ἄτρακτος

Ancient Greek

Alternative forms

• ἄδρακτος (ádraktos), ἀτρακίς (atrakís)

Etymology

Has been derived from Proto-Indo-European *terkʷ-, with cognates including Sanskrit तर्कु (tarku), Albanian dredh and Latin torqueō. However, there are some problems with these connections, such as expecting a π (p) instead of κ (k) from *kʷ. According to Beekes, it is rather a Pre-Greek word; this may find support in ἄδρακτος (ádraktos) and ἀτρακίς (atrakís), if the variation κ/κτ is old and not due to simplification.

Pronunciation

 

• IPA^(key): /á.trak.tos/ → /ˈa.trak.tos/ → /ˈa.trak.tos/

• (5^th BCE Attic) IPA^(key): /á.trak.tos/
• (1^st CE Egyptian) IPA^(key): /ˈa.trak.tos/
• (4^th CE Koine) IPA^(key): /ˈa.trak.tos/
• (10^th CE Byzantine) IPA^(key): /ˈa.trak.tos/
• (15^th CE Constantinopolitan) IPA^(key): /ˈa.trak.tos/

Noun

ἄτρακτος • (átraktos) m or f (genitive ἀτράκτου); second declension

1. spindle

   Synonyms: κλωστήρ (klōstḗr), νῆτρον (nêtron)

2. arrow
3. upper part of a ship's mast
4. (surgery) spindle-shaped cautery

Inflection

Second declension of ὁ, ἡ ἄτρακτος; τοῦ, τῆς ἀτράκτου (Attic)

Case / #	Singular	Dual	Plural
Nominative	ὁ, ἡ ἄτρακτος ho, hē átraktos	τὼ ἀτράκτω tṑ atráktō	οἱ, αἱ ἄτρακτοι hoi, hai átraktoi
Genitive	τοῦ, τῆς ἀτράκτου toû, tês atráktou	τοῖν ἀτράκτοιν toîn atráktoin	τῶν ἀτράκτων tôn atráktōn
Dative	τῷ, τῇ ἀτράκτῳ tôi, têi atráktōi	τοῖν ἀτράκτοιν toîn atráktoin	τοῖς, ταῖς ἀτράκτοις toîs, taîs atráktois
Accusative	τὸν, τὴν ἄτρακτον tòn, tḕn átrakton	τὼ ἀτράκτω tṑ atráktō	τοὺς, τᾱ̀ς ἀτράκτους toùs, tā̀s atráktous
Vocative	ἄτρακτε átrakte	ἀτράκτω atráktō	ἄτρακτοι átraktoi
Notes:	This table gives Attic inflectional endings. For declension in other dialects, see Appendix:Ancient Greek dialectal declension.

Derived terms

• ἀτράκτιον (atráktion)
• ἀτρακτοειδής (atraktoeidḗs)
• ἀτρακτυλίς (atraktulís)
• ἀτρακτώδης (atraktṓdēs)

 

Further reading

• “ἄτρακτος”, in Liddell & Scott (1940) A Greek–English Lexicon, Oxford: Clarendon Press
• “ἄτρακτος”, in Liddell & Scott (1889) An Intermediate Greek–English Lexicon, New York: Harper & Brothers
• ἄτρακτος in Bailly, Anatole (1935) Le Grand Bailly: Dictionnaire grec-français, Paris: Hachette
• ἄτρακτος in the Diccionario Griego–Español en línea (2006–2024)
• Woodhouse, S. C. (1910) English–Greek Dictionary: A Vocabulary of the Attic Language‎^[1], London: Routledge & Kegan Paul Limited.
  • arrow idem, page 42.
  • bolt idem, page 88.
  • distaff idem, page 240.
  • shaft idem, page 760.
  • spindle idem, page 802.
• 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