ἔλαφος

Ancient Greek

Etymology

From Proto-Hellenic *éləpʰos, from Proto-Indo-European *h₁éln̥bʰos, from *h₁el- (“deer”). Compare ἐλλός (ellós, “young deer”), Lithuanian élnias (“deer, stag, hart”), Russian оле́нь (olénʹ, “deer”), Russian лось (losʹ, “elk”), Old Armenian եղն (ełn, “hind”).

Pronunciation

 

• IPA^(key): /é.la.pʰos/ → /ˈe.la.ɸos/ → /ˈe.la.fos/

• (5^th BCE Attic) IPA^(key): /é.la.pʰos/
• (1^st CE Egyptian) IPA^(key): /ˈe.la.pʰos/
• (4^th CE Koine) IPA^(key): /ˈe.la.ɸos/
• (10^th CE Byzantine) IPA^(key): /ˈe.la.fos/
• (15^th CE Constantinopolitan) IPA^(key): /ˈe.la.fos/

Noun

ἔλᾰφος • (élaphos) m or f (genitive ἐλᾰ́φου); second declension

1. red deer (Cervus elaphus)
   • Septuaginta, Psalm 42:

     ὃν τρόπον ἐπιποθεῖ ἡ ἔλαφος ἐπὶ τὰς πηγὰς τῶν ὑδάτων οὕτως ἐπιποθεῖ ἡ ψυχή μου πρὸς σέ ὁ θεός.

     hòn trópon epipotheî hē élaphos epì tàs pēgàs tôn hudátōn hoútōs epipotheî hē psukhḗ mou pròs sé ho theós.

     As the hart panteth after the water brooks, so panteth my soul after thee, O God. (KJV)

Inflection

Second declension of ὁ, ἡ ἔλᾰφος; τοῦ, τῆς ἐλᾰ́φου (Attic)

Case / #	Singular	Dual	Plural
Nominative	ὁ, ἡ ἔλᾰφος ho, hē élaphos	τὼ ἐλᾰ́φω tṑ eláphō	οἱ, αἱ ἔλᾰφοι hoi, hai élaphoi
Genitive	τοῦ, τῆς ἐλᾰ́φου toû, tês eláphou	τοῖν ἐλᾰ́φοιν toîn eláphoin	τῶν ἐλᾰ́φων tôn eláphōn
Dative	τῷ, τῇ ἐλᾰ́φῳ tôi, têi eláphōi	τοῖν ἐλᾰ́φοιν toîn eláphoin	τοῖς, ταῖς ἐλᾰ́φοις toîs, taîs eláphois
Accusative	τὸν, τὴν ἔλᾰφον tòn, tḕn élaphon	τὼ ἐλᾰ́φω tṑ eláphō	τοὺς, τᾱ̀ς ἐλᾰ́φους toùs, tā̀s eláphous
Vocative	ἔλᾰφε élaphe	ἐλᾰ́φω eláphō	ἔλᾰφοι élaphoi
Notes:	This table gives Attic inflectional endings. For declension in other dialects, see Appendix:Ancient Greek dialectal declension.

Second declension of ἔλᾰφος; ἐλᾰ́φου (Epic)

Case / #	Singular	Dual	Plural
Nominative	ἔλᾰφος élaphos	ἐλᾰ́φω eláphō	ἔλᾰφοι élaphoi
Genitive	ἐλᾰ́φου / ἐλᾰφοῖο / ἐλᾰ́φοιο / ἐλᾰφόο / ἐλᾰ́φοο eláphou / elaphoîo / eláphoio / elaphóo / eláphoo	ἐλᾰ́φοιῐν eláphoiin	ἐλᾰ́φων eláphōn
Dative	ἐλᾰ́φῳ eláphōi	ἐλᾰ́φοιῐν eláphoiin	ἐλᾰ́φοισῐ / ἐλᾰ́φοισῐν / ἐλᾰ́φοις eláphoisi(n) / eláphois
Accusative	ἔλᾰφον élaphon	ἐλᾰ́φω eláphō	ἐλᾰ́φους eláphous
Vocative	ἔλᾰφε élaphe	ἐλᾰ́φω eláphō	ἔλᾰφοι élaphoi
Notes:	Dialects other than Attic are not well attested. Some forms may be based on conjecture. Use with caution.

Derived terms

• ἐλᾰ́φῐνος (eláphinos)
• ἐλᾰφόβοσκον (elaphóboskon)
• τρᾰγέλᾰφος (tragélaphos)

 

Descendants

• Greek: ελάφι n (eláfi)
• → Latin: elaphus m (“deer”)
• → Translingual: Elaphus

Further reading

• “ἔλαφος”, in Liddell & Scott (1940) A Greek–English Lexicon, Oxford: Clarendon Press
• “ἔλαφος”, in Liddell & Scott (1889) An Intermediate Greek–English Lexicon, New York: Harper & Brothers
• “ἔλαφος”, in Autenrieth, Georg (1891) A Homeric Dictionary for Schools and Colleges, New York: Harper and Brothers
• ἔλαφος in Bailly, Anatole (1935) Le Grand Bailly: Dictionnaire grec-français, Paris: Hachette
• ἔλαφος in Cunliffe, Richard J. (1924) A Lexicon of the Homeric Dialect: Expanded Edition, Norman: University of Oklahoma Press, published 1963
• ἔλαφος in the Diccionario Griego–Español en línea (2006–2024)
• “ἔλαφος”, in Slater, William J. (1969) Lexicon to Pindar, Berlin: Walter de Gruyter
• Woodhouse, S. C. (1910) English–Greek Dictionary: A Vocabulary of the Attic Language‎^[1], London: Routledge & Kegan Paul Limited, page 203