Ὄασις

See also: oasis, oásis, Oasis, and OASIS

Ancient Greek

FWOTD – 5 February 2016

Alternative forms

• Αὔᾰσῐς (Aúasis)

Etymology

From Demotic wḥj, earlier hieroglyphic

wḥꜣt (also meaning “cauldron”). Compare Bohairic Coptic ⲟⲩⲁϩⲓ (ouahi), Sahidic Coptic ⲟⲩⲁϩⲉ (ouahe), and Arabic واحة (wāḥa).

Pronunciation

 

• IPA^(key): /ó.a.sis/ → /ˈo.a.sis/ → /ˈo.a.sis/

• (5^th BCE Attic) IPA^(key): /ó.a.sis/
• (1^st CE Egyptian) IPA^(key): /ˈo.a.sis/
• (4^th CE Koine) IPA^(key): /ˈo.a.sis/
• (10^th CE Byzantine) IPA^(key): /ˈo.a.sis/
• (15^th CE Constantinopolitan) IPA^(key): /ˈo.a.sis/

Proper noun

Ὄᾰσῐς • (Óasis) f (genitive Ὀᾰ́σεως or Ὀᾰ́σῐος); third declension

1. any one of the cities in the Libyan Desert
   • 460 BCE – 420 BCE, Herodotus, Histories 3.26:

     ἐπειδὴ ἐκ τῆς Ὀάσιος ταύτης ἰέναι διὰ τῆς ψάμμου ἐπὶ σφέας, γενέσθαι τε αὐτοὺς μεταξύ κου μάλιστα αὐτῶν τε καὶ τῆς Ὀάσιος, ἄριστον αἱρεομένοισι αὐτοῖσι ἐπιπνεῦσαι νότον μέγαν τε καὶ ἐξαίσιον, φορέοντα δὲ θῖνας τῆς ψάμμου καταχῶσαι σφέας, καὶ τρόπῳ τοιούτῳ ἀφανισθῆναι.

     epeidḕ ek tês Oásios taútēs iénai dià tês psámmou epì sphéas, genésthai te autoùs metaxú kou málista autôn te kaì tês Oásios, áriston haireoménoisi autoîsi epipneûsai nóton mégan te kaì exaísion, phoréonta dè thînas tês psámmou katakhôsai sphéas, kaì trópōi toioútōi aphanisthênai.

Declension

Third declension of ἡ Ὄᾰσῐς; τῆς Ὀᾰ́σεως (Attic)

Case / #	Singular	Dual	Plural
Nominative	ἡ Ὄᾰσῐς hē Óasis	τὼ Ὀᾰ́σει tṑ Oásei	αἱ Ὀᾰ́σεις hai Oáseis
Genitive	τῆς Ὀᾰ́σεως tês Oáseōs	τοῖν Ὀᾰσέοιν toîn Oaséoin	τῶν Ὀᾰ́σεων tôn Oáseōn
Dative	τῇ Ὀᾰ́σει têi Oásei	τοῖν Ὀᾰσέοιν toîn Oaséoin	ταῖς Ὀᾰ́σεσῐ / Ὀᾰ́σεσῐν taîs Oásesi(n)
Accusative	τὴν Ὄᾰσῐν tḕn Óasin	τὼ Ὀᾰ́σει tṑ Oásei	τᾱ̀ς Ὀᾰ́σεις tā̀s Oáseis
Vocative	Ὄᾰσῐ Óasi	Ὀᾰ́σει Oásei	Ὀᾰ́σεις Oáseis
Notes:	This table gives Attic inflectional endings. For declension in other dialects, see Appendix:Ancient Greek dialectal declension.

Third declension of ἡ Ὄᾰσῐς; τῆς Ὀᾰ́σῐος (Attic)

Case / #	Singular	Dual	Plural
Nominative	ἡ Ὄᾰσῐς hē Óasis	τὼ Ὀᾰ́σῐε tṑ Oásie	αἱ Ὀᾰ́σῐες hai Oásies
Genitive	τῆς Ὀᾰ́σῐος tês Oásios	τοῖν Ὀᾰσῐ́οιν toîn Oasíoin	τῶν Ὀᾰσῐ́ων tôn Oasíōn
Dative	τῇ Ὀᾰ́σῑ têi Oásī	τοῖν Ὀᾰσῐ́οιν toîn Oasíoin	ταῖς Ὀᾰ́σῐσῐ / Ὀᾰ́σῐσῐν taîs Oásisi(n)
Accusative	τὴν Ὄᾰσῐν tḕn Óasin	τὼ Ὀᾰ́σῐε tṑ Oásie	τᾱ̀ς Ὀᾰ́σῑς / Ὀᾰ́σῐᾰς tā̀s Oásīs / Oásias
Vocative	Ὄᾰσῐ Óasi	Ὀᾰ́σῐε Oásie	Ὀᾰ́σῐες Oásies
Notes:	This table gives Attic inflectional endings. For declension in other dialects, see Appendix:Ancient Greek dialectal declension.

Derived terms

• Αὐᾰσῑ́της (Auasī́tēs)
• Αὐᾰσῖτῐς (Auasîtis)
• Ὀᾰσῖται (Oasîtai)
• Ὀασῐτῐκός (Oasitikós)

Descendants

• → Armenian: ովասիս (ovasis) (learned)
• → Latin: Oasis (see there for further descendants)

References

• “Ὄασις”, in Liddell & Scott (1940) A Greek–English Lexicon, Oxford: Clarendon Press
• “Ὄασις”, in Liddell & Scott (1889) An Intermediate Greek–English Lexicon, New York: Harper & Brothers
• Ὄασις in Bailly, Anatole (1935) Le Grand Bailly: Dictionnaire grec-français, Paris: Hachette