σκόλιον

Ancient Greek

Etymology

Traditionally derived from σκολιός (skoliós, “crooked”), because of the crooked order of the singers. Another theory derives the word from δύσκολος (dúskolos, “troublesome, difficult”), because it was said that the songs were easy, but appeared difficult to drunken revellers.

Pronunciation

 

• IPA^(key): /skó.li.on/ → /ˈsko.li.on/ → /ˈsko.li.on/

• (5^th BCE Attic) IPA^(key): /skó.li.on/
• (1^st CE Egyptian) IPA^(key): /ˈsko.li.on/
• (4^th CE Koine) IPA^(key): /ˈsko.li.on/
• (10^th CE Byzantine) IPA^(key): /ˈsko.li.on/
• (15^th CE Constantinopolitan) IPA^(key): /ˈsko.li.on/

Noun

σκόλῐον • (skólion) n (genitive σκολῐ́ου); second declension

1. song which went round crookedly at banquets, being sung to the lyre by the guests one after another in irregular order

Inflection

Second declension of τὸ σκόλῐον; τοῦ σκολῐ́ου (Attic)

Case / #	Singular	Dual	Plural
Nominative	τὸ σκόλῐον tò skólion	τὼ σκολῐ́ω tṑ skolíō	τᾰ̀ σκόλῐᾰ tà skólia
Genitive	τοῦ σκολῐ́ου toû skolíou	τοῖν σκολῐ́οιν toîn skolíoin	τῶν σκολῐ́ων tôn skolíōn
Dative	τῷ σκολῐ́ῳ tôi skolíōi	τοῖν σκολῐ́οιν toîn skolíoin	τοῖς σκολῐ́οις toîs skolíois
Accusative	τὸ σκόλῐον tò skólion	τὼ σκολῐ́ω tṑ skolíō	τᾰ̀ σκόλῐᾰ tà skólia
Vocative	σκόλῐον skólion	σκολῐ́ω skolíō	σκόλῐᾰ skólia
Notes:	This table gives Attic inflectional endings. For declension in other dialects, see Appendix:Ancient Greek dialectal declension.

Descendants

• → English: skolion

Further reading

• “σκόλιον”, in Liddell & Scott (1940) A Greek–English Lexicon, Oxford: Clarendon Press
• “σκόλιον”, in Liddell & Scott (1889) An Intermediate Greek–English Lexicon, New York: Harper & Brothers
• σκόλιον in Bailly, Anatole (1935) Le Grand Bailly: Dictionnaire grec-français, Paris: Hachette