ἄστυ

See also: Ἄστυ and άστυ

Ancient Greek

Etymology

From ϝάστυ (wástu), from Proto-Hellenic *wástu; cognate with Sanskrit वस्तु (vástu, “house”), Latin Vesta, Tocharian A waṣt, Tocharian B ost.

Pronunciation

 

• IPA^(key): /ás.ty/ → /ˈas.ty/ → /ˈas.ti/

• (5^th BCE Attic) IPA^(key): /ás.ty/
• (1^st CE Egyptian) IPA^(key): /ˈas.ty/
• (4^th CE Koine) IPA^(key): /ˈas.ty/
• (10^th CE Byzantine) IPA^(key): /ˈas.ty/
• (15^th CE Constantinopolitan) IPA^(key): /ˈas.ti/

Noun

ἄστῠ • (ástŭ) n (genitive ἄστεως); third declension

1. a town, city; the inhabited part of a city in particular, rather than the citadel
   • 800 BCE – 600 BCE, Homer, Iliad 2.332:

     Ἀλλ’ ἄγε μίμνετε πάντες ἐϋκνήμιδες Ἀχαιοὶ
     αὐτοῦ εἰς ὅ κεν ἄστυ μέγα Πριάμοιο ἕλωμεν.

     All’ áge mímnete pántes eüknḗmides Akhaioì
     autoû eis hó ken ástu méga Priámoio hélōmen.

     Nay, come, abide ye all, ye well-greaved Achaeans, even where ye are, until we take the great city of Priam.

Declension

Third declension of τὸ ᾰ̓́στῠ; τοῦ ᾰ̓́στεως (Attic)

Case / #	Singular	Dual	Plural
Nominative	τὸ ᾰ̓́στῠ tò ắstŭ	τὼ ᾰ̓́στει tṑ ắstei	τᾰ̀ ᾰ̓́στη / ᾰ̓́στεᾰ tằ ắstē / ắsteă
Genitive	τοῦ ᾰ̓́στεως toû ắsteōs	τοῖν ᾰ̓στέοιν toîn ăstéoin	τῶν ᾰ̓́στεων tôn ắsteōn
Dative	τῷ ᾰ̓́στει tôi ắstei	τοῖν ᾰ̓στέοιν toîn ăstéoin	τοῖς ᾰ̓́στεσῐ / ᾰ̓́στεσῐν toîs ắstesĭ(n)
Accusative	τὸ ᾰ̓́στῠ tò ắstŭ	τὼ ᾰ̓́στει tṑ ắstei	τᾰ̀ ᾰ̓́στη / ᾰ̓́στεᾰ tằ ắstē / ắsteă
Vocative	ᾰ̓́στῠ ắstŭ	ᾰ̓́στει ắstei	ᾰ̓́στη / ᾰ̓́στεᾰ ắstē / ắsteă
Notes:	This table gives Attic inflectional endings. For declension in other dialects, see Appendix:Ancient Greek dialectal declension.

Third declension of ᾰ̓́στῠ; ᾰ̓́στεος (Epic)

Case / #	Singular	Dual	Plural
Nominative	ᾰ̓́στῠ ắstŭ	ᾰ̓́στει ắstei	ᾰ̓́στη / ᾰ̓́στεᾰ ắstē / ắsteă
Genitive	ᾰ̓́στεος ắsteos	ᾰ̓στέοιῐν ăstéoiĭn	ᾰ̓́στεων ắsteōn
Dative	ᾰ̓́στει ắstei	ᾰ̓στέοιῐν ăstéoiĭn	ᾰ̓στέεσσῐ / ᾰ̓στέεσσῐν / ᾰ̓στέεσῐ / ᾰ̓στέεσῐν / ᾰ̓́στεσῐ / ᾰ̓́στεσῐν ăstéessĭ(n) / ăstéesĭ(n) / ắstesĭ(n)
Accusative	ᾰ̓́στῠ ắstŭ	ᾰ̓́στει ắstei	ᾰ̓́στη / ᾰ̓́στεᾰ ắstē / ắsteă
Vocative	ᾰ̓́στῠ ắstŭ	ᾰ̓́στει ắstei	ᾰ̓́στη / ᾰ̓́στεᾰ ắstē / ắsteă
Notes:	Dialects other than Attic are not well attested. Some forms may be based on conjecture. Use with caution.

