σφάκελος

Ancient Greek

Pronunciation

 

• IPA^(key): /spʰá.ke.los/ → /ˈsɸa.ce.los/ → /ˈsfa.ce.los/

• (5^th BCE Attic) IPA^(key): /spʰá.ke.los/
• (1^st CE Egyptian) IPA^(key): /ˈspʰa.ke.los/
• (4^th CE Koine) IPA^(key): /ˈsɸa.ce.los/
• (10^th CE Byzantine) IPA^(key): /ˈsfa.ce.los/
• (15^th CE Constantinopolitan) IPA^(key): /ˈsfa.ce.los/

Etymology 1

The formation is similar to σκόπελος (skópelos) and πύελος (púelos), from an unknown root. The word has been connected with Middle High German spachen (“to split”) and Low German spaken (“to putrify”) but it can hardly be correct.

Noun

σφάκελος • (sphákelos) m (genitive σφᾰκέλου); second declension

1. (pathology) gangrene, caries, necrosis
2. spasm, convulsion, cramp, twitching pain

Inflection

Second declension of ὁ σφᾰ́κελος; τοῦ σφᾰκέλου (Attic)

Case / #	Singular	Dual	Plural
Nominative	ὁ σφᾰ́κελος ho sphákelos	τὼ σφᾰκέλω tṑ sphakélō	οἱ σφᾰ́κελοι hoi sphákeloi
Genitive	τοῦ σφᾰκέλου toû sphakélou	τοῖν σφᾰκέλοιν toîn sphakéloin	τῶν σφᾰκέλων tôn sphakélōn
Dative	τῷ σφᾰκέλῳ tôi sphakélōi	τοῖν σφᾰκέλοιν toîn sphakéloin	τοῖς σφᾰκέλοις toîs sphakélois
Accusative	τὸν σφᾰ́κελον tòn sphákelon	τὼ σφᾰκέλω tṑ sphakélō	τοὺς σφᾰκέλους toùs sphakélous
Vocative	σφᾰ́κελε sphákele	σφᾰκέλω sphakélō	σφᾰ́κελοι sphákeloi
Notes:	This table gives Attic inflectional endings. For declension in other dialects, see Appendix:Ancient Greek dialectal declension.

Derived terms

• σφακελίζω (sphakelízō)
• σφακελισμός (sphakelismós)
• σφακελώδης (sphakelṓdēs)

Descendants

• French: sphacèle
• Italian: sfacelo
• Portuguese: esfácelo

Etymology 2

From Pre-Greek, in view of the variation.

Alternative forms

• σφάκηλος (sphákēlos)

Noun

σφάκελος • (sphákelos) m (genitive σφᾰκέλου); second declension

1. (anatomy) middle finger

Inflection

Second declension of ὁ σφᾰ́κελος; τοῦ σφᾰκέλου (Attic)

Case / #	Singular	Dual	Plural
Nominative	ὁ σφᾰ́κελος ho sphákelos	τὼ σφᾰκέλω tṑ sphakélō	οἱ σφᾰ́κελοι hoi sphákeloi
Genitive	τοῦ σφᾰκέλου toû sphakélou	τοῖν σφᾰκέλοιν toîn sphakéloin	τῶν σφᾰκέλων tôn sphakélōn
Dative	τῷ σφᾰκέλῳ tôi sphakélōi	τοῖν σφᾰκέλοιν toîn sphakéloin	τοῖς σφᾰκέλοις toîs sphakélois
Accusative	τὸν σφᾰ́κελον tòn sphákelon	τὼ σφᾰκέλω tṑ sphakélō	τοὺς σφᾰκέλους toùs sphakélous
Vocative	σφᾰ́κελε sphákele	σφᾰκέλω sphakélō	σφᾰ́κελοι sphákeloi
Notes:	This table gives Attic inflectional endings. For declension in other dialects, see Appendix:Ancient Greek dialectal declension.

Further reading

• “σφάκελος”, in Liddell & Scott (1940) A Greek–English Lexicon, Oxford: Clarendon Press
• σφάκελος 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