νιφάς

Ancient Greek

Etymology

From νίφα (nípha, “snow”) +‎ -ᾰ́ς (-ás).

Pronunciation

 

• IPA^(key): /ni.pʰás/ → /niˈɸas/ → /niˈfas/

• (5^th BCE Attic) IPA^(key): /ni.pʰás/
• (1^st CE Egyptian) IPA^(key): /niˈpʰas/
• (4^th CE Koine) IPA^(key): /niˈɸas/
• (10^th CE Byzantine) IPA^(key): /niˈfas/
• (15^th CE Constantinopolitan) IPA^(key): /niˈfas/

Noun

νῐφᾰ́ς • (niphás) f (genitive νῐφᾰ́δος); third declension

1. (mostly in the plural) snowflake
2. (collectively) snowstorm
3. (in general) shower, sleet

Declension

Third declension of ἡ νῐφᾰ́ς; τῆς νῐφᾰ́δος (Attic)

Case / #	Singular	Dual	Plural
Nominative	ἡ νῐφᾰ́ς hē niphás	τὼ νῐφᾰ́δε tṑ nipháde	αἱ νῐφᾰ́δες hai niphádes
Genitive	τῆς νῐφᾰ́δος tês niphádos	τοῖν νῐφᾰ́δοιν toîn niphádoin	τῶν νῐφᾰ́δων tôn niphádōn
Dative	τῇ νῐφᾰ́δῐ têi niphádi	τοῖν νῐφᾰ́δοιν toîn niphádoin	ταῖς νῐφᾰ́σῐ / νῐφᾰ́σῐν taîs niphási(n)
Accusative	τὴν νῐφᾰ́δᾰ tḕn nipháda	τὼ νῐφᾰ́δε tṑ nipháde	τᾱ̀ς νῐφᾰ́δᾰς tā̀s niphádas
Vocative	νῐφᾰ́ς niphás	νῐφᾰ́δε nipháde	νῐφᾰ́δες niphádes
Notes:	This table gives Attic inflectional endings. For declension in other dialects, see Appendix:Ancient Greek dialectal declension. Nominative singular -ς (-s) arose by reduction of the original cluster *-ds.

Descendants

• Greek: νιφάδα (nifáda)

Further reading

• “νιφάς”, in Liddell & Scott (1940) A Greek–English Lexicon, Oxford: Clarendon Press
• “νιφάς”, in Liddell & Scott (1889) An Intermediate Greek–English Lexicon, New York: Harper & Brothers
• “νιφάς”, in Autenrieth, Georg (1891) A Homeric Dictionary for Schools and Colleges, New York: Harper and Brothers
• νιφάς in Bailly, Anatole (1935) Le Grand Bailly: Dictionnaire grec-français, Paris: Hachette
• νιφάς in Cunliffe, Richard J. (1924) A Lexicon of the Homeric Dialect: Expanded Edition, Norman: University of Oklahoma Press, published 1963