Ancient Greek

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Alternative forms

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Etymology

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From Proto-Hellenic *gʷous (compare Mycenaean Greek 𐀦𐀃 (qo-o)), from Proto-Indo-European *gʷṓws. Cognates include Old English (English cow), Irish , Latin bōs, and Sanskrit गो ().

Pronunciation

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Noun

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βοῦς (boûsm or f (genitive βοός); third declension

  1. cow, ox, cattle
  2. shield
    • 800 BCE – 600 BCE, Homer, Iliad 7.238–239:
      οἶδ’ ἐπὶ δεξιά, οἶδ’ ἐπ’ ἀριστερὰ νωμῆσαι βῶν
      ἀζαλέην, τό μοι ἔστι ταλαύρινον πολεμίζειν·
      oîd’ epì dexiá, oîd’ ep’ aristerà nōmêsai bôn
      azaléēn, tó moi ésti talaúrinon polemízein;
      I know on the right, and I know on the left how to wield my dried
      shield, which to me seems sturdy in fighting:

Usage notes

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  • The sense 'shield' is explained in a scholium to Iliad 7.238[1] as follows:
    c. 900 CE – 1000, Venetus A scholium at Iliad 7.238 :
    βοῦν· Δωρικῶς τὴν ἀσπίδα, ὅτι ἐκ βοείων ἐστι δερμάτων συνεκδοχικῶς τὸ ὅπλον
    boûn; Dōrikôs tḕn aspída, hóti ek boeíōn esti dermátōn sunekdokhikôs tò hóplon
    boûn: 'shield' (Doric), because the shield is made from layered bovine skins

Inflection

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Synonyms

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(shield): αἰγίς (aigís), ἀσπίδιον (aspídion), ἀσπίς (aspís), βοάγριον (boágrion), κρίγδανον (krígdanon), πέλτη (péltē), ῥῑνός (rhīnós), σάκος (sákos), σκοῦτα (skoûta)

Hyponyms

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Derived terms

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Descendants

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References

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Further reading

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