ἄνθος

See also άνθος

Ancient Greek

Pronunciation

• (5th BC Attic): IPA: /ántʰos/

• (1st BC Egyptian): IPA: /ántʰos/

• (4th AD Koine): IPA: /ánθos/

• (10th AD Byzantine): IPA: /á̃θos/

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

Etymology 1

Uncertain. Perhaps from a Proto-Indo-European *h₂endʰos, with cognates including Sanskrit अन्धस (ándhas, “grass, cabbage”), Albanian ënde, Old Armenian անդ (and, “field”), and possibly Old Frisian åndul.

Noun

ἄνθος (genitive ἄνθεος or ἄνθους) n, third declension; (anthos)

1. flower, blossom, bloom
2. froth, scum
3. bloom, peak
4. brightness, brilliance

Inflection

Third declension of ἄνθος, ἄνθεος (uncontracted)

Case / #	Singular	Dual	Plural
Nominative	ἄνθος	ἄνθεε	ἄνθεᾰ
Genitive	ἄνθεος	ἀνθέοιν	ἀνθέων
Dative	ἄνθεϊ	ἀνθέοιν	ἄνθεσσῐ(ν)
Accusative	ἄνθος	ἄνθεε	ἄνθεᾰ
Vocative	ἄνθος	ἄνθεε	ἄνθεᾰ

This inflection pattern originally had a sigma (i.e. ἄνθεσος), which was dropped early on in the history of Ancient Greek.

Third declension of ἄνθος, ἄνθους (contracted)

Case / #	Singular	Dual	Plural
Nominative	ἄνθος	ἄνθει	ἄνθη
Genitive	ἄνθους	ἀνθοῖν	ἀνθῶν
Dative	ἄνθει	ἀνθοῖν	ἄνθεσῐ(ν)
Accusative	ἄνθος	ἄνθει	ἄνθη
Vocative	ἄνθος	ἄνθει	ἄνθη

The irregular accentuation of this paradigm is explained by the fact that it is the contracted version of the above paradigm. Usually the genitive plural in Attic writers is ἀνθέων (antheōn).

Descendants

English: chrysanthemum

Noun

ἄνθος (genitive ἄνθου) m, second declension; (anthos)

1. a small bird, possibly the yellow wagtail.

Inflection

Second declension of ἄνθος, ἄνθου

Case / #	Singular	Dual	Plural
Nominative	ἄνθος	ἄνθω	ἄνθοι
Genitive	ἄνθου	ἄνθοιν	ἄνθων
Dative	ἄνθῳ	ἄνθοιν	ἄνθοις
Accusative	ἄνθον	ἄνθω	ἄνθους
Vocative	ἄνθε	ἄνθω	ἄνθοι

References

• LSJ
• BDAG
• Robert S. P. Beekes (2009) Etymological Dictionary of Greek (Brill Academic Publishers)
• Strong’s concordance number: G438
• J.B Hofmann, Ετυμολογικόν Λεξικόν της Αρχαίας Ελληνικής (Etymologisches Wörterbuch des Griechischen)