Synonyms

• πόλῐς (pólĭs), πτόλις (ptólis), πτολίεθρον (ptolíethron)

Derived terms

• Ἀστῠάγης (Astŭágēs)
• ἀστῠᾰ́ναξ (astŭắnax)
• Ἀστῠάναξ (Astŭánax)
• Ἀστῠάνασσα (Astŭánassa)
• ἀστῠ́αρχος (astŭ́arkhos)
• ἀστῠβοώτης (astŭboṓtēs)
• ἀστῠγειτνῐᾰ́ω (astŭgeitnĭắō)
• ἀστῠγείτων (astŭgeítōn)
• Ἀστυδάμεια (Astudámeia)
• ἀστῠδῐ́κης (astŭdĭ́kēs)
• ἀστῠδρομέομαι (astŭdroméomai)
• ἀστῠ́θεμῐς (astŭ́themĭs)
• Ἀστυκράτεια (Astukráteia)
• Ἀστῠ́λος (Astŭ́los)
• ἀστῠ́νῑκος (astŭ́nīkos)
• Αστυνόμη (Astunómē)
• ἀστῠνόμος (astŭnómos)
• Ἀστύνοος (Astúnoos)
• ἀστύξενοι (astúxenoi)
• Ἀστυόχη (Astuókhē)
• ἀστῠόχος (astŭókhos)
• Ἀστῠπάλαια (Astŭpálaia)
• ἀστῠπολέω (astŭpoléō)
• ἀστῠ́τριψ (astŭ́trips)
• ἀστῠφέλικτος (astŭphéliktos)
• ἀστῠ́φελος (astŭ́phelos)
• ὅμαστος (hómastos)

Related terms

• ἀστεῖος (asteîos)
• ἀστικός (astikós)
• ἀστῑ́της (astī́tēs)
• ἀστός (astós)
• ἄστῠδε (ástŭde)
• ἄστῠρον (ástŭron)

Descendants

• Greek: άστυ (ásty)

Further reading

• “ἄστυ”, in Liddell & Scott (1940) A Greek–English Lexicon, Oxford: Clarendon Press
• “ἄστυ”, in Liddell & Scott (1889) An Intermediate Greek–English Lexicon, New York: Harper & Brothers
• “ἄστυ”, in Autenrieth, Georg (1891) A Homeric Dictionary for Schools and Colleges, New York: Harper and Brothers
• ἄστυ in Bailly, Anatole (1935) Le Grand Bailly: Dictionnaire grec-français, Paris: Hachette
• ἄστυ in Cunliffe, Richard J. (1924) A Lexicon of the Homeric Dialect: Expanded Edition, Norman: University of Oklahoma Press, published 1963
• ἄστυ in the Diccionario Griego–Español en línea (2006–2025)
• “ἄστυ”, in Slater, William J. (1969) Lexicon to Pindar, Berlin: Walter de Gruyter
• ἄστυ in Trapp, Erich, et al. (1994–2007) Lexikon zur byzantinischen Gräzität besonders des 9.-12. Jahrhunderts [the Lexicon of Byzantine Hellenism, Particularly the 9th–12th Centuries], Verlag der Österreichischen Akademie der Wissenschaften
• Woodhouse, S. C. (1910) English–Greek Dictionary: A Vocabulary of the Attic Language‎^[1], London: Routledge & Kegan Paul Limited.
  • city idem, page 133.
  • town idem, page 884.