βουστροφηδόν

Ancient Greek

Wikipedia ^el

Etymology

From βοῦς (bous, “ox”) + στροφή (strophē, “turn”).

Pronunciation

• (5th BC Attic): IPA: /bo͜ostropʰɛ͜ɛdón/

• (1st BC Egyptian): IPA: /buːstropʰeːdón/

• (4th AD Koine): IPA: /βustroɸiðón/

• (10th AD Byzantine): IPA: /vustrofiðón/

• (15th AD Constantinopolitan): IPA: /vustɾofiðón/

Wikipedia

Adverb

βουστροφηδόν (boustrophēdon)

1. boustrophedon: a manner of writing which alternated between left to right and right to left directions (similar to the back and forth pattern of someone plowing a field with an ox); an intermediate between the inherited right to left direction used by Semitic languages and the left to right direction ultimately used in later Greek.

Descendants

• English: boustrophedon

References

• LSJ