σηπία

Ancient Greek

Alternative forms

σηπίη (sēpíē) — Ionic

Etymology

A connection with σήπω (sḗpō, “to rot”) is semantically possible but formally problematic. However, it may be more likely that the word is of Pre-Greek origin.

Pronunciation

(5^th BCE Attic) IPA^(key): /sɛː.pí.aː/
(1^st CE Egyptian) IPA^(key): /se̝ˈpi.a/
(4^th CE Koine) IPA^(key): /siˈpi.a/
(10^th CE Byzantine) IPA^(key): /siˈpi.a/
(15^th CE Constantinopolitan) IPA^(key): /siˈpi.a/

Noun

σηπίᾱ • (sēpíā) f (genitive σηπίᾱς); first declension

cuttlefish

Inflection

First declension of ἡ σηπίᾱ; τῆς σηπίᾱς (Attic)

Case / #	Singular	Dual	Plural
Nominative	ἡ σηπίᾱ hē sēpíā	τὼ σηπίᾱ tṑ sēpíā	αἱ σηπίαι hai sēpíai
Genitive	τῆς σηπίᾱς tês sēpíās	τοῖν σηπίαιν toîn sēpíain	τῶν σηπιῶν tôn sēpiôn
Dative	τῇ σηπίᾳ têi sēpíāi	τοῖν σηπίαιν toîn sēpíain	ταῖς σηπίαις taîs sēpíais
Accusative	τὴν σηπίᾱν tḕn sēpíān	τὼ σηπίᾱ tṑ sēpíā	τᾱ̀ς σηπίᾱς tā̀s sēpíās
Vocative	σηπίᾱ sēpíā	σηπίᾱ sēpíā	σηπίαι sēpíai
Notes:	This table gives Attic inflectional endings. For declension in other dialects, see Appendix:Ancient Greek dialectal declension.

Derived terms

σηπιάς (sēpiás)
σηπιδάριον (sēpidárion)
σηπίδιον (sēpídion)
σήπιον (sḗpion)

Descendants

Greek: σουπιά (soupiá)
Latin: sepia

“σηπία”, in Liddell & Scott (1940) A Greek–English Lexicon, Oxford: Clarendon Press
σηπία in Bailly, Anatole (1935) Le Grand Bailly: Dictionnaire grec-français, Paris: Hachette
Beekes, Robert S. P. (2010) Etymological Dictionary of Greek (Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series; 10), with the assistance of Lucien van Beek, Leiden, Boston: Brill, →ISBN