σηπία

Ancient Greek

Alternative forms

• σηπίη (sēpíē) — Ionic

Etymology

A connection with σήπω (sḗpō, “to rot”) is semantically possible but formally problematic. However, it may be more likely that the word is of Pre-Greek origin.

Pronunciation

 

• IPA^(key): /sɛː.pí.aː/ → /siˈpi.a/ → /siˈpi.a/

• (5^th BCE Attic) IPA^(key): /sɛː.pí.aː/
• (1^st CE Egyptian) IPA^(key): /se̝ˈpi.a/
• (4^th CE Koine) IPA^(key): /siˈpi.a/
• (10^th CE Byzantine) IPA^(key): /siˈpi.a/
• (15^th CE Constantinopolitan) IPA^(key): /siˈpi.a/

Noun

σηπίᾱ • (sēpíā) f (genitive σηπίᾱς); first declension

1. cuttlefish

Inflection

First declension of ἡ σηπίᾱ; τῆς σηπίᾱς (Attic)

Case / #	Singular	Dual	Plural
Nominative	ἡ σηπίᾱ hē sēpíā	τὼ σηπίᾱ tṑ sēpíā	αἱ σηπίαι hai sēpíai
Genitive	τῆς σηπίᾱς tês sēpíās	τοῖν σηπίαιν toîn sēpíain	τῶν σηπιῶν tôn sēpiôn
Dative	τῇ σηπίᾳ têi sēpíāi	τοῖν σηπίαιν toîn sēpíain	ταῖς σηπίαις taîs sēpíais
Accusative	τὴν σηπίᾱν tḕn sēpíān	τὼ σηπίᾱ tṑ sēpíā	τᾱ̀ς σηπίᾱς tā̀s sēpíās
Vocative	σηπίᾱ sēpíā	σηπίᾱ sēpíā	σηπίαι sēpíai
Notes:	This table gives Attic inflectional endings. For declension in other dialects, see Appendix:Ancient Greek dialectal declension.

Derived terms

• σηπιάς (sēpiás)
• σηπιδάριον (sēpidárion)
• σηπίδιον (sēpídion)
• σήπιον (sḗpion)

 

Descendants

• Greek: σουπιά (soupiá)
• Latin: sepia

Further reading

• “σηπία”, in Liddell & Scott (1940) A Greek–English Lexicon, Oxford: Clarendon Press
• σηπία 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