genitive	τοῦ κοντοῦ toû kontoû	τοῖν κοντοῖν toîn kontoîn	τῶν κοντῶν tôn kontôn
Dative	τῷ κοντῷ tôi kontôi	τοῖν κοντοῖν toîn kontoîn	τοῖς κοντοῖς toîs kontoîs
Accusative	τὸν κοντόν tòn kontón	τὼ κοντώ tṑ kontṓ	τοὺς κοντούς toùs kontoús
Vocative	κοντέ konté	κοντώ kontṓ	κοντοί kontoí
Notes:	This table gives Attic inflectional endings. For declension in other dialects, see Appendix:Ancient Greek dialectal declension.

Related terms

κοντάριον (kontárion, diminutive)
κοντᾰριοθήκη f (kontariothḗkē, “spear-case”)
κονταφόρος m (kontaphóros), κοντοφόρος m (kontophóros, “carrying a (short) pole”)
κόντῐλος (kóntilos, diminutive) (obscure sense)
κοντοβολέω, ῶ (kontoboléō, ô, “strike with a pole”)
κοντοκῠνηγέσιον n (kontokunēgésion, “hunt with pikes”)
κοντοπαίκτης m (kontopaíktēs, “acrobat on a pole”)
κοντοπλεύριον n (kontopleúrion, “short side”) (usually in plural)
κοντοπορεία f (kontoporeía, “short road”)
κόντωσις f (kóntōsis, “fishing with a pole”)
κοντωτῐ́της m (kontōtítēs, “puntsman”)
κοντωτός (kontōtós, “furnished with a pole”)

Descendants

⇒ Ancient Greek: κοντάριον (kontárion, diminutive)
- Medieval Byzantine Greek: κοντάριον (kontárion), κοντάριν^[3]
  - Modern Greek: κοντάρι (kontári), κοντός (noun)
→ Latin: contus
→ Arabic: قُنْطَرِيَّة (qunṭariyya)

References

^ Beekes, Robert S. P. (2010) “κοντός”, in Etymological Dictionary of Greek (Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series; 10), with the assistance of Lucien van Beek, Leiden, Boston: Brill, →ISBN, page 747
^ κοντός - Babiniotis, Georgios (2010) Ετυμολογικό λεξικό της νέας ελληνικής γλώσσας Etymologikó lexikó tis néas ellinikís glóssas [Etymological Dictionary of Modern Greek language] (in Greek), Athens: Lexicology Centre
^ κοντάριον - Kriaras, Emmanuel (1969-) Επιτομή του Λεξικού της Μεσαιωνικής Ελληνικής Δημώδους Γραμματείας (Epitomí tou Lexikoú tis Mesaionikís Ellinikís Dimódous Grammateías) [Concise Dictionary of the Kriaras' Dictionary of Medieval Vulgar Greek Literature (1100–1669) Vols. 1–14. Vols 15- under I. Kazazes.)] (in Greek), Thessaloniki: Centre for the Greek language Online edition (abbreviations) Printed edition 2022: 22 vols.)

Greek

Etymology

Sense pole: from Ancient Greek κοντός (“pole”) (noun).
Sense short: from the Hellenistic Koine Greek κοντός (kontós, “short”) (adjective) from the ancient sense Ancient Greek κοντός (“pole”) which referred to shorter kinds of poles, hence the sense shortness.^[1]

Pronunciation

IPA^(key): /konˈdos/
Hyphenation: κο‧ντός

Adjective

κοντός • (kontós) m (feminine κοντή, neuter κοντό)

short (in height)

Declension

Comparative κοντύτερος (kontýteros) & (and κοντότερος); no absolute superlative

Declension of κοντός

number case \ gender	singular			plural
number case \ gender	masculine	feminine	neuter	masculine	feminine	neuter
nominative	κοντός •	κοντή •	κοντό •	κοντοί •	κοντές •	κοντά •
genitive	κοντού •	κοντής •	κοντού •	κοντών •	κοντών •	κοντών •
accusative	κοντό •	κοντή •	κοντό •	κοντούς •	κοντές •	κοντά •
vocative	κοντέ •	κοντή •	κοντό •	κοντοί •	κοντές •	κοντά •
derivations	Comparative: πιο + positive forms (e.g. πιο κοντός, etc.) Relative superlative: definite article + πιο + positive forms (e.g. ο πιο κοντός, etc.)

