σφύραινα

Ancient Greek

Etymology

From σφῦρα (sphûra, “hammer, mallet”) +‎ -αινᾰ (-aina).

Pronunciation

 

• IPA^(key): /spʰy̌ː.rai̯.na/ → /ˈsɸy.rɛ.na/ → /ˈsfi.re.na/

• (5^th BCE Attic) IPA^(key): /spʰy̌ː.rai̯.na/
• (1^st CE Egyptian) IPA^(key): /ˈspʰy.rɛ.na/
• (4^th CE Koine) IPA^(key): /ˈsɸy.rɛ.na/
• (10^th CE Byzantine) IPA^(key): /ˈsfy.re.na/
• (15^th CE Constantinopolitan) IPA^(key): /ˈsfi.re.na/

Noun

σφῡ́ραινᾰ • (sphū́raina) f (genitive σφῡραίνης); first declension

1. barracuda (Sphyraena sphyraena)

   Synonym: κέστρα (késtra)

   • c. 410 BCE, Strattis, Macedonians 28:

     [A]: ἡ σφύραινα δ' ἐστὶ τίς;
     [B]: κέστραν μὲν ὕμμες ὡττικοὶ κικλήσκετε

     [A]: hē sphúraina d' estì tís?
     [B]: késtran mèn húmmes hōttikoì kiklḗskete

     [A]: a "sphúraina", what is that?
     [B]: "Késtra" is what you, Attic-speakers, call it.

Inflection

First declension of ἡ σφῡ́ραινᾰ; τῆς σφῡραίνης (Attic)

Case / #	Singular	Dual	Plural
Nominative	ἡ σφῡ́ραινᾰ hē sphū́raina	τὼ σφῡραίνᾱ tṑ sphūraínā	αἱ σφῡ́ραιναι hai sphū́rainai
Genitive	τῆς σφῡραίνης tês sphūraínēs	τοῖν σφῡραίναιν toîn sphūraínain	τῶν σφῡραινῶν tôn sphūrainôn
Dative	τῇ σφῡραίνῃ têi sphūraínēi	τοῖν σφῡραίναιν toîn sphūraínain	ταῖς σφῡραίναις taîs sphūraínais
Accusative	τὴν σφῡ́ραινᾰν tḕn sphū́rainan	τὼ σφῡραίνᾱ tṑ sphūraínā	τᾱ̀ς σφῡραίνᾱς tā̀s sphūraínās
Vocative	σφῡ́ραινᾰ sphū́raina	σφῡραίνᾱ sphūraínā	σφῡ́ραιναι sphū́rainai
Notes:	This table gives Attic inflectional endings. For declension in other dialects, see Appendix:Ancient Greek dialectal declension.

Descendants

• → Latin: sphyraena
• → Translingual: Sphyraena

Further reading

• “σφύραινα”, in Liddell & Scott (1940) A Greek–English Lexicon, Oxford: Clarendon Press
• σφύραινα in Bailly, Anatole (1935) Le Grand Bailly: Dictionnaire grec-français, Paris: Hachette