ὕδωρ

See also: ύδωρ

Ancient Greek

Alternative forms

• οὕδωρ (hoúdōr) — Boeotian

Etymology

From Proto-Hellenic *údōr, from Proto-Indo-European *wódr̥ (genitive *wednós (“of water”)), with ω (ō) from the plural), from the root *wed- (whence also ὕω (húō, “to water, to let rain, to rain”)). Cognates include Latin unda, Sanskrit उदन् (udán), Hittite 𒉿𒀀𒋻 (wa-a-tar /⁠wātar⁠/), Old Armenian գետ (get, “river”), Gothic 𐍅𐌰𐍄𐍉 (watō), Old Church Slavonic вода (voda), Old English wæter (English water), and Albanian ujë.

Pronunciation

 

• IPA^(key): /hý.dɔːr/ → /ˈy.ðor/ → /ˈi.ðor/

• (5^th BCE Attic) IPA^(key): /hý.dɔːr/
• (1^st CE Egyptian) IPA^(key): /ˈ(h)y.dor/
• (4^th CE Koine) IPA^(key): /ˈy.ðor/
• (10^th CE Byzantine) IPA^(key): /ˈy.ðor/
• (15^th CE Constantinopolitan) IPA^(key): /ˈi.ðor/

Noun

ῠ̔́δωρ • (húdōr) n (genitive ῠ̔́δᾰτος); third declension

1. water
2. rainwater, rain
3. sweat
4. time (from the waterclocks of Greek legal systems)
5. generally, liquid

Usage notes

The first upsilon is sometimes lengthened in poetry for the sake of meter:

• 800 BCE – 600 BCE, Homer, Odyssey 1.110:

  οἱ μὲν ἄρ’ οἶνον ἔμισγον ἐνὶ κρητῆρσι καὶ ῡ̔́δωρ,

  hoi mèn ár’ oînon émisgon enì krētêrsi kaì hū́dōr,

  some were mixing wine and water in mixing bowls,

• 800 BCE – 600 BCE, Homer, Odyssey 4.216:

  ὣς ἔφατ’, Ἀσφαλίων δ’ ἄρ ῠ̔́δωρ ἐπὶ χεῖρας ἔχευεν,

  hṑs éphat’, Asphalíōn d’ ár húdōr epì kheîras ékheuen,

  So [Menelaus] said, and Asphalion poured water on their hands,

Declension

Third declension of τὸ ῠ̔́δωρ; τοῦ ῠ̔́δᾰτος (Attic)

Case / #	Singular	Dual	Plural
Nominative	τὸ ῠ̔́δωρ tò húdōr	τὼ ῠ̔́δᾰτε tṑ húdate	τᾰ̀ ῠ̔́δᾰτᾰ tà húdata
Genitive	τοῦ ῠ̔́δᾰτος toû húdatos	τοῖν ῠ̔δᾰ́τοιν toîn hudátoin	τῶν ῠ̔δᾰ́των tôn hudátōn
Dative	τῷ ῠ̔́δᾰτῐ tôi húdati	τοῖν ῠ̔δᾰ́τοιν toîn hudátoin	τοῖς ῠ̔́δᾰσῐ / ῠ̔́δᾰσῐν toîs húdasi(n)
Accusative	τὸ ῠ̔́δωρ tò húdōr	τὼ ῠ̔́δᾰτε tṑ húdate	τᾰ̀ ῠ̔́δᾰτᾰ tà húdata
Vocative	ῠ̔́δωρ húdōr	ῠ̔́δᾰτε húdate	ῠ̔́δᾰτᾰ húdata
Notes:	This table gives Attic inflectional endings. For declension in other dialects, see Appendix:Ancient Greek dialectal declension.

