σκαντζόχοιρος

Greek[edit]

FWOTD – 5 December 2021

From Koine Greek κανθόχοιρος (kanthókhoiros), from Ancient Greek ἀκανθόχοιρος (akanthókhoiros), from ἄκανθος (ákanthos, “acanthus, a prickly plant”) + χοῖρος (khoîros, “pig”). Doublet of ακανθόχοιρος (akanthóchoiros).

σκαντζόχοιρος • (skantzóchoiros) m (plural σκαντζόχοιροι)

hedgehog
- 1904, Folktale from Thrace in Nikolaos G. Polites, Studies of the life and languages of the Greek people, vol. 2, part 1, page 193.
  Μία μάννα εἶχε τέσσερα παιδιά, τὸν σκαντζόχοιρο, τὴν ἀράχνη, τὴ χελῶνα καὶ τὴ μέλισσα. Ἦρθε καιρός καὶ ἀρρώστησε καὶ ἔστειλε νὰ φωνάξῃ τὸν σκαντζόχοιρο […]. Ό σκαντζόχοιρος ὅμως εἶπε […] πῶς ἔχει νὰ βάλῃ φράχταις ᾽ς τἀμπέλι του καὶ δὲν ἔχει καιρό. Ἡ μάννα του τὸν καταράστη τότε· «Νὰ του καθήσουν οἱ τσαλιαίς ᾽ς τὴ ῥάχη».
  Mía mánna eíche téssera paidiá, ton skantzóchoiro, tin aráchni, ti chelóna kai ti mélissa. Írthe kairós kai arróstise kai ésteile na fonáxei ton skantzóchoiro […]. O skantzóchoiros ómos eípe […] pos échei na válei fráchtes 's tampéli tou kai den échei kairó. I mánna tou ton katarásti tóte; «Na tou kathísoun oi tsaliés 's ti ráchi».
  A mother had four children, a hedgehog, a spider, a turtle and a bee. There came a time when she got sick and she summoned the hedgehog […]. But the hedgehog said […] that he had to put fences at his vineyard and had no time. Then, his mother cursed him: "May the thorns [of the stakes for the fence] sit on his back."

declension of σκαντζόχοιρος