σκίγγος

Ancient Greek

Alternative forms

• σκίγκος (skínkos)

Etymology

The variation points to Semitic origin, since there a geminate stop is often replaced with a nasal followed by a stop; the word is there attested in Classical Syriac ܣܩܝܢܩܘܪ (sqinqūr, “skink”) with variants and Akkadian 𒆲𒁯 (KUN.DAR /⁠šakkadirru, šakkatirru⁠/, “skink”, literally “mongoose of the forest”), originally applied to another relatable creature, but again listed separately as a type of lizard as well.

Pronunciation

 

• IPA^(key): /skíŋ.ɡos/ → /ˈsciŋ.ɡos/ → /ˈsciŋ.ɡos/

• (5^th BCE Attic) IPA^(key): /skíŋ.ɡos/
• (1^st CE Egyptian) IPA^(key): /ˈskiŋ.ɡos/
• (4^th CE Koine) IPA^(key): /ˈsciŋ.ɡos/
• (10^th CE Byzantine) IPA^(key): /ˈsciŋ.ɡos/
• (15^th CE Constantinopolitan) IPA^(key): /ˈsciŋ.ɡos/

Noun

σκίγγος • (skíngos) m (genitive σκίγγου); second declension

1. skink, a kind of lizard

Inflection

Second declension of ὁ σκῐ́γγος; τοῦ σκῐ́γγου (Attic)

Case / #	Singular	Dual	Plural
Nominative	ὁ σκῐ́γγος ho skíngos	τὼ σκῐ́γγω tṑ skíngō	οἱ σκῐ́γγοι hoi skíngoi
Genitive	τοῦ σκῐ́γγου toû skíngou	τοῖν σκῐ́γγοιν toîn skíngoin	τῶν σκῐ́γγων tôn skíngōn
Dative	τῷ σκῐ́γγῳ tôi skíngōi	τοῖν σκῐ́γγοιν toîn skíngoin	τοῖς σκῐ́γγοις toîs skíngois
Accusative	τὸν σκῐ́γγον tòn skíngon	τὼ σκῐ́γγω tṑ skíngō	τοὺς σκῐ́γγους toùs skíngous
Vocative	σκῐ́γγε skínge	σκῐ́γγω skíngō	σκῐ́γγοι skíngoi
Notes:	This table gives Attic inflectional endings. For declension in other dialects, see Appendix:Ancient Greek dialectal declension.

Descendants

• → Latin: scincos, scincus (see there for further descendants)

Further reading

• “σκίγγος”, in Liddell & Scott (1940) A Greek–English Lexicon, Oxford: Clarendon Press
• σκίγγος in Bailly, Anatole (1935) Le Grand Bailly: Dictionnaire grec-français, Paris: Hachette
• Beekes, Robert S. P. (2010) Etymological Dictionary of Greek (Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series; 10), with the assistance of Lucien van Beek, Leiden, Boston: Brill, →ISBN