πτέρνη

Ancient Greek

Alternative forms

• πτέρνα (ptérna)

Etymology

From Proto-Indo-European *tpḗrsneh₂ (“heel”). Cognates include Latin perna and Sanskrit पार्ष्णि (pā́rṣṇi). Doublet of πέρνα (pérna, “ham”), which was borrowed from Latin.

Pronunciation

 

• IPA^(key): /ptér.nɛː/ → /ˈpter.ni/ → /ˈpter.ni/

• (5^th BCE Attic) IPA^(key): /ptér.nɛː/
• (1^st CE Egyptian) IPA^(key): /ˈpter.ne̝/
• (4^th CE Koine) IPA^(key): /ˈpter.ni/
• (10^th CE Byzantine) IPA^(key): /ˈpter.ni/
• (15^th CE Constantinopolitan) IPA^(key): /ˈpter.ni/

Noun

πτέρνη • (ptérnē) f (genitive πτέρνης); first declension

1. heel
2. hoof
3. heel of a shoe
4. footstep
5. (figuratively) foot or lower part of anything
6. (Epic) ham

Declension

First declension of ἡ πτέρνη; τῆς πτέρνης (Attic)

Case / #	Singular	Dual	Plural
Nominative	ἡ πτέρνη hē ptérnē	τὼ πτέρνᾱ tṑ ptérnā	αἱ πτέρναι hai ptérnai
Genitive	τῆς πτέρνης tês ptérnēs	τοῖν πτέρναιν toîn ptérnain	τῶν πτερνῶν tôn pternôn
Dative	τῇ πτέρνῃ têi ptérnēi	τοῖν πτέρναιν toîn ptérnain	ταῖς πτέρναις taîs ptérnais
Accusative	τὴν πτέρνην tḕn ptérnēn	τὼ πτέρνᾱ tṑ ptérnā	τᾱ̀ς πτέρνᾱς tā̀s ptérnās
Vocative	πτέρνη ptérnē	πτέρνᾱ ptérnā	πτέρναι ptérnai
Notes:	This table gives Attic inflectional endings. For declension in other dialects, see Appendix:Ancient Greek dialectal declension.

Further reading

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