Degrees of comparison by suffixation

comparative	singular			plural
comparative	masculine	feminine	neuter	masculine	feminine	neuter
nominative	κοντύτερος •	κοντύτερη •	κοντύτερο •	κοντύτεροι •	κοντύτερες •	κοντύτερα •
genitive	κοντύτερου •	κοντύτερης •	κοντύτερου •	κοντύτερων •	κοντύτερων •	κοντύτερων •
accusative	κοντύτερο •	κοντύτερη •	κοντύτερο •	κοντύτερους •	κοντύτερες •	κοντύτερα •
vocative	κοντύτερε •	κοντύτερη •	κοντύτερο •	κοντύτεροι •	κοντύτερες •	κοντύτερα •
derivations	relative superlative: ο + comparative forms (eg "ο κοντύτερος", etc)

Synonyms

βραχύς (vrachýs, “short, brief”)
βραχύσωμος (vrachýsomos, “with short body”)

Derived terms

κοντά (kontá, “near”, adverb)
κονταίνω (kontaíno, “shorten”)
κοντεύω (kontévo)
κοντινός (kontinós, “nearby, adjacent, close”)
κοντο- (konto-, “short-”) compounds

Noun

κοντός • (kontós) m

(formal) pole
Synonym: κοντάρι (kontári)

Declension

Declension of κοντός

	singular	plural
nominative	κοντός •	κοντοί •
genitive	κοντού •	κοντών •
accusative	κοντό •	κοντούς •
vocative	κοντέ •	κοντοί •

Derived terms

άλμα επί κοντώ n (álma epí kontó, “pole vault”)

References

^ κοντός, in Λεξικό της κοινής νεοελληνικής [Dictionary of Standard Modern Greek], Triantafyllidis Foundation, 1998 at the Centre for the Greek language

[1] Beekes, Robert S. P. (2010) “κοντός”, in Etymological Dictionary of Greek (Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series; 10), with the assistance of Lucien van Beek, Leiden, Boston: Brill, →ISBN, page 747

[2] κοντός - Babiniotis, Georgios (2010) Ετυμολογικό λεξικό της νέας ελληνικής γλώσσας Etymologikó lexikó tis néas ellinikís glóssas [Etymological Dictionary of Modern Greek language] (in Greek), Athens: Lexicology Centre

[3] κοντάριον - Kriaras, Emmanuel (1969-) Επιτομή του Λεξικού της Μεσαιωνικής Ελληνικής Δημώδους Γραμματείας (Epitomí tou Lexikoú tis Mesaionikís Ellinikís Dimódous Grammateías) [Concise Dictionary of the Kriaras' Dictionary of Medieval Vulgar Greek Literature (1100–1669) Vols. 1–14. Vols 15- under I. Kazazes.)] (in Greek), Thessaloniki: Centre for the Greek language Online edition (abbreviations) Printed edition 2022: 22 vols.)

[4] κοντός, in Λεξικό της κοινής νεοελληνικής [Dictionary of Standard Modern Greek], Triantafyllidis Foundation, 1998 at the Centre for the Greek language

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κοντός

Contents

Ancient Greek

Etymology

Pronunciation

Adjective

Inflection

Alternative forms

Descendants

Noun

Inflection

Related terms

Descendants

See also

References

Further reading

Greek

Etymology

Pronunciation

Adjective

Declension

Synonyms

Derived terms

See also

Noun

Declension

Derived terms

References