ψῆττα

Ancient Greek

Alternative forms

• ψῆσσα (psêssa)

Etymology

Unclear. Frisk suggests it could stand for *ψήχια (*psḗkhia), from ψήχω (psḗkhō, “to rub down”) (because of its hard, raw skin), comparing θρίσσα (thríssa, “kind of fish”) and θρίξ (thríx, “hair”). Of course, this is only a suggestion.

Pronunciation

 

• IPA^(key): /psɛ̂ːt.ta/ → /ˈpsit.ta/ → /ˈpsi.ta/

• (5^th BCE Attic) IPA^(key): /psɛ̂ːt.ta/
• (1^st CE Egyptian) IPA^(key): /ˈpse̝t.ta/
• (4^th CE Koine) IPA^(key): /ˈpsit.ta/
• (10^th CE Byzantine) IPA^(key): /ˈpsit.ta/
• (15^th CE Constantinopolitan) IPA^(key): /ˈpsi.ta/

Noun

ψῆττᾰ • (psêtta) f (genitive ψήττης); first declension

1. kind of flatfish, perhaps the turbot (Scophthalmus maximus)

   Synonym: ῥόμβος (rhómbos)

2. (figuratively) glutton, gourmandizer

Inflection

First declension of ἡ ψῆττᾰ; τῆς ψήττης (Attic)

Case / #	Singular	Dual	Plural
Nominative	ἡ ψῆττᾰ hē psêtta	τὼ ψήττᾱ tṑ psḗttā	αἱ ψῆτται hai psêttai
Genitive	τῆς ψήττης tês psḗttēs	τοῖν ψήτταιν toîn psḗttain	τῶν ψηττῶν tôn psēttôn
Dative	τῇ ψήττῃ têi psḗttēi	τοῖν ψήτταιν toîn psḗttain	ταῖς ψήτταις taîs psḗttais
Accusative	τὴν ψῆττᾰν tḕn psêttan	τὼ ψήττᾱ tṑ psḗttā	τᾱ̀ς ψήττᾱς tā̀s psḗttās
Vocative	ψῆττᾰ psêtta	ψήττᾱ psḗttā	ψῆτται psêttai
Notes:	This table gives Attic inflectional endings. For declension in other dialects, see Appendix:Ancient Greek dialectal declension.

Derived terms

• ψηττάριον (psēttárion)
• ψηττοειδής (psēttoeidḗs)
• ψηττόποδες (psēttópodes)

 

Descendants

• → Latin: psētta

Further reading

• “ψῆττα”, in Liddell & Scott (1940) A Greek–English Lexicon, Oxford: Clarendon Press
• “ψῆττα”, in Liddell & Scott (1889) An Intermediate Greek–English Lexicon, New York: Harper & Brothers
• ψῆττα 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