Third declension of ῠ̔́δωρ; ῠ̔́δᾰτος (Epic)

Case / #	Singular	Dual	Plural
Nominative	ῠ̔́δωρ húdōr	ῠ̔́δᾰτε húdate	ῠ̔́δᾰτᾰ húdata
Genitive	ῠ̔́δᾰτος húdatos	ῠ̔δᾰ́τοιῐν hudátoiin	ῠ̔δᾰ́των hudátōn
Dative	ῠ̔́δᾰτῐ húdati	ῠ̔δᾰ́τοιῐν hudátoiin	ῠ̔́δᾰσῐ / ῠ̔́δᾰσῐν / ῠ̔δᾰ́τεσσῐ / ῠ̔δᾰ́τεσσῐν / ῠ̔δᾰ́τεσῐ / ῠ̔δᾰ́τεσῐν húdasi(n) / hudátessi(n) / hudátesi(n)
Accusative	ῠ̔́δωρ húdōr	ῠ̔́δᾰτε húdate	ῠ̔́δᾰτᾰ húdata
Vocative	ῠ̔́δωρ húdōr	ῠ̔́δᾰτε húdate	ῠ̔́δᾰτᾰ húdata
Notes:	Dialects other than Attic are not well attested. Some forms may be based on conjecture. Use with caution.

Derived terms

• κλεψύδρα (klepsúdra)
• ὑδάτινος (hudátinos)
• ὑδάτιον (hudátion)
• ὑδατολογία (hudatología)
• ὕδρα (húdra)
• ὑδράργυρος (hudrárguros)
• ὑδρατμός (hudratmós)
• ὑδραυλικός (hudraulikós)
• ὕδραυλος (húdraulos)
• ὑδρηλός (hudrēlós)
• ὑδρο- (hudro-)
• ὑδρογόνον (hudrogónon)
• ὑδρογραφία (hudrographía)
• ὑδροκήλη (hudrokḗlē)
• ὑδρολογία (hudrología)
• ὑδρομᾰντείᾱ (hudromanteíā)
• ὑδροσέλῑνον (hudrosélīnon)
• ὑδροφοβία (hudrophobía)
• ὑδροφῠ́λᾰξ (hudrophúlax)
• ὑδροχόη (hudrokhóē)
• ὑδροχόος (hudrokhóos)
• ὕδρωψ (húdrōps)

 

Related terms

• ὕω (húō)

Descendants

• Greek: ύδωρ (ýdor), υδρο- (ydro-), υδρό- (ydró-), υδρ- (ydr-)
• Tsakonian: ύο (ýo)
• → English: hydro-
• → French: hydro-

References

• “ὕδωρ”, in Liddell & Scott (1940) A Greek–English Lexicon, Oxford: Clarendon Press
• “ὕδωρ”, in Liddell & Scott (1889) An Intermediate Greek–English Lexicon, New York: Harper & Brothers
• ὕδωρ in Bailly, Anatole (1935) Le Grand Bailly: Dictionnaire grec-français, Paris: Hachette
• Bauer, Walter et al. (2001) A Greek–English Lexicon of the New Testament and Other Early Christian Literature, Third edition, Chicago: University of Chicago Press
• ὕδωρ in Cunliffe, Richard J. (1924) A Lexicon of the Homeric Dialect: Expanded Edition, Norman: University of Oklahoma Press, published 1963
• “ὕδωρ”, in Slater, William J. (1969) Lexicon to Pindar, Berlin: Walter de Gruyter
• G5204 in Strong, James (1979) Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance to the Bible
• Woodhouse, S. C. (1910) English–Greek Dictionary: A Vocabulary of the Attic Language‎^[1], London: Routledge & Kegan Paul Limited.
  • fall idem, page 303.
  • rain idem, page 669.
  • shower idem, page 770.
  • slosh idem, page 785.
  • water idem, page 967.
• “ὕδωρ”, in ΛΟΓΕΙΟΝ [Logeion] Dictionaries for Ancient Greek and Latin (in English, French, Spanish, German, Dutch and Chinese), University of Chicago, since